Liquid Yeast advice

[Underthethumb]

Well my next adventure in All-Grain is going to be using liquid yeasts which I intend to re-use by rinsing as per Wolfy's instructions in the 'yeast' section of the forum.

Can anyone advise me on a good all-round ale yeast. My next brew is going to be a stout, but I more commonly make Bitters/pale ales of around 5% in strength.

The variety of liquid yeasts is amazing compared to dry yeasts.

Thanks

[FUBAR]

Well if you are mainly brewing pale ales and bitters IMO you cant go far wrong with WLP002

[Dennis King]

Well if you are mainly brewing pale ales and bitters IMO you cant go far wrong with WLP002

+1 probably the best and most versatile I've brewed with but must also give a mention to WLP005 and WLP007, both great yeasts.

[Beer O'Clock]

Another way to look at them, is to work out which area your favourite commercial beers come from. There are specific yeasts based around breweries and locales. You can choose one on that basis, ie Burton, London, Essex styles etc.

[Eric]

It's been mentioned, WLP002 is worth a try. Moving on can be very hard.

[borischarlton]

If your going to make a stout the obvious choice is WLP004 Irish ale yeast. Thing is to only use it in a stout is a waste as its so good in a pale. It does mute the hops a little so you will need to put a few more in but for the additional esters it brings it's more than worth it, drops clear as a bell to boot! For me it's been one of the best to highlight the benefits of liquid yeast

Rob

Edit for spelling, got fat fingers!

[Underthethumb]

Thanks for the advice.

Interesting that no-one mentions Wyeast - any particular reason?

Also - have you found using liquid yeasts makes a big difference?

Cheers

[Dennis King]

I've not used Wyeast for a few years just because I find the smack packs a pain in the arse. The quality of Wyeast is not in question it's just Brewlabs is easier to work with,

[DaveV]

Welcome to a lot of fun... To help , this book is great (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yeast-Practical ... 040&sr=8-7). Written by Chris White from White labs, maker of WLP002.
Are you hoping to work with top cropping, flocculent yeasts?
I am top cropping at high kraeusen with the yeasts I work with and repitching, working on approx 0.8 billion cells/ml as guesstimate. So far, working a treat with no need to rinse (with WLP001, WLP500, and F40 & LV3 from Brew Labs trialled so far). All these yeasts are pretty much blowing the lid offf my fermenter after a couple of days incubating at 20 deg C from standard grain bills. Look at Mr Malty for pitching rate advice when working with slurry http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html. The book gives you the blow-by-blow advice on various methods you can employ, top or bottom cropping and how to 'whisper' to your yeast!

DaveV

[Scooby]

I used Wyeast years ago but switched to White lab as they contained more yeast cells than the propagator packs from Wyeast.
Now that Activator packs are available over here I'm giving them a go.

My tastes have changed over the years, I suppose reflecting the big change in the style of beer now available but I liked Wyeast 1968 ESB
1187 Ringwood and 1275 Brakspear back in the day. If you scan both their websites you'll get a good idea of what's on offer then go for
one that tickles you fancy. Some are similar but both have yeast not offered by the other

A couple of advantages of Wyeast is the pack contains a pouch full of yeast nutrients so you don't have to add it to your starter, and you don't
get spritzed when you open them


Edit. Just noticed you asked about there being any difference. There is nothing wrong with dry yeast and it has advantages in use, but the choice is limited.
If you want to add some character to your beer, and yeast has more influence on that than any other ingredient, you need to look further than S04 and Nottingham.
Try any of the yeast mentioned here and you'll realise that.

[Capn Ahab]

Wyeast 1968 ESB

...or as it's otherwise known as WLP002!

Check out Mr Malty at http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm for a chart of the various strains supplied by Wyeast and White Labs and where (he thinks) they come from.

[Underthethumb]

Wyeast 1968 ESB

...or as it's otherwise known as WLP002!

Check out Mr Malty at http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm for a chart of the various strains supplied by Wyeast and White Labs and where (he thinks) they come from.

That is a brilliant resource - thanks

[Dennis King]

Davev also mentioned brewlabs, again great yeast, so fresh they produce it when you place your order. Also they will make you a yeast to your own specifications.

[Scooby]

Wyeast 1968 ESB

...or as it's otherwise known as WLP002!

Have you used both? They are not the same

And take the info on the comparison charts with a pinch of salt, WLP002 English Ale, Whitbread. Wyeast 1968 London ESB, Fullers.

[Capn Ahab]

Have you used both? They are not the same

To be fair no, I haven't. But you're saying that WY1968 is Fullers and everyone says WLP002 is Fullers. There's no real way of telling I guess, especially as yeasts have been passed around over the years (one my local micros uses the Black Sheep yeast for example), and FWIW I prefer the WLP007 (Whitbred allegedly) to WLP002 (Fullers allegedly) as it finishes drier and doesn't throw so much ethyl fruitiness. My advice is to use the Yeast chart as a rough guide and experiment accordingly. I have never tried brewlabs but the fact that they can give you yeasts with fairly accurate regional provenance sounds pretty good. White Labs and Wyeast are convenient as they are 'off the shelf'.