Yeast - When to "Upgrade"

[ernie]

Howdy

I have a question about kit yeasts....do you always, never or sometimes use them?

I'm reasonably new to this and I have only read one book on it - Laurie Strachan's complete guide to HB in Oz. In his book he says...

"The dried yeast supplied with kits has its limitations...an inability to fully ferment out brews made up entirely of malt extract. Most of these yeasts will work perfectly on a kit can made up with sugar..."

So it seems to me if you're doing something basic like a coopers mexican with BE2 then the kit yeast would be OK to use. But if you're laying down an augmented or customised brew like a porter or something with full malt, honey, marshmallows etc, then you're probably going to need a specialty yeast.

Does this sound right? Is Strachan's advice consistent with your expert views?

Many thanks

E

[gregb]

You need to be aware of what yeast your kit came with, as some kits (ESB 3kg, Coopers Prem & Wals to name a few) do in fact come with specially selected quality yeasts. So for me it is a 'sometimes' that it gets the flick.

Cheers,
Greg

[blandy]

The yeast in most good kits is of reasonable quality, but it does not cost more to do a lot better. Some kits come with SAF yeasts, and in that case you can't do much better unless you get some W-Yeast (the stuff in liquid).

I have not read Laurie Strachan's book, but that quote seems to make sense.

As to basic Vs complex recipes, your choice of yeast will ALWAYS have an effect on how your beer tastes, that is why there are so many varieties out there. Often a basic kit and kilo can be greatly enhanced by throwing out the yeast in the kit, and using some specialty yeast in stead. For example I have brewed the Brewcraft Munich Lager with both the yeast it comes with and with SafLager (I can't remember which one) yeast, and there is a noticeable difference. Although the standard kit is very good on it's own, I would say that the SafLager is worth paying a little bit extra for.

I'd say that if you are in doubt as to what to do about yeast, go for the specialty yeast, the dried stuff only costs about $4-5 extra, and spread over a 20L brew, that translates to an extra 25c a liter (or an extra 10c a stubby).

The best thing to do is to ask the people at your homebrew shop. They should know what sort of effect each specialty yeast will have on your brew, and you can therefore make an informed decision.

[ernie]

thanks for the input. this next question might sound a bit stupid but...

are you saying that yeast contributes directly to taste, or

that it contributes to taste indirectly by fermenting out the fermentables better, or

have I missed the point altogether?

be gentle with me! I'm new

[T-Bone]

The yeast directly determines taste by type(s) of sugars it will ferment, and the degree to which it will ferment them (called attenuation I believe). This is an entire science in itself, which someone better qualified than I can probably expand on.
Suffice it to say that the strain of yeast plays a major role in the end flavour produced.
TB

[The Carbonator]

the yeast eats sugar, producing alcohol, CO2 and beer flavour.

I think its the most important ingredient in brewing.

I dont use kit yeast at all anymore, because of the positive flavour effects i've noticed from better yeasts

[Oliver]

Ernie,

You may want to check out this thread http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/forum/vi ... .php?t=571 about the yeast that comes with various Coopers kits. Most of them (except the "Original series") have specially selected yeasts. For instance the Pilsner comes with a true lager yeast (Saflager, I think).

The only time I may not use the yeast that comes with a Coopers can is if I made a yeast starter from the yeast in a bottle of Coopers beer.

Having said this, keep in mind what's been said about the quality of yeast in some other kits. Although if the yeast is dodgy, you've got to wonder about the quality of the kit as a whole.

Cheers,

Oliver

[Beerpig]

I believe that not only does the quality of the yeast matter but probably more important is the temperature you use it at

Stable temperature at the lower end of the recommended temperature range will produce better results

In short ............. use the best quality yeast you can find/afford ..................... keep the temp stable at the lower end of the range

Cheers

[rwh]

The type of yeast affects the following things in your final product:

- The quantities of the various types of fermentables remaining
- The quantities of the various byproducts of metabolism such as aldehydes and esters.

The temperature and fermentables that you add change the way the yeast behaves as well, which again impacts the above.