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Perth Homebrew Liquid Yeast Wyeast White Labs
Posted: Sunday May 01, 2005 3:20 am
by Beer Krout
Hi Guys
I just got back from 2.5 weeks in Western Australia.
I have a mate over there that I'm trying to get into liquid yeast. I took him a packet of Wyeast over on the plane from Melbourne. He reckons he can't get it in Perth. From what I've heard from you guys, this is bollocks, right?!?!
Where can you get Wyeast or White Labs in Perth? He lives in West Leedersville. Nice suburb. Right next to Subiaco oval.
Thanks in advance
BK.
Posted: Sunday May 01, 2005 10:00 am
by Hillbilly
Malthouse on Welshpool road in Welshpool, they got all the gear he needs.
http://www.malthouse.com.au
Posted: Sunday May 01, 2005 2:41 pm
by grabman
he could also try Westbrew in Osborne Pk.
Posted: Friday May 06, 2005 11:05 pm
by Friar
BK
I'm in Perth and I'm also ex east coast. I find it really difficult to get liquid yeast and impossible to get White Labs unless I order it from ESB in Sydney and get it freighted overnight.
I'm travelling to Sydney next week and plan to purchase some and bring it back as hand luggage in a six pack foam esky. Should be fun getting it through security checks at the airport.
Friar
Posted: Friday May 06, 2005 11:19 pm
by Evo
Tell customs that they're stool samples. God, I had to do that once

(and I don't mean lie to customs).
Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 12:24 am
by grabman
Evo wrote:Tell customs that they're stool samples. .
I know WA seems miles away at times but last time I flew to Sydney I didn't need to go through customs!
Have we left the commonwealth and gone off on our own and if so why didn't some one tell me! I would have applied for the job of King!
King Grabman, has a nice ring to it

Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 2:34 am
by Dogger Dan
Thanks Grab
I last heard you guys were all one country, why do you need to worry about customs.
Oh, and I may be way off topic and really out to lunch but if I was you I wouldn't put the yeast through the x-ray machine. Just a thought. Remember what they cover up with a sheet of lead before they shoot you in the Docs office.
If they are willing to protect those gems, maybe you should think about what X-rays can do to the yeast.
Evo, one day when I am juicing, can you please tell me the story of you taking stool samples through customs? Have you had a career change?
Dogger
Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 6:53 am
by gregb
Evo,
I am also curious to hear the story of the stool sample, though I may regret wanting too much information.
Greg
Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 7:05 am
by gregb
Friar,
Yeast for homebrewing is legal to buy, legal to own, legal to use, and not considered a dangerous good, don't need a licence or letter from work cover to handle etc. So security at the airport can F'cough. Might need to work on the wording unless you want a cavity search. I would tell them straight up they are yeasts for homebrewing, and the shops in Perth don't stock them so I grabbed a couple while visiting Sydney smile politely and keep moving.
If you've got a spare couple of hours and feel like a thorough cavity search tell them that they are microbiological cultures.
I pannicked them a few weeks back because my water bottle was square not round.
Good luck,
Greg.
Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 9:28 am
by Dogger Dan
I appreciate what you say,
My point is if folks are worried about your stones cause it kills off the little critters, what do you think it does to other single cell critters like oh..... I don't know......
Yeast?
Dogger
Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 11:30 am
by Evo
No, I couldn't possibly tell that story. It just wouldn't be right.
So, back in the early nineties whilst working in a hospital in Mother England I got a huge dose of salmonella (and from what we worked out, from the hospital cafeteria). Think explosive diarrhea and multiply it by one hundred. I pretty much lived on the throne (not really feeling like the King) for a week, much to my flatmates' amusement.
I went to the docs, who gave me 3 or 4 vials (not unlike White Labs yeast vials) and told me to "fill them". Think about it. It's coming out like a mist spray on a garden hose and I have to aim it into a 15mm opening. If I wasn't feeling crook before, I certainly was after that.
Add to this that I was a poor traveller and had no car and no money for a cab, so it was off on the Uncle Gus (bus) to pathology to hand in my trophies. They were wrapped in like three plastic bags but still smelt like a curry house toilet. Lets just say I had a seat all to myself.
And it felt great to walk up to the rather attractive receptionist at the pathology place and hand her a steaming plastic bag. I didn't get a date out of it.
...and of course by "customs" I meant security.

Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 11:39 am
by Evo
Oh ahhh... and, if you fly interstate on what is going to be an international flight, you may have to go through customs.
Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 3:38 pm
by Friar
Thanks Folks
No real concern just the pain of trying to explain to a trained Gorilla that it is yeast and ok and not a biological weapon.
Will get there early and attempt to bypass the problems then suck on comercial in the lounge
Having lived there before I think I am qualified to say that the best view of Sydney is the one out of the rear window as you depart.
Friar
Posted: Saturday May 07, 2005 10:04 pm
by Dogger Dan
Evo,
Bet you will tell the grand kids that one
Dogger
Posted: Sunday May 08, 2005 5:26 pm
by Beer Krout
So has anybody come across Wyeast or White Labs yeasts in Perth at all?
Seems strange.
I would have thought Perth would have a large number of homebrewers to make it worth while to a HBS.
Just seems like a place where HBing would come naturally or maybe you have too many top breweries that people can't be bothered. eg. LC.
BK
Posted: Sunday May 08, 2005 10:13 pm
by Friar
BK
Malthouse has offered to get some White Labs yeasts in, they do not regularly carry it
if enough interest was shown then they would probably stock it more regularly
I have never brewed with a Wyeast or looked for any.
How do the two brands compare?
Friar
Posted: Tuesday May 10, 2005 12:01 pm
by Beer Krout
I've brewed a couple brews with both.
They are both of high quality and when treated right, I have got higher quality beers than from Safale.
They both have a large range for endless experimentation.
I can see the possible reluctance with stocking them.
Serious homebrewers will buy one or two different types and then just reuse them forever harvesting from the last batch. Or sharing between mates.
Not much in it for the HBS guy.
Posted: Tuesday May 10, 2005 12:22 pm
by JAZZA
with the vials of yeast you get what consistancy are they?
can you get them like compressed yeast?
have you tried the hbs in osborne park for wyeast? as the last time i was there they had a fridge with their hops and stuff in it.
or mauri foods/ pinnacle yeast they may have some quality yeast or my look at brewers yeast for perth as an option ( they make bakers yeast at present)
CHEERS,
JAZZA.
Posted: Tuesday May 10, 2005 12:37 pm
by JAZZA
JUST DID A QUICK SEARCH ON MAURI YEAST AND THEY MAKE YEAST FOR WINE MAKERS IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT APROACHING SOME OF THE BOUTIQUE BREWERIES THEY MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU EG.LITTLE CREATURES, BOOT LEG BREWERY, SAIL AND ANCHOR OR BRASS MONKEY FOR EXAMPLE.
CHEERS,
JAZZA

Posted: Tuesday May 10, 2005 4:37 pm
by Beer Krout
Thanks guys.
I keep emailing my Perth buddy updates of this thread.
So we'll see what he does with all this information.
BK