which yeast?

[thestingers]

I keep hearing people mention 'brewers yeast' is this a term given to any yeat for brewing? Or is there a general all purpose yeast?

Also, I have been told that tesco bakers/bread yeast works find for many brews. Is this true?

Thank you and sorry for all of the questions.

[Aleman]

Brewers yeast is yeast that probably started out as bread yeast, but over the many generations has become adapted to live in a sugary solution converting the sugars into alcohol, without (in general) dying . . . or adding unpleasant flavours to the beer. Many strains are available from your local homebrew shop, Nottingham, Windsor, Safale 04, Safale 05, Muntons Premium Gold, Gervin are dry yeasts then Wyeast, Whitelabs all do a massive variety of Liquid yeast strains. Brewlab do another range on slants.

While beer can be made with bread yeast, it is restricted to lower alcohol beers, and generally it doesn't clear well . . . often producing 'funky' flavours . . . so while you can[/u] make a 'beer' with bakers yeast you will have much more success using genuine brewers yeast

Of course you can actually make a damn fine bread using the yeast slurry from the bottom of the FV That is much more successful

[oblivious]

Also modern bread yeast is selected for CO2 production over flavor

[Madbrewer]

Guys - I did a brew with bread yeast and it was foul! Don't be tempted unless you like 'funky flaours' and as Aleman says it doesn't clear. I can however testify to successful bread making with beer yeast. Funny really cos there's me not getting into using the exact yeasts for the style and refusing to acknowledge their impact into the flavours of the beers they ferment whilst on the other hand telling you that despite both bread and beer yeast being Sacc. Cerveasie one was totally unacceptable for brewing destroying my own argument really.....

[hoppingMad]

Just to further illustrate the point, many relatives in my wife's family including us, make lemonade. Thats carbonated lemonade, from water, lemonjuice, sugar and of course yeast. For many years the norm was to just use bread yeast, the bottled lemonade taking only a week or so to carbonate. The problem has always been that the lemonade, although mighty good for a week or so, rapidly deteriorates after carbonating and so we always had to finish the bottles within a few days.
Since becoming a home brewer I have begun using a little of my beer yeast for the lemonade. To everyone's surprise ( and great pleasure) the bottles of lemonade now keep indefinately, revealing the purity of brewers' yeast and the lack thereof of bread yeast.

By the way its great stuff, and a talking point amognst all our friends for many years.
Yes the lemonade IS alcoholic, even when using the bread yeast, BUT and I hasten to add.... it only gets to about 0.5 %. Fine for the kids ( and Grandma)

[Charlie B]

If you don't mind me asking what is your recipe for making the lemonade? How do you stop it being too alcoholic?

[hoppingMad]

Charlie, I've PM'd you.
if anyone else wnats the recipe also, I'll post it here....