Do liquid yeasts really make that much difference?

[monkeyboy]

Having started this thread, here's a brief update: i brewed a week ago - a porter, with WLP002. viewtopic.php?f=24&t=38005
Just took my first 'progress check' sample, and it's down to 1012 (I'm expecting 1011). It's been sitting there at 18C the whole time. I pitched straight out of the tube, so no starter or anything. That's pretty comparable with s04, my previous 'house yeast'. But how does it taste? Really good. It's already up there with the best beer i've made. The 'background taste' i could detect in previous brews is not there. I'm really excited about this one. I suspect there's no going back now

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I don't think they do, they're not worth the hassle..

[coatesg]

They really aren't much hassle - a bit of planning and boiling some spraymalt in water. It just offers another dimension of flavour - dried yeasts are good and produce fine beers, but (for example) flavours from a yeast like WLP002 cannot be reproduced with a dried yeast. And there are just some styles that just do not work with any dried yeast (just try brewing a Belgian ale and getting the right yeast contributed flavours with a dry yeast...).

[Dennis King]

They really aren't much hassle - a bit of planning and boiling some spraymalt in water. It just offers another dimension of flavour - dried yeasts are good and produce fine beers, but (for example) flavours from a yeast like WLP002 cannot be reproduced with a dried yeast. And there are just some styles that just do not work with any dried yeast (just try brewing a Belgian ale and getting the right yeast contributed flavours with a dry yeast...).

here here

[delboy]

I don't think they do, they're not worth the hassle..

They certainly do make a difference, stands to reason they are only a few dried yeasts and hundreds of wets yeasts each which will have their own unique characteristics.
If you are organised at all they aren't any hassle, i take some wort from the boiler and set it aside for yeast propogation in a conical, a few days before i brew i open a slant pour in some wort shake it a bit and then transfer a few drops of it onto a fresh slant (so i have a constant supply) then i chuck the rest into the conical (takes a few mins at most) after a few days i then use this to pitch into a fresh batch, simples

[Badger]

Abosultely !!
Ive been doing AG about a year now and initially used liquid yeast before I really understood the whole process or became comfortable with it. I then tried the dried yeasts and found I was getting great results which actually was down to experience and familiarity with the AG method. Anyway, just before Xmas I brewed a Timothy Taylor Landlord using a liquid W.Yorkshire yeast instead of the usual dried stuff. WOW - Its now in week 2 of conditioning in the bottle and what a difference compared to the same recipe with dried yeast. Although I couldnt pinpoint the individual characteristic contributions - I dont care !! - the end result is without doubt the finest tasting brew I have ever made and is entirely down to the choice of yeast in this case. To all those who feel it is too much bother - didnt we all feel like that when considering stepping up to AG from kit/extract brewing ?? But I bet the majority are glad they made the move. The extra cost of liquid yeast can be negated by re-using and there is plenty of advice on that issue on this site and the extra time required for getting a starter going is minimal & completed before brewday. Ultimately, this is down to personal choice, my choice is the best tasting brew I can possibly make within the bounds of my fairly novice experience !!

[Bribie]

I love that West Yorkshire yeast as I'm more of a malt man. It gives silky smooth beer, especially when attempting Yorkie style brews such as TTL and my own personal favourite which is a Tetleys on Steroids 5.5% ABV - Life's too short to drink 3.5 beers.
However for beers that need to be really clean such as American Cream Ales or fake lagers I go back to US-05 time and time again in the dry yeasts.

[Bribie]

It looks fairly straight forward to actually use the stuff so its perhaps not a big issue,from what I can gather greater complication comes in if you choose to start splitting and propagating tiny samples.

Using the stuff is quite simple if you are an AG brewer. I use Wyeast which comes with a built-in nutrient "widget". Just smack the pack to burst the widget and the yeast swells up the packet - sometimes within a couple of hours, then tip into a sterile bottle with some left over wort and give it swirl every time you walk past. In most cases it's ready to pitch for a vigorous fermentantion within a couple of days, but it often comes good just overnight. I normally use yeast cake in subsequent brews over two or three generations then get a new Wyeast, brings it down to about the same cost as a dried yeast.

[Invalid Stout]

The Scottish Craft Brewers did a trial at our last meeting — five beers brewed to the same recipe but with different yeasts. The two liquid yeast beers were far and away the best. They tasted like proper pub beer, the others tasted like homebrew.

[dean_wales]

Well I have always used S04 and made good but not great beers. I have now decided to take the plunge mainly because I am going to do some Belgian as well as British ales and was told to not dissapoint myself by trying dried! Ordered some Whitelabs WLP002 for my ESB, WLP3400 for a Hoegaarden clone and WLP500 for a Leffe clone.

I think the key for me will be to split the yeast and store it to keep costs down to at least £2/£3 a brew if not lower. I like this idea of making a starter using only half the vial and leaving the remainder in the vial. It seems more hygieneic and idiot proff than making a bi starter and then splitting and chilling but I have yet to research it properly.

Dean.

[FUBAR]

I have just used a liquid yeast WLP002 for the first time,having split the yeast as per Horden Hillbilly website its well worth the effort and makes it a lot cheaper to use,certainly works ok my T.Taylor Best Bitter that I brewed on Monday was fermenting away nicely 6 hours after pitching.

[mysterio]

Well I have always used S04 and made good but not great beers. I have now decided to take the plunge mainly because I am going to do some Belgian as well as British ales and was told to not dissapoint myself by trying dried! Ordered some Whitelabs WLP002 for my ESB, WLP3400 for a Hoegaarden clone and WLP500 for a Leffe clone.

I think the key for me will be to split the yeast and store it to keep costs down to at least £2/£3 a brew if not lower. I like this idea of making a starter using only half the vial and leaving the remainder in the vial. It seems more hygieneic and idiot proff than making a bi starter and then splitting and chilling but I have yet to research it properly.

Dean.

You will really notice the difference for your Hoegaarden & Leffe clone. Those two yeast make all the difference.

[Zapp Brannigan]

Great thread

I've been using liquids for a while to make my weizens, and am now dabbling with ale strains such as 1968, 1318 etc. It is early days but cheeky tasters from the bottle of the trial jars suggest that some very nice beers are in the offing.

[Bopper]

I thinks some of the dried packet yeast is cracking, but not all!!! I don't care much for S-04, but S-23 is cracking lager yeast, but dried yeast is very limited on the strain. I did read somewhere, a few brewery still use dried yeast. Richard

[mysterio]

Brewdog and Williams Bros use the dried lager yeast and they turn out fairly decent lager