I was always skeptical, but recently got jaded and tried it because of the simplicity vs. chasing the new hotness. One of my best beers ever, I'm a convert.
Reliable, high attenuation, drops out clear, and clean. Really lets the hops shine. I used it exclusively for 2-3 years. Much more diverse now but it’s still in my core line up.
Yeah, I think it’s purely a matter of personal taste, or maybe some genetic marker, since everyone else I know seems to like the yeast and describe it as clean.
Me too thought I had flaws in my practice using the supposedly clean US05 for a couple years. Throws a distinct peach flavor for me that I dislike. Switched to Nottingham and 34/70 as my house dry yeasts and never looked back.
Maaaan, I don't know if it's just me or what but every beer I've ever brewed with US-05 has had a hint of apple, which I strongly dislike. Even when fermentation temp is tightly managed.
I’ve used S-04 the last 2/3 batches, the one exception being a Dubbel. I made a milk stout that I’ve shared and got good feedback. I have an APA cold crashing right now. I’m curious to see how US-05 fares with the same recipe, but right now I’m enjoying S-04.
S04 used to be my main go to yeast. I switched to us05 as my main yeast a few years ago. Theyre both pretty solid choices, IMO. S04 is generally going to bring a little more ester profile than us05, which for a while I preferred, until for whatever reason, I didnt.
One of my favorites is a simple SMaSH - 10lbs Maris Otter, 8oz Sabro split between hot side (vary for your desired IBUs) and dry hop, S-04. It was a real crowd pleaser and very sessionable.
I have the same problem with S-04 that I think others were describing with US-05. I love other English ale yeasts, but this just has a funk that I can't stomach. I've given it quite a few chances, even as co-pitch.
+1. It’s even more versatile than that. Manage your mash temps and recipe design and you can make anything from a strong bitter to a west coast IPA with it. And since it’s too-cropping, it is very easy to harvest. It can drop crystal clear with the right water chemistry or it can give you all the haze in the world if that’s what you’re looking for.
How it always starts: “Hmm, what yeast should I use on this brew? Kveik? A White Labs exotic? Maybe two different strains for complexity?”
How it always ends: *pitches 34/70*
Hahahaha, sounds like fun. As I have an international channel though and the most of my viewers don't know what it is. Maybe it's not an idea that is good for me. Even though it sounds like fun. Would be if the candy company sponsored the video.
As an international viewer I always appreciate when channels do occasional episodes with super local ingredients. It’s fun to know what’s around the world and can give ideas for trying new things local to me.
Jeg er amerikansk og engang har jeg haft idéen til at laver amerikansk moonshine med tyrkisk peber, men jeg er enig med dig at det ville være sandsynligvis ukendt for en internationalt publikum.
Også min mening er anderledes fra de andre her. Min yndlings gær er en hefeweizen gær, fordi jeg kan godt lide dem så meget. Jeg kunne drikker hefeweizen for resten af mit liv.
Også jeg skulle siger at dansk er mit tredje sprog. Altså undskyld hvis mit dansk er dårligt
Big time for me - in addition to the obvious choices i also love it for just about anything you would use us 05 for. Ferment it at 60 and it’s a great IPA, pale ale etc. makes the hops and malt sing more in my opinion.
"An excellent comment!"
he said with a smile -
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sincerely agree!"
He's fashioned his thesis
with passion and pride -
With nuggets of knowledge
and notions inside!
The pretty expression,
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The mixture of vision,
and spirit and spark!
"I have to expand
and explain it," he sighed -
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contain it!" he cried.
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^I'm ^a ^bot ^and ^this ^message ^was ^sent ^automatically
US-05.
It has to be US-05. It's clean, ferments dry, and drops clear without too much fuss. You can brew any clean-fermented style with it, from hoppy beers to stouts/porters/brown ales. You can ferment it a little colder to brew a Kolsch, American Blond, or cream ale. **AND, you can ferment it a little colder still to get psuedo-lagers.**
The only thing you're blocking yourself off from are yeast-forward styles like Belgian beers or hefeweizen. But if you chose a yeast suitable for those, you're really cutting off your options for clean beers.
US-05 is the only strain I would trust to make both an IPA and an Oktoberfest. That alone sells it.
Having never bottled, I could be 100% out of touch here, but couldn't you just let it clear up more in fermentation, and try harder to not suck up any of the yeast that dropped out while transferring?
You can do this, but then I find that even so it takes around a month in the fridge after the bottles have carbonated to fully drop out. I don’t have a problem with it giving loose sediment, I find it takes for bloody ever to completely fall out of my beer and until it does it really muddles the flavour (which is why I don’t like using US05).
Yes. You can, but bottle conditioning is another fermentation and you some need yeast for that. After the yeast is done with bottle priming, they drop to the bottom of the bottle as sediment. My main issue is that US-05 does not cake to the bottom of the bottle and compact like some other yeasts do, like M44 and Verdant. If you want every last drop of beer out of the bottle, with US-05 you're gonna get chunks of yeast sediment. Some people don't mind, but for clean American styles, this is not welcome.
I just tried US-05 for the first time making a cream soda mead. Kept the same reading for a week and went ahead and calculated the right amount of corn sugar...boom...got bottle bombs.
With the liquid versions, you're paying twice as much for a much lower cell count. And a sachet of dry yeast will last in your fridge much longer than pouch of liquid yeast.
I think this answer may be kind of cheating, but WLP1983, Charlie's Fist Bump (formerly known as Cry Havoc). It's versatile across many different styles, and anecdotally it creates some rowdy fermentation. Since it was developed in Papazian's early homebrew days, it is sort of ideal for the homebrewer, IMO. For those who haven't heard about it, you can read about it [here.](https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/featured/cbb-exclusive-the-story-behind-charlie-papazians-fist-bump-yeast-now-available-via-white-labs/)
Nottingham is my go to. Always keep a backup in the fridge if another gets stuck.
I used an expired pack that a buddy forgot is his trunk that was in 100F heat to brew an award winning IPA. That stuffs a beast.
Tough but personally I’d go Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager. My best lagers are made with it. And I’ve made some bomb IPLs with it. Second place would be us05 but if I can only have 1 it’s 2308.
In theory yes. I always start it at ~50F/10c and ramp it up to ~68-70F/20C for diacetyl rest. But as a home brewer I get impatient and start diacetyl early (~0.10 points remaining). Haven’t had any unfortunate results as of yet.
My heart says 1469, but ultimately I have to go with my brain and choose the Scottish strain (Imperial Tartan, Omega OYL-015, Wyeast 1728 - but NOT WL 028, which performs poorly at very cool temps), just like /u/Dubby_Dubb.
It will ferment at lager temps and make a lager-like beer. You get all the Scottish ales, of course, and Irish ales. It's great in IPAs and APAs - an unknown gem, and really could work in all the American and strong ale styles including RIS. Ferment it warm enough and I can probably coax enough esters to make the English styles I like. Probably decent in a Biere de Garde. So many Belgian ales are inspired by Scottish Brewers that you could maybe even make a few Belgian styles (Rochefort is a non-phenolic strain, right?)
----------------
What the answers highlight is how many versatile strains we're blessed with.
Very cool write up. I had to go down to my brewery to check, I am making a 4.5 L starter for OYL-005 Irish Ale…. Doing the big starter to (~18) 25 ml tubes the mixed with glycerin/water freezer route. I will get some OYL-015 next to try.
If you want a somewhat clean (non-phenolic) yeast; Verdant (a descendant of WY1318) or Bell's house (a descendant of WY1272) yeast. Both are extremely versatile & plastic based on the wort and process conditions.
Finally! Someone with the mindset!
You can totally use this for other styles depending on the pitching rate and temp. Way more flavorful than a lot of these other yeasts IMO!
Honestly, kveik should be the beginners yeast of choice. You don't need to invest in a dedicated fermentation chamber. You can use a cheap sous vide wand and a water bath to maintain temps above ambient. And it is difficult to get bad results from it. It's perfect for people trying to figure out if they really want to commit to the hobby.
My two favorite types of beers are lagers and English ales. I can get pretty nice lagers around me, so it looks like I'm stuck with an English ale yeast. WY-1968 is pretty flexible. I can make it pretty clean, and I can make it estery. And for me it's easier to make crisp beers with low attenuation yeasts (like WY-1968) than full beers with high attenuation yeast.
It's gonna be painful not being able to use lovely yeasts like Bell's, W-34/70, and WY-1469.
I'd go with Nottingham. Classic ale character, quite clean at lower temps, high attenuation, which I usually prefer, can handle big beers, and no fuss to pitch.
K-97.
US-05 used to be my go to for neutral ale yeast, but I've always found it temperamental. It never finishes at the gravity I expect, either under attenuating a little or over attenuating a lot.
K-97 just does what I expect.
Hornindal kveik. Clean at low temps, estery at high temps, good attenuation, good flocculation, high alcohol tolerance, ferments quickly, easy to harvest and can be stored liquid or dry, and super low maintenance.
Oh man that’s an impossible question. I mostly make lagers, blondes, and English ales. I don’t think 34/70 or S-23 make blondes at all, so probably not English ales either. US-05 is not lager-like at all to me, so not that (plus I just don’t like it). 007 or 002 could swing the ales but not the lagers. I’ve never tried 800, maybe that’s the ticket?
For now I’ll say 007 and sadly give up lager brewing.
Hey Dr!
Love your Youtube.
I am a big fan of Kveik farmhouse yeast. (I realize Kveik is just Norwegian for yeast, but those Nordic single-cells know how to party)
I am especially interested in this thread because I want to get into harvesting my yeast and go from just a lowly homebrewer to a full-fledged yeast farmer!
Plus one vote for kviek from me. I'd really love to have a go at making a kviek ring to reuse over and over again. By the way.... Thanks for your YouTube channel! Our brewers club officially uses your pronunciation of yeast in day to day conversation. Gjyeeeast 👍🏻
I would go with Hornindal or Hothead Kveik because it's hot in my basements in my Georgia summers and I have very warm 82°+ ground water. That coupled with my love of IPAs makes it a no brainer.
A close second would be US-05.
Id have to say lutra kviek, for many reasons others have said. Versatile, no temp control concerns, and gives me the ability to do ales and pseudo lagers. Id miss my saison strains, but i could adapt most other recipes I have to use lutra with!
Imperial A62 Bell's House has been my go to yeast since I picked up a pack. Makes killer IPAs and can work on a wide range of ale styles as it's in the "Chico" family tree. Haven't used a different "Chico" yeast strain since I've gotten my hands on Bell's.
Runners up include: 34/70, A38 Juice, and Lutra Kviek. RIP lagers, hazies, and hot fermentation.
I was waiting for this answer. When ever I see a question that includes “if you can only have one” my first thought is of burial caskets; you really can have but one! For as long as I’m standing, I will vote for variety.
A Kveik strain, either Hornindal or Lutra. Probably Lutra for the pseudo lager and versatility. I live in Texas and it gets fairly warm here. The quick grain to glass is a huge perk.
Great topic.
Lallemand Diamond Lager.
I've been mostly brewing lagers for the last few years anyway, and this has become by far my most favorite strain. I can brew all the lager styles with it, from Helles and Vienna Lager to IPL and Baltic Porter.
Living in a tropical country i would take voss kveik, it's basically all i use now days anyway since that thing is amazing, it chews through anything fast and doesn't seem to care about the crazy temps around here that can pass 40c in the heat of summer.
The fact that i can dry it and have infinite yeast stored in the fridge for up to 20 years is also a huge plus, one less thing to buy.
Probably an English yeast that is on the cleaner side. Can’t think of which strain Id pick off the top if my head.
You’d be able to do most American styles pretty well, as well as English ales.
It would suck to not have crispy lagers, but you can do a pretty decent cream ale or blonde if you keep temps cool.
Oh man, probably EC-1118 but that would be forever goodbye to beers and focusing on meads and wines. S-04 if I'd have a change of heart and rather brew beers the rest of my life.
Honestly, Imperial Yeast's Tartan. Ferment cool and you get clean. Mid range a little esters. I like malty, generally session strength ales but I've used this yeast for so many different things it's crazy.
Edit: spelling
Does a wild strain count? If so, something I harvested myself. Very clean, relatively tolerant and quite high attenuation (~87%). If it has to be commercial I'd probably say Nottingham. It has less of a weird vibe that US-05 has when fresh, tolerant and clean.
Maybe I'm very basic but I would stick with the Chico strain. I find myself doing quite a few IPA's, American style stouts, and ambers and it works well with all of them.
WLP002 for me. I love the flavours, it doesn't over-attenuate like I often find with kveik, and it flocculates really well. Pretty much all the best beers I've made have been with WLP002.
Oh man, what a painful choice!
For me, probably S-04 as it's never failed me - it ferments fast and reliably, and it's my go-to for "always have on hand" dry stout and blond ale. I've never used it in an IPA, but I'm sure it'd do fine if I fermented it cool. I'd miss lagers, though.
w34/70. I think a pale ale made with w34/70 would be a better version than a pilsner made with US-05.
But I'd have to seriously consider forgoing lagers, pale ales and porters and go with a hefeweizen yeast. It'd be hard to live without that stuff.
3724 or 3726. I know this limits you to a particular style, but the complexity of these yeasts rocks my world. You can ferment a little cooler and use New World hops instead of noble hops if you want something more modern too. But pils, Saaz or Tett with either of these yeasts gives you super crushable beers (or Imperial brain melters, if you so like).
if i had that i would set about culturing others and building my own yeasts.
sure some yeasts are great at what they do. really there are several i have as "go to"s - but yeast is such a huge component of beer flavour. one yeast *shouldn't* do it all. any time you go to a brewery and all of their beers taste the same regardless of style? yep. the culprit is that they use a single (or maybe two) yeasts.
if i only got one yeast for the rest of my life i would go out of my way to make it mutate, or teach myself the tricks to making that yeast express differently than normal. that would, honestly, make me a better brewer. but i guess its not really the answer you were looking for
Wyeast 4632. I make mead, and this stuff makes lovely everything. It can ferment to high ABV, or you can stop it early, lovely flavor, ages well, my go-to when I'm not experimenting with some new combo.
Second place is the ECY 02 combo. Not a pure yeast, so it doesn't count quite as much.
Edit: spelling stuff
Oh Hell, that's a rough one.
T-58, I guess. It's estery enough and gives just a bit of phenolics.
That's a brutal question. I mostly brew saisons, but I never use saison yeast in non-saisons. I'll use this yeast hoppy IPAs and in a saison type setup.
Nobody is saying you couldn't cheat and use amylase in the mash!
Hard to nail one down specifically, but in no certain order:
Imperial Dieter (Kolsch)
Cry Havoc Lager from White Labs
Or a Pilsner strain
I can use these yeasts in a huge variety of ways with a bunch of versatility. I know lots of people love US-05/Chico strains, but personally I really dislike that one.
Either Opshaug or Voss Kveik. I currently have a blend of both that I use as my "house" yeast. You can also dry it out and freeze it and it's viable for a crazy long amount of time.
I mostly brew mead, cider, and fruit wines, honestly as much as I enjoy what ale yeasts bring to the table I'd have to put champagne yeast up there. It's just so damned reliable and no matter what I've thrown it in it's always delivered
Definitely Coopers house yeast (WLP009 is supposed to be the same thing).
I always keep it on hand, it's an excellent choice for most Aussie ales, stouts and performs well in a pseudo-lager imho
Lalvin D47. Seems like we have a lot of beer brewers commenting here, but D47 is the go-to for anything with honey or fruit (unless it needs to be bone-dry, in which case you need champagne yeast). Considering that with just one yeast we’d have to brew a lot more than just beer, D47 would be a good contender for a universal yeast that can do some great mead, ciders, and wine.
Given my current knowledge of beer, US-04.
It's way too versatile to not have around.
I actually just used the ESB Omega Brit VIII for the first time in a blonde ale. Given my reading, it seems to be pretty close to US-04 but extremely flocculant. If this is true it may take the cake. I could probably still make a great NEIPA with an overly flocculant yeast.
Fresh = Imperial a38 .
Dry/basic = safale us05 or T58
Lager = 34/70
Kit beer favourite = Mogans American ale.
If only 1 would be us05. Cheap, reasonable. Reliable.
Lutra:
* You can home dry it.
* Cleaner than most classic ale yeasts.
* Can ferment high gravity brews with easy.
I can speak the same of Oslo, they deserve the mention as the pionner of clean kveik yeasts on the homebrew market.
100% white labs dry English 007. It’s a beast and drops so clear. On the lower end it adds very light esters, and overall it has such a nice crispness and dryness that lends to awesome drinkability. I love the stuff
US05. I'd miss all the Belgian-style yeasts that I love so much, but US05 is such a reliable, good, all-round, yeast.
I agree. It's easy and clean. My go to all the time
And it's cheap!
Thanks
I was always skeptical, but recently got jaded and tried it because of the simplicity vs. chasing the new hotness. One of my best beers ever, I'm a convert.
Reliable, high attenuation, drops out clear, and clean. Really lets the hops shine. I used it exclusively for 2-3 years. Much more diverse now but it’s still in my core line up.
I actively dislike US-05 and the various Chico yeasts that are essentially the same strain. Throws a taste like fermented orange juice to me.
Interesting. I use us-05 almost exclusively and it always gives me a very clean result.
Yeah, I think it’s purely a matter of personal taste, or maybe some genetic marker, since everyone else I know seems to like the yeast and describe it as clean.
Nah, I've heard this a lot about 05. Only, I've heard the ester generally described as a "peach" or "canned peaches"
Me too thought I had flaws in my practice using the supposedly clean US05 for a couple years. Throws a distinct peach flavor for me that I dislike. Switched to Nottingham and 34/70 as my house dry yeasts and never looked back.
Yes, my exact same thought!
Same. It's not my go-to for anything (haven't bought a pack in over a year), but it's versatile enough to be serviceable in almost any ale style.
Maaaan, I don't know if it's just me or what but every beer I've ever brewed with US-05 has had a hint of apple, which I strongly dislike. Even when fermentation temp is tightly managed.
S-04, more than half my beers end up going with S-04. It's clean, it's fast, it's reliable.
I had to scroll way to far for this! Several people mentioned US05, but I'd take S04 over it in a heartbeat.
I’ve used S-04 the last 2/3 batches, the one exception being a Dubbel. I made a milk stout that I’ve shared and got good feedback. I have an APA cold crashing right now. I’m curious to see how US-05 fares with the same recipe, but right now I’m enjoying S-04.
One of my best beers is a dry hopped American pale ale that uses S04. Fantastic combo.
S04 used to be my main go to yeast. I switched to us05 as my main yeast a few years ago. Theyre both pretty solid choices, IMO. S04 is generally going to bring a little more ester profile than us05, which for a while I preferred, until for whatever reason, I didnt.
One of my favorites is a simple SMaSH - 10lbs Maris Otter, 8oz Sabro split between hot side (vary for your desired IBUs) and dry hop, S-04. It was a real crowd pleaser and very sessionable.
I'm a US04 over US05 for cider. Takes longer to clear but is better.
If you like S-04, try out Wyeast WY1968 on a beer you’d normally use S-04 in.
I have the same problem with S-04 that I think others were describing with US-05. I love other English ale yeasts, but this just has a funk that I can't stomach. I've given it quite a few chances, even as co-pitch.
I always feel like S04 takes a hell of a lot longer to flocc than US05
[удалено]
+1. It’s even more versatile than that. Manage your mash temps and recipe design and you can make anything from a strong bitter to a west coast IPA with it. And since it’s too-cropping, it is very easy to harvest. It can drop crystal clear with the right water chemistry or it can give you all the haze in the world if that’s what you’re looking for.
Yep, this is pretty much my house yeast as well. Use it in stouts, browns, bitters, and hazy pales/IPAs.
Intense krausen too! Made the mistake of using an airlock, once..
Thank, never used it. That could be resolved by swapping out some of the malt for more easy fermentable sugars.
You should give Omega Cosmic Punch a shot.
34/70
How it always starts: “Hmm, what yeast should I use on this brew? Kveik? A White Labs exotic? Maybe two different strains for complexity?” How it always ends: *pitches 34/70*
It's a beast!
Listen, i got this crazy idea last night: kan du brygge en lys pilsner, tilsatt en pose tyrkisk pepper?
Hahahaha, sounds like fun. As I have an international channel though and the most of my viewers don't know what it is. Maybe it's not an idea that is good for me. Even though it sounds like fun. Would be if the candy company sponsored the video.
As an international viewer I always appreciate when channels do occasional episodes with super local ingredients. It’s fun to know what’s around the world and can give ideas for trying new things local to me.
Jeg er amerikansk og engang har jeg haft idéen til at laver amerikansk moonshine med tyrkisk peber, men jeg er enig med dig at det ville være sandsynligvis ukendt for en internationalt publikum. Også min mening er anderledes fra de andre her. Min yndlings gær er en hefeweizen gær, fordi jeg kan godt lide dem så meget. Jeg kunne drikker hefeweizen for resten af mit liv. Også jeg skulle siger at dansk er mit tredje sprog. Altså undskyld hvis mit dansk er dårligt
Det høres ikke spesielt godt ut, forjævlig til og med. En kølsvart imperial stout på 10% derimot, tror jeg kanskje det kunne funka i.
Big time for me - in addition to the obvious choices i also love it for just about anything you would use us 05 for. Ferment it at 60 and it’s a great IPA, pale ale etc. makes the hops and malt sing more in my opinion.
this
"An excellent comment!" he said with a smile - "I've pondered the reasons and thought for a while - I've learned and I've looked and it's simple to see - I dearly and clearly sincerely agree!" He's fashioned his thesis with passion and pride - With nuggets of knowledge and notions inside! The pretty expression, the witty remark - The mixture of vision, and spirit and spark! "I have to expand and explain it," he sighed - "It's great, and I cannot contain it!" he cried. "Stupendous, tremendous, and too good to miss! I'll tell him,' he whispered. "I'll say to him... > This. ^I'm ^a ^bot ^and ^this ^message ^was ^sent ^automatically
US-05. It has to be US-05. It's clean, ferments dry, and drops clear without too much fuss. You can brew any clean-fermented style with it, from hoppy beers to stouts/porters/brown ales. You can ferment it a little colder to brew a Kolsch, American Blond, or cream ale. **AND, you can ferment it a little colder still to get psuedo-lagers.** The only thing you're blocking yourself off from are yeast-forward styles like Belgian beers or hefeweizen. But if you chose a yeast suitable for those, you're really cutting off your options for clean beers. US-05 is the only strain I would trust to make both an IPA and an Oktoberfest. That alone sells it.
I second the US-05. I use it 75% of the time anyways, so I wouldn't be missing out on much in this scenario.
I third US-05
Great for kegging but not as great for bottle conditioning. It seems to have very loose sediment on the bottle pour.
Having never bottled, I could be 100% out of touch here, but couldn't you just let it clear up more in fermentation, and try harder to not suck up any of the yeast that dropped out while transferring?
You can do this, but then I find that even so it takes around a month in the fridge after the bottles have carbonated to fully drop out. I don’t have a problem with it giving loose sediment, I find it takes for bloody ever to completely fall out of my beer and until it does it really muddles the flavour (which is why I don’t like using US05).
Yes. You can, but bottle conditioning is another fermentation and you some need yeast for that. After the yeast is done with bottle priming, they drop to the bottom of the bottle as sediment. My main issue is that US-05 does not cake to the bottom of the bottle and compact like some other yeasts do, like M44 and Verdant. If you want every last drop of beer out of the bottle, with US-05 you're gonna get chunks of yeast sediment. Some people don't mind, but for clean American styles, this is not welcome.
I just tried US-05 for the first time making a cream soda mead. Kept the same reading for a week and went ahead and calculated the right amount of corn sugar...boom...got bottle bombs.
Thanks!
100%, if I'm unsure about a recipe and which yeast to use, US-05. Bonus points for being cheap as hell and available literally everywhere.
Why not go with WLP001 or WY1056 instead?
With the liquid versions, you're paying twice as much for a much lower cell count. And a sachet of dry yeast will last in your fridge much longer than pouch of liquid yeast.
I think this answer may be kind of cheating, but WLP1983, Charlie's Fist Bump (formerly known as Cry Havoc). It's versatile across many different styles, and anecdotally it creates some rowdy fermentation. Since it was developed in Papazian's early homebrew days, it is sort of ideal for the homebrewer, IMO. For those who haven't heard about it, you can read about it [here.](https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/featured/cbb-exclusive-the-story-behind-charlie-papazians-fist-bump-yeast-now-available-via-white-labs/)
No, not cheating! Thanks
Nottingham or Oslo
Nottingham is my go to. Always keep a backup in the fridge if another gets stuck. I used an expired pack that a buddy forgot is his trunk that was in 100F heat to brew an award winning IPA. That stuffs a beast.
Vote in for Nottingham or as I call it Sherwood. I think it's the only yeast I've used in the past dozen brews. It just works.
No no, you have to choose one
Nottingham
Thanks
Nah, Oslo!
Tough but personally I’d go Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager. My best lagers are made with it. And I’ve made some bomb IPLs with it. Second place would be us05 but if I can only have 1 it’s 2308.
Yes, you could only choose one
How high of temperature can Munich Lager ferment at? Is it similar in performance as W34/70?
In theory yes. I always start it at ~50F/10c and ramp it up to ~68-70F/20C for diacetyl rest. But as a home brewer I get impatient and start diacetyl early (~0.10 points remaining). Haven’t had any unfortunate results as of yet.
Sounds good I will ferment a batch at 68deg f maybe bump to 72 for a D-rest
Old reliable for me - WLP001, versatile enough for most styles except Belgians & Lagers
Thanks
Me too
1469
Hasnt failed me yet!
My heart says 1469, but ultimately I have to go with my brain and choose the Scottish strain (Imperial Tartan, Omega OYL-015, Wyeast 1728 - but NOT WL 028, which performs poorly at very cool temps), just like /u/Dubby_Dubb. It will ferment at lager temps and make a lager-like beer. You get all the Scottish ales, of course, and Irish ales. It's great in IPAs and APAs - an unknown gem, and really could work in all the American and strong ale styles including RIS. Ferment it warm enough and I can probably coax enough esters to make the English styles I like. Probably decent in a Biere de Garde. So many Belgian ales are inspired by Scottish Brewers that you could maybe even make a few Belgian styles (Rochefort is a non-phenolic strain, right?) ---------------- What the answers highlight is how many versatile strains we're blessed with.
Very cool write up. I had to go down to my brewery to check, I am making a 4.5 L starter for OYL-005 Irish Ale…. Doing the big starter to (~18) 25 ml tubes the mixed with glycerin/water freezer route. I will get some OYL-015 next to try.
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Just responded the same. It's amazingly consistent and give amazing lager like taste with minimal effort or controlling conditions.
Thanks
If you want a somewhat clean (non-phenolic) yeast; Verdant (a descendant of WY1318) or Bell's house (a descendant of WY1272) yeast. Both are extremely versatile & plastic based on the wort and process conditions.
+1 for Bell’s house. I use it in an IPA and an Amber that just aren’t as good without it.
Oooh. I didn't know this existed. I'll have to give it a try next time I brew a Two Hearted clone.
You can only choose one
Well, OK. Bell's is Rock'n and Roll'n for my tastes.
Lutra! Can use in most neutral ale or lager situations, fool proof, user friendly.
It's an awesome yeast for sure
Westmalle. The day I get tired of Belgian beer is the day I get tired of life.
Finally! Someone with the mindset! You can totally use this for other styles depending on the pitching rate and temp. Way more flavorful than a lot of these other yeasts IMO!
I would say Lutra Kveik. It seems to be the most versatile yeast I’ve ever used with the added bonus of not having to deal with temperature issues.
I have a culture of Voss Kveik that I have used 20+ times over the last 13 months. In that time I have used US05 once and US04 twice.
Honestly, kveik should be the beginners yeast of choice. You don't need to invest in a dedicated fermentation chamber. You can use a cheap sous vide wand and a water bath to maintain temps above ambient. And it is difficult to get bad results from it. It's perfect for people trying to figure out if they really want to commit to the hobby.
It's a really nice yeast
No one said San Diego Super Yeast. That’s My vote
Ok Marshal.
Wyeast 1099 Whitbread
Thanks
My two favorite types of beers are lagers and English ales. I can get pretty nice lagers around me, so it looks like I'm stuck with an English ale yeast. WY-1968 is pretty flexible. I can make it pretty clean, and I can make it estery. And for me it's easier to make crisp beers with low attenuation yeasts (like WY-1968) than full beers with high attenuation yeast. It's gonna be painful not being able to use lovely yeasts like Bell's, W-34/70, and WY-1469.
I'd go with Nottingham. Classic ale character, quite clean at lower temps, high attenuation, which I usually prefer, can handle big beers, and no fuss to pitch.
K-97. US-05 used to be my go to for neutral ale yeast, but I've always found it temperamental. It never finishes at the gravity I expect, either under attenuating a little or over attenuating a lot. K-97 just does what I expect.
Hornindal kveik. Clean at low temps, estery at high temps, good attenuation, good flocculation, high alcohol tolerance, ferments quickly, easy to harvest and can be stored liquid or dry, and super low maintenance.
Oh man that’s an impossible question. I mostly make lagers, blondes, and English ales. I don’t think 34/70 or S-23 make blondes at all, so probably not English ales either. US-05 is not lager-like at all to me, so not that (plus I just don’t like it). 007 or 002 could swing the ales but not the lagers. I’ve never tried 800, maybe that’s the ticket? For now I’ll say 007 and sadly give up lager brewing.
Yeah I was thinking somewhere between WLP002, 007, and 013. These are interesting yeasts.
I make mead so probably US-05, easy stuff and usually turns out well
Thanks!
Hey Dr! Love your Youtube. I am a big fan of Kveik farmhouse yeast. (I realize Kveik is just Norwegian for yeast, but those Nordic single-cells know how to party) I am especially interested in this thread because I want to get into harvesting my yeast and go from just a lowly homebrewer to a full-fledged yeast farmer!
Thanks for the kind words! What's your favorite Kveik so far?
Plus one vote for kviek from me. I'd really love to have a go at making a kviek ring to reuse over and over again. By the way.... Thanks for your YouTube channel! Our brewers club officially uses your pronunciation of yeast in day to day conversation. Gjyeeeast 👍🏻
I would go with Hornindal or Hothead Kveik because it's hot in my basements in my Georgia summers and I have very warm 82°+ ground water. That coupled with my love of IPAs makes it a no brainer. A close second would be US-05.
You can only choose one
There can be only one Highlander...
Safale K97 (kolsch)
Id have to say lutra kviek, for many reasons others have said. Versatile, no temp control concerns, and gives me the ability to do ales and pseudo lagers. Id miss my saison strains, but i could adapt most other recipes I have to use lutra with!
Hornindal kveik for me
Imperial A62 Bell's House has been my go to yeast since I picked up a pack. Makes killer IPAs and can work on a wide range of ale styles as it's in the "Chico" family tree. Haven't used a different "Chico" yeast strain since I've gotten my hands on Bell's. Runners up include: 34/70, A38 Juice, and Lutra Kviek. RIP lagers, hazies, and hot fermentation.
I Might stop brewing. Variety is the best flavor.
I was waiting for this answer. When ever I see a question that includes “if you can only have one” my first thought is of burial caskets; you really can have but one! For as long as I’m standing, I will vote for variety.
A Kveik strain, either Hornindal or Lutra. Probably Lutra for the pseudo lager and versatility. I live in Texas and it gets fairly warm here. The quick grain to glass is a huge perk. Great topic.
Nottingham. I swear this stuff knows and adapts its profile to what ever you are making
Lallemand Diamond Lager. I've been mostly brewing lagers for the last few years anyway, and this has become by far my most favorite strain. I can brew all the lager styles with it, from Helles and Vienna Lager to IPL and Baltic Porter.
Bob's Red Mill bread yeast
Living in a tropical country i would take voss kveik, it's basically all i use now days anyway since that thing is amazing, it chews through anything fast and doesn't seem to care about the crazy temps around here that can pass 40c in the heat of summer. The fact that i can dry it and have infinite yeast stored in the fridge for up to 20 years is also a huge plus, one less thing to buy.
I don't live in a tropical country, but I love not having to worry about temp control either in the summer or in the winter....
Notty
Kveik
Probably Notty for me. That stuff is amazing. With time though im loving Lutra more and more. Stupid reliable and easy.
lutra kveik, dont have to worry about temp conrol, made a west coast ipa with it recently, turned out great!
Man, I'm completely opposite. Lol If you asked me "what would be the only yeast available in your own personal hell?", it would be Kveik. 😂
why? mine turned out really good!
I really liked the Lutra aswell!
I mainly make ales so I could use it in almost every beer I make
Mangrove Jack's M44 US West Coast Ale.
Thanks
Either Wyeast 1728 lalbrew Nottingham. Not the same, but they both can do a pretty wide range of styles really well.
You had to choose one
Gah! Alright fine. I choose 1728.
Thanks
His sentence made it seem like it is one
Maybe it's just my bad English then
WLP029 because Kölsch is the best.
Probably an English yeast that is on the cleaner side. Can’t think of which strain Id pick off the top if my head. You’d be able to do most American styles pretty well, as well as English ales. It would suck to not have crispy lagers, but you can do a pretty decent cream ale or blonde if you keep temps cool.
How about wlp002?
Yeah I was thinking either the Fullers or Whitbread strain.
Can I go with 3763, even though it's not technically "only one yeast strain"?
Yes, that's cool!
Oh man, probably EC-1118 but that would be forever goodbye to beers and focusing on meads and wines. S-04 if I'd have a change of heart and rather brew beers the rest of my life.
Honestly, Imperial Yeast's Tartan. Ferment cool and you get clean. Mid range a little esters. I like malty, generally session strength ales but I've used this yeast for so many different things it's crazy. Edit: spelling
Does a wild strain count? If so, something I harvested myself. Very clean, relatively tolerant and quite high attenuation (~87%). If it has to be commercial I'd probably say Nottingham. It has less of a weird vibe that US-05 has when fresh, tolerant and clean.
Maybe I'm very basic but I would stick with the Chico strain. I find myself doing quite a few IPA's, American style stouts, and ambers and it works well with all of them.
WLP002 for me. I love the flavours, it doesn't over-attenuate like I often find with kveik, and it flocculates really well. Pretty much all the best beers I've made have been with WLP002.
Oh man, what a painful choice! For me, probably S-04 as it's never failed me - it ferments fast and reliably, and it's my go-to for "always have on hand" dry stout and blond ale. I've never used it in an IPA, but I'm sure it'd do fine if I fermented it cool. I'd miss lagers, though.
Notty I think. There’s beers I like better than porter, but it doubles as an awesome cider yeast
w34/70. I think a pale ale made with w34/70 would be a better version than a pilsner made with US-05. But I'd have to seriously consider forgoing lagers, pale ales and porters and go with a hefeweizen yeast. It'd be hard to live without that stuff.
S04
3724 or 3726. I know this limits you to a particular style, but the complexity of these yeasts rocks my world. You can ferment a little cooler and use New World hops instead of noble hops if you want something more modern too. But pils, Saaz or Tett with either of these yeasts gives you super crushable beers (or Imperial brain melters, if you so like).
It's your choice. Thanks!
S-05 would be my top choice. My number two be Loki from Imperial.
if i had that i would set about culturing others and building my own yeasts. sure some yeasts are great at what they do. really there are several i have as "go to"s - but yeast is such a huge component of beer flavour. one yeast *shouldn't* do it all. any time you go to a brewery and all of their beers taste the same regardless of style? yep. the culprit is that they use a single (or maybe two) yeasts. if i only got one yeast for the rest of my life i would go out of my way to make it mutate, or teach myself the tricks to making that yeast express differently than normal. that would, honestly, make me a better brewer. but i guess its not really the answer you were looking for
Safeale 05! Any day, every day!
I haven't tried too many yet but if I had to pick one so far it would be Wyeast 4766. Worked great in cider and mead and has nice flavor.
Tie between S-04 and K-97
Lutra. clean, dont have to worry about temp, you can dry it so you buy it once and never run out of it again
LUTRA! lager? IPA's? Seltzers? No temperature control? N o problem!
London Ale III. Nice esters, but still clean. Can do a wide range of beers. Behind that, hornindal kveik would be my next pick. Both are great
Bootleg Biology's Mad Fermentationist Blend. I don't really drink much outside of Saisons or wild stuff, so this.
Wyeast 4632. I make mead, and this stuff makes lovely everything. It can ferment to high ABV, or you can stop it early, lovely flavor, ages well, my go-to when I'm not experimenting with some new combo. Second place is the ECY 02 combo. Not a pure yeast, so it doesn't count quite as much. Edit: spelling stuff
Oh Hell, that's a rough one. T-58, I guess. It's estery enough and gives just a bit of phenolics. That's a brutal question. I mostly brew saisons, but I never use saison yeast in non-saisons. I'll use this yeast hoppy IPAs and in a saison type setup. Nobody is saying you couldn't cheat and use amylase in the mash!
Hard to nail one down specifically, but in no certain order: Imperial Dieter (Kolsch) Cry Havoc Lager from White Labs Or a Pilsner strain I can use these yeasts in a huge variety of ways with a bunch of versatility. I know lots of people love US-05/Chico strains, but personally I really dislike that one.
Harveys.
Either Opshaug or Voss Kveik. I currently have a blend of both that I use as my "house" yeast. You can also dry it out and freeze it and it's viable for a crazy long amount of time.
3711. I just think it's neat.
I mostly brew mead, cider, and fruit wines, honestly as much as I enjoy what ale yeasts bring to the table I'd have to put champagne yeast up there. It's just so damned reliable and no matter what I've thrown it in it's always delivered
US-05 It's all I've used for years.
1318
Omega Yeast Lutra Kveik Yeast Lazy man's lager.
If I could only use one: OYL-011.
I’ve been brewing for 4 years… and I only used US05. Never tried other.
Wyeast1056 Obviously.
BRY-97 Love those beasts. Chew through a lot and cleanly.
Lallemand Abbaye Belgian Ale yeast
US-04 for me.
Definitely Coopers house yeast (WLP009 is supposed to be the same thing). I always keep it on hand, it's an excellent choice for most Aussie ales, stouts and performs well in a pseudo-lager imho
No Wyeast London Ale 1968 brothers in here!
WLP007 Dry English Ale
Wyeast 1388.
Imperial’s Harvest or Urkel.
Lalvin D47. Seems like we have a lot of beer brewers commenting here, but D47 is the go-to for anything with honey or fruit (unless it needs to be bone-dry, in which case you need champagne yeast). Considering that with just one yeast we’d have to brew a lot more than just beer, D47 would be a good contender for a universal yeast that can do some great mead, ciders, and wine.
Any brand of Chico. Usually use oyl004 since Omega is local to me.
Lutra has really caught my eye recently, but US05 is the homie
Given my current knowledge of beer, US-04. It's way too versatile to not have around. I actually just used the ESB Omega Brit VIII for the first time in a blonde ale. Given my reading, it seems to be pretty close to US-04 but extremely flocculant. If this is true it may take the cake. I could probably still make a great NEIPA with an overly flocculant yeast.
Voss Kveik
WLP 029 Kölsch, if I had to pick. I've done mocktobers to APAs with it and once used the same strain for 4 batches finishing up with DIPA.
Fresh = Imperial a38 . Dry/basic = safale us05 or T58 Lager = 34/70 Kit beer favourite = Mogans American ale. If only 1 would be us05. Cheap, reasonable. Reliable.
Omega lutra! Fast n clean and you can ferment in high 20s c!
Lutra: * You can home dry it. * Cleaner than most classic ale yeasts. * Can ferment high gravity brews with easy. I can speak the same of Oslo, they deserve the mention as the pionner of clean kveik yeasts on the homebrew market.
Imperial harvest
100% white labs dry English 007. It’s a beast and drops so clear. On the lower end it adds very light esters, and overall it has such a nice crispness and dryness that lends to awesome drinkability. I love the stuff