Danstar BRY-97?

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I rehydrated this. After 35 hours (tops - that was only because I checked it this morning, and not at midnight) it has a nice big foamy krausen.

I looked at it after about 24 hours and it appeared (though it's always hard with the milky-clear fermenters to be be absolutely sure) to have a tiny line of foam, but then after 12 hours, bang there it is.

So yeah, another "it takes a while to start but has big krausen" comment. I had a Bitter next to it with S04 and that was up and running without hydration in no more than 12 hours. So I had a sort of side by side comparison.

 

[Spiesy]

I dig it. I'm a fan of the BRY.

 

[verysupple]

The positive comments in this thread (and elsewhere) have convinced me to give BRY-97 a go. I just want to figure out what pitching rate I should use as it has been pointed out previously that Danstar recommends 1 g/L, but don't specify what range of gravity this is appropriate for so I assume a "standard" OG of roughly 1.040 - 1.060. Also assuming the cell density is roughly the same as other Danstar strains, that's roughly 20 M / mL or 1.62 M / mL / P which is in the lager range of pitching rates. Seems like a strange recommendation for an ale pitching rate...

Also, from what I've read, it's often slow to start on the first pitch but seems to take off really fast if repitching slurry (presumably people are repitching at a much higher rate?). I've also read that it sometimes doesn't clear as well as the manufacturer claims. These two observations might be resulting from too low a pitching rate.

So I'm wondering the same thing Screwy asked earlier in this thread; how much are people pitching / what pitching rate are people using? But I'd go further and ask:

1) How much / what pitching rate have you used?

2) Did you rehydrate or sprinkle?

3) Did your method give you "normal" or "longer than normal" lag time compared to other strains?

4) How well did the beer clear using your method?


I know some people have already posted a brief description of what they do and their results (such as Goomba above) but I don't think many people have actually answered all four of my questions.

I know I should just try different pitching rates and see what happens for myself (and I probably will), but collecting data from other observant brewers and then adding mine to it seems like a quicker and more robust way of establishing this yeast's behaviour patterns, which I'm sure other brewing geeks are interested in .

Cheers, everyone :icon_cheers: .

 

[syl]

1) How much / what pitching rate have you used?
11g pack on 23L @ 1045

2) Did you rehydrate or sprinkle?
Sprinkle (lazy w/ dry yeasts I am)

3) Did your method give you "normal" or "longer than normal" lag time compared to other strains?
Longer lag than US-05

4) How well did the beer clear using your method?
Very well.

US-05 is preferred for mine, prefer my beers (have done several side by side and US-05 won every bout (APA, DSGA, ABA). That being said, the bottled BRY's are starting to come out great after more conditioning time.

 

[Tilt]

1 packet (rehydrated for 30min in 200ml cooled, boiled water) in a 23L 1050 batch started for me in <24 hours.
This was at ferment temps of 17-18 degrees and using the shake and bake fermentor aeration method (no added 02)
Flocculation was good and the beers have turned out clear as crystal.
On subsequent repitches into similar batches I've used up to generation 4 approx. 250ml thick slurry with a faster start and similar floccing and clarity results.

 

[joshF]

Used it for nelson summer ale before with 1 packet and took about 2 days before it got its groove on. Still came out great though.

This time used it on a fatter yak (OG 1049) used 2 packets, rehydrated, pitched at about 24 and bought down to 18. Took about 12 hours before it started doing its thing. Was 1014 as of this morning but still a tonne of krausen.

Pretty good yeast in my opinion and clears really really well.

 

[tavas]

I did a side by side comparison of this vs US-05. 1 packet per 22l each. Split batch so all conditions the same. I don't have a very defined palette but I did notice the BRY was more subdued hop flavour than the US-05. Not excessive but noticable. After about 2-3 weeks could not notice any distinct differnece between the two. Probably would not switch to this from US-05. Did not think there was much difference, certainly not worth noting. I did not pitch at 1 g/l so I am happy to look at this for future comparison work.

YMMV

 

[Yob]

I've pitched at 1g per lt and didn't really notice a difference to pitching just 1 pack, rehydrated of course, the thing that 97 has over 05 is it drips like a stone and leaves a brilliant clear beer..

I'm a fan and turn to it as the go to ale dry yeast.. Faster to finish than 05 too

 

[bmarshall]

My first batch took 2 days to start but i didnt airate it enough i think. I was worried so i pitched a pack of notto aswell. It came out pretty clear after cc in secondary for a couple days.
My second batch is still in primary fv but has not floced out very well so i hope the cc works well. I only pitched one pack and it was bubbling away after 1 day. I got a lot more air into it and had lower OG too.

 

[verysupple]

My first batch took 2 days to start but i didnt airate it enough i think. I was worried so i pitched a pack of notto aswell. It came out pretty clear after cc in secondary for a couple days.
My second batch is still in primary fv but has not floced out very well so i hope the cc works well. I only pitched one pack and it was bubbling away after 1 day. I got a lot more air into it and had lower OG too.

I'm pretty sure not aerating is not the cause of you problem, as Danstar explain that dry yeast do not need oxygenated wort:

No, there is no need to aerate the wort but it does not harm the yeast either. During its aerobic production, dry yeast accumulates sufficient amounts of unsaturated fatty acids and sterols to produce enough biomass in the first stage of fermentation.

And to continue the discussion about pitching rates, rehydration etc...

I brewed 22 L of a 1.060 AIPA yesterday and poured the wort into my FV but did not use any other methods of aeration. I followed Danstar's recommendation of 1 g/L pitching rate (exactly 2 packs for my 22 L batch) and rehydrated in 10 times the yeast mass of 0.9% (w/v) saline solution (my water is very soft which is not good for rehydrating) and pitched at 20C with my fridge set to 19C.

I'm not exactly sure when it formed a krausen as it was over night when I was asleep, but it happened somewhere between 6 and 14 hours. This seems to be in line with all my other batches with different yeasts, both liquid and dry.

So from my experience so far and what others have posted about their experiences, it may be that the long lag times people have been reporting are arising from either poor yeast handling, pitching too little or some other reason, but I don't think it's a trait of the yeast strain. Maybe it's just not as hardy as the ol' US-05 and you need to follow the instructions properly?

And to answer my own fourth question from above, I'll report back on the clarity when the batch is done .

 

[paulmclaren11]

First time using this yeast today, just dumped my cube into the FV and had more than I thought - ~ 23 litres.

SG was 1047 - only pitched 1 packet and rehydrated as per packet instructions.

Hopefully gets the job done.

 

[Yob]

Will do without a doubt

 

[jyo]

I'm not sold on this yeast yet. Did a double batch of fairly standard APA and pitched two packs into 23 litres of 1047 wort (no rehydration, I'm lazy) and fermentation kicked off in 14 hours or so. It took a week to finish, then I left it on the yeast for 5 days or so. Fermented at 19'.

Samples were yeasty and estery as hell, not clean at all.
I didn't CC as I used the yeast cake for the second cube, but after about a week in the keg it's still cloudy as all buggery and tasting like yeast, with massive esters. Hop presence is muted and the malt is not really there either. It has a taste like a hot ferment, but that's unlikely. I'm pretty happy with my temp control. It's not an infected taste at all.

Confident infection wasn't at play, I bit the bullet and reused the yeast cake with the second cube. It was a massive overpitch. This one is tasting great. The malt and hops are there, with hops taking a front seat. Just dry hopped it and CCing for a couple of days then will keg. They are shaping up to be two completely different beers.

Curiouser.

 

[carniebrew]

I'm finding similar with BRY-97, an APA and IPA I did with this yeast, neither which I crash chilled, are both tasting a little yeasty, like I haven't left the last 10ml or so in the bottom of the bottle...and this is after a good couple of months in the bottle too. I've never had this with US-05. If I use BRY-97 again (I think I have 1 left) I'll crash chill to see if it helps.

 

[paulmclaren11]

Interesting reading mixed reviews on this yeast, just bought 4 packs of it after thinking it's time to try something other than safale 05.

Hope my brews come up okay with it, crash chilling seems a must.

 

[paulmclaren11]

My ferment took off with a massive krausen (much bigger than saf 05) after about 12ish hours.

All looks good, apart from a bloody leaking FV tap - time for a newbie.

 

[verysupple]

I said in a previous post that I'd update on the clarity of my AIPA and the verdict is...no different to US-05 or any other US yeast I've used. I cold crash though so I can't say if it wouldn't be better than US-05 without the CC. Although carniebrew's experience suggests that it might not be clearer.

At this stage I'm not that impressed with BRY-97 but I've only used it in new recipes so I'm not sure if I don't like the yeast or if it's the rest of the recipe. I can say that it's definitely a bit fruity. Maybe I need to try it in something that I want a bit of fruit character in.

 

[pat86]

I did a 23L pale ale (turned out quite dark) using just one pack of BRY 97 - so about half the recommended, but re-hydrated as usual. It did seem to kick off slower than normal but got from 1050 to 1013 in a week. Finished at 1012 when I tested and dry-hopped a few days later, although I don't usually test much or earlier than a week, so it could have done most of the work in the first few days for all I know.

I thought the beer poured quite clear from the bottle, but it was also my first time crash chilling so couldn't really say if it is the yeast or the CC. First time with this recipe too, but definitely no yeasty flavours as mentioned above.

 

[Yob]

Not specifically BRY-97 as I blended it with Greenbelt, but I put 2 batches in the FV's before I left for Brisbane on the 24th December, came back on the 30th and the brews have gone from 1070 to 1014, going to Crash them tmoz, but taste awesome from the sample.. nice and clean, hops shining through.

is a side by side with same wort, different hops, one cube Amarillo / Mosaic, other cube Ahtanum / Mosaic

Cant wait to keg them, k/hop them and judge them h34r:

 

[paulmclaren11]

7 days into my ferment with this this yeast and I can defo smell the fruitiness... Had a sneaky sample, and albeit very early, it is very yeasty, almost like Coopers pale ale. I hope this settles out as I can't taste much hops. I will leave another week then dry hop and cold crash.

 

[Scooby Tha Newbie]

I don't understand why people don't do starters. Or at least hydrate their yeast ? It's very simple. No special equipment needed. Maybe because I'm a Baker I don't find anything scarey. As yet no infections in any brews. Tbh tho I'm not shour if I could taste a over pitched brew.

 

[jyo]

No need to make a starter with dry yeast when you pitch enough. I have noticed little (if any) difference in the final product when rehydrating, and if I am brewing a higher gravity (which is not all that often) I will rehydrate or just pitch two packs. I'm a bit lazy

Ok, second keg of this (refer to post 43 above) is tasting really good. Hardly any fruitiness or yeasty flavours as with the first batch, though still not as clean as US05.

The first batch was fermented at 19'. The second was fermented at 17'. I CC'd the second batch for 4 days or so @ 3' and then straight onto the gas for two days.
Still by no means clear, but it's tasting pretty damn good. I may give it another go again and ferment it around 17' as this seems to hit the fruitiness on the head.

Come to think of it, as Paul suggests, the first batch does have a bit of a Coopers Pale Ale thing happening.

 

[paulmclaren11]

So it sounds like once the fruity esters are there, they don't reduce much after time? A big dry hop will be in order me thinks to try and over power it!

I bought 4 packs of this stuff, really should have just got one... but will reserve full judgement once it's kegged and carbed (will gelatin in the keg).

 

[warra48]

There is no need to rehydrate dry yeast when you pitch enough.
However, be aware that you will kill about half of your yeast by pitching it directly into your wort. Source of this info is the Yeast book co-authored by Chris White.
If you're happy with that, then go ahead.
For me, rehydrating is really quite easy, and ensures you pitch most of the cells you pay for.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

So it sounds like once the fruity esters are there, they don't reduce much after time? A big dry hop will be in order me thinks to try and over power it!

I bought 4 packs of this stuff, really should have just got one... but will reserve full judgement once it's kegged and carbed (will gelatin in the keg).

Sorry if I missed it in an earlier post, but what temp did you ferment it at to get this fruitiness? I've been running it at 19, and my last couple of imitation schwarzbiers (buttering hops only) have come through with no noticeable fruitiness. 1 packet rehydrated, OG 1050 approx.

 

[Yob]

and my last couple of imitation schwarzbiers (buttering hops only) have come through with no noticeable fruitiness.

are they New Zealand hops?

 

[fletcher]

i have a mixed feeling about this yeast as i'm not sure what the exact issue was. the beer was ok, very clear and the yeast dropped out but it stripped my hops by a MASSIVE amount. this was either the yeast or just bad hops but i've used the hops in other beers with us-05 and they've been noticeable so to the best of my knowledge the yeast really ate through my hops

 

[paulmclaren11]

Sorry if I missed it in an earlier post, but what temp did you ferment it at to get this fruitiness? I've been running it at 19, and my last couple of imitation schwarzbiers (buttering hops only) have come through with no noticeable fruitiness. 1 packet rehydrated, OG 1050 approx.

I am fermenting at about 18-19c in a temp controlled fridge. I also only pitched 1 pack on a SG of 1047 rehydrated.

Yeast is fresh - use by of 2015 bought from a reputable supplier.

Maybe as I have been using the good old pink packets exclusively for so long I am very sensitive to the fruit...?

 

[Liam_snorkel]

i have a mixed feeling about this yeast as i'm not sure what the exact issue was. the beer was ok, very clear and the yeast dropped out but it stripped my hops by a MASSIVE amount. this was either the yeast or just bad hops but i've used the hops in other beers with us-05 and they've been noticeable so to the best of my knowledge the yeast really ate through my hops

I noticed that too on my last big IPA.

I have a highly hopped American black ale fermenting with it at the moment set at 16.5 deg - hoping that a slightly less vigorous ferment will help somewhat. Will report.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Maybe as I have been using the good old pink packets exclusively for so long I am very sensitive to the fruit...?

Could be it.
Do you have your probe attached to the fermenter & lagged, or somewhere else in the fridge?