Hi, I'm new and want some help please

[cessnockles]

I've recently started and have been using the standard tins such as coopers and so on and have even taken (for me) more bolder steps of adding malt extract and so on. But someone told me I would get a better result using live yeast rather than the packet. I see there are cakes of yeast in the local deli, can I use this, and if also how much would I use. I brew in a home brew fermenter

 

[Hoppers]

Welcome aboard.

Looks like you have made a good start. I would suggest reading through this forum, as there is a wealth of advice for begginers

Upgrading sugar to malt is great, Have a chat to your local Home brew shop and get your yeast supply from them, different strains for different styles, I would also suggest to adding hops and a some grain......

 

[sp0rk]

I know it's a bit of a drive, but head over to Country Brewer at Maitland, they'll be able to help you out with a much better yeast
I highly doubt the yeast in your deli can be used, it's most likely not brewing yeast

 

[Feldon]

But someone told me I would get a better result using live yeast rather than the packet.

The dry yeast in the packet is not dead, its alive too. Its just dormant.

 

[cessnockles]

Thanks for you help and I appreciate any comments. We have 2 suppliers here in the Hunter one in Cessnock and the other Weston a few kilometres away, bot have recently started their business and I suspect from a love of drinking beer but they don't have the breadth of knowledge to advise, the best I can get is a look at their recipe books and buy the ingredients. By the way I have also used hops recently and made a very successful copy of little Creatures

 

[wereprawn]

Don't think the deli yeast would be much good for brewing. At this stage i would go for better dry yeast. us-05 is very popular and works in a wide variety of beers. Nottingham is another, if you are brewing an ale that doesn't require a lot of hop/malt flavours. Notto ferments super fast too if you are after a quick brew.

 

[klangers]

Consider asking Keith at the Hunter Beer Co for some liquid yeast. Worth a trip there if you're in the hunter and a chat to them to get a better idea of the brewing process.

 

[cessnockles]

I know Keith and Mike and quite honestly hadn't given it a thought, Hunter beer is just 5 mins away. I also have Potters Brewery diagonally opposite to my place in Nulkaba. I'll chat to them and see what I get

 

[JDW81]

The bricks of yeast from the deli are for bread, not beer.

The idea of brewing yeast is to have a single, clean strain that isn't contaminated by any other bugs etc. Yeast for bread doesn't need to be as "pure" as bread doesn't ferment for as long as beer and also doesn't have the same sanitary requirements. A lot of those awesome flavours in sourdough come from the funky bacteria and yeast that float around the air; perfect for bread, not so for beer.

As above, chat to you local brew stores and if they are worth their salt, they'll point you in the right direction.

Welcome aboard this very slippery slope!!

JD

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

One thing it appears that everyone is sort of saying but not quite - the yeast under the lid is inadequate because 1. It's not enough and 2. It's a general strain usually stored poorly.

You'll want initially (for a kit beer) to have a good dried strain (US05, Nottingham, maybe Windsor or S04 if you are doing something British), enough of it (so at least the 12g official packets or a repackage of more than that from a reputable shop), stored in excellent conditions.

Ferment it at the temp written on the back of the packet, not the 25-28 degrees suggested by Coopers.

 

[brewermp]

Also another question that wasn't answered was the question about live yeast. I think you mean liquid yeast. For kit beer you don't need liquid yeast as the OG isn't high enough to warrant it I think. When your doing German beers with grains or heavy beers you will need liquid yeast. US05 is the slice bread of yeast. I'm using it for a Pilsner and a golden ale at the moment.

 

[sp0rk]

Also another question that wasn't answered was the question about live yeast. I think you mean liquid yeast. For kit beer you don't need liquid yeast as the OG isn't high enough to warrant it I think. When your doing German beers with grains or heavy beers you will need liquid yeast. US05 is the slice bread of yeast. I'm using it for a Pilsner and a golden ale at the moment.

Liquid yeast can be used on any beer, OG doesn't have anything to do with it really, there are yeasts in both dry and liquid that will attenuate big beers properly (though your pitching rate will usually be better with liquid than a single dry packet)
It's more to do with distinct flavours that come from specific strains of yeast, some of these don't transfer well into dried yeast

 

[Goose]

It's more to do with distinct flavours that come from specific strains of yeast, some of these don't transfer well into dried yeast

as well as its storage time, pitching rate, number of generations and purity that affect its vitality, let alone the environment its stored in or fermenting in.

many many variables.

for a new brewer I'd suggest keeping it very simple by starting with a dried yeast at the dosage and method recommended by the manufacturer, and take it from there.

 

[cessnockles]

Hey you guys,

This has been a really enlightening experience and I've learned more from this single post that any of the suppliers I have talked to, so thank you and especially to those who have encouraged me to keep it simple. I'll continue to experiment and take on suggestions about the various yeasts that are available. And as for the block I bought for 99c at the deli, well I suppose I'll have to learn how to make bread. Cheers all let me know more please

 

[antiphile]

All good advice. I like Goose's take on it for brewer who's just starting out on this damned addictive hobby.

I'd like to give you some unsolicited (and probably unwanted and unwise) advice. The guys are right about the yeasts that come with the cans; though I've used the Coopers yeasts many times very successfully. It's a good idea to get your head around the way the manufacturers datestamp the yeasts. For example, The Coopers Forum has a particular thread at the top of the section titled "Brewing Blether" that tells you how to read the datestamp, and which type of yeast is included with each kit.

Secondly, whenever you get a kit (and make sure the yeast is not too old, say, younger than 12 months), mark the yeast so you know which kit it came from, and store it in the fridge to increase it's longevity. When you want to use it, just take it out of the fridge about an hour beforehand to slowly come to room temp.

And finally, IMHO, now is a good time to search YouTube and Google to see how to rehydrate yeast and make yeast starters. I think you give yourself a headstart to have the yeast all ready and rearing to go by pitching it when it's already active and looking for nice meal of malt. It's even better to pitch the ready-to-eat yeast into a very well aerated wort (by stirring the hell out it, by using a paint mixer on a cordless drill, or using an aeration stone. All of these require good hygeine practices of course, but if you don't already have them then maybe brewing is not the hobby for you.

Cheers and good luck.

 

[cessnockles]

Just a quick one, looking at a Coopers Sparkling ale the recipe is

• 1.7kg Thomas Coopers Sparkling Ale
• 1.5kg Thomas Coopers Light Malt Extract
• 500g Coopers Light Dry Malt
• 300g Coopers Dextrose (or table sugar)
• Coopers Carbonation Drops

In your opinion, if I am to avoid sugars, what would I substitute for the Dextrose and also with this recipe, the only mention of yeast is to use the one on the bottom of the can. This is a recipe from the Coopers web

 

[JDW81]

Just a quick one, looking at a Coopers Sparkling ale the recipe is

• 1.7kg Thomas Coopers Sparkling Ale
• 1.5kg Thomas Coopers Light Malt Extract
• 500g Coopers Light Dry Malt
• 300g Coopers Dextrose (or table sugar)
• Coopers Carbonation Drops

In your opinion, if I am to avoid sugars, what would I substitute for the Dextrose and also with this recipe, the only mention of yeast is to use the one on the bottom of the can. This is a recipe from the Coopers web

The dextrose/table sugar is actually quite important in this beer. It will help to make it a little drier as it is 100% fermentable, compared to malt extract (which is only about 75% fermentable).

Sucrose/dextrose in beer isn't all bad, and in many cases is very important to the style.

As far as yeast goes, grab 2 packs of safale US05 from your local HB store and pitch that into the wort. Don't bother saving the kit yeasts, just chuck them in the bin. I'm not going to get into the whole rehydration thing, some are for it, others think it is a waste of time and I haven't used dry yeast for about 5 years so I'm not going to comment.

JD

 

[Bribie G]

You don't necessarily have to avoid sugars such as dextrose or cane sugar - it depends on the style. For example you wouldn't use sugar in a fine European Lager or an American Pale ale, but there's definitely a place for sugar in a UK bitter or an Aussie Lager where sugar has been used for over a hundred years. Even Coopers themselves use sugar in small amounts (apparently) to adjust gravity in some of their commercial brews such as Sparkling Ale.

That Coopers recipe looks fine and the yeast is probably a good choice as well. If you prefer, just bump the light dry malt extract up to 800g and keep 200g for later use.

Later on, you could reculture yeast from the dregs of a few Coopers longnecks and breed it up using a solution of that light dry malt extract but for the time being the kit yeast is ok. More important, at the moment, to look at temperature control and keeping the brew below 20 degrees.

 

[moodgett]

Welcome to the forum cessnockles not too far away from you (Mulbring)
Enjoy the feedback from everyone, wealth of knowledge in here

 

[droid]

you can "proof" the yeast under the tin and use it but there is a world of yeasts out there