Younga's N.q. 514 Ale Yeast

[pb unleaded]

Hello all,
I purchased a fresh wort ESB IPA kit and it came with this dry yeast:
younga's n.q. 514 ale, probably 5 grams.
I have a Wyeast liquid (NorthEast or something like that) in the fridge
and was wandering which one to use as it's my first time using these fresh wort kits.
Also the label says to add 5 liters of water, I'd rather not.

Thanks

arthur

 

[Bazza]

Hello all,
I purchased a fresh wort ESB IPA kit and it came with this dry yeast:
younga's n.q. 514 ale, probably 5 grams.
I have a Wyeast liquid (NorthEast or something like that) in the fridge
and was wandering which one to use as it's my first time using these fresh wort kits.
Also the label says to add 5 liters of water, I'd rather not.

Thanks

arthur

Hi Arthur
I've done quite a few of these kits, and I think if you're spending that much on 15L of beer then use a good yeast. I've only used liquid yeasts (and rehydrated saf yeasts) with excellent results. Your Wyeast would probably be good. I've seen this 514 yeast before and I think it gets chucked in with all kinds of kits (cheap and otherwise). Go the liquid yeast and the IPA will come out well.
Baz

 

[MHB]

514 is the most widely used generic yeast in Australian home brew kits. It was for many years made by Mauri foods and if you ordered a few (Thousand) you could get your name on the sachet.

A lot of guys heap scorn on 514, but it has some very useful properties:-
It is very neutral; it doesnt change the flavour of the kit much.
It is very stable; I have seen 5 year old yeast fire up, this is good for product that may sit around.
It is tough; it handles mishandling better than any other yeast.
It brews over a wide temperature range; even in brews where they are cooked it throws less fusels than most other yeasts.

These days there are plenty of better choices both dried and liquid but they all require more careful handling and better temperature control.

MHB