Dry yeasties; Hydrate or not? - the final answer from Lallemand

[Agentgonzo]

have adopted the practice of pitching as I drop the wort to the fv which I think makes a difference

That's what I do. It has the effect of nicely mixing the yeast through the wort as the rest continues into the fermenter. I never understood why most instructions say to sprinkle on the surface.

I splash my wort into the fermenter, so there is always a big 2 inch foamy head on the wort, and sprinkling on the top would just have the yeast sit on top of the foam rather than being in the wort

 

[Sadfield]

am not sure where MJ is

Ellesmere Port.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I would imagine CML in the UK is a good option due to proximity of the repack and climate. I am not sure where MJ is repacking, I thought it was Australia, but if it's not in the UK I would lean towards CML.

I could be wrong and maybe Llalemand/Fermentis do all the packaging at the manufacturing source though. I guess @Northern_Brewer would probably know.

AIUI all MJ's yeast operations are based at their place in Ellesmere Port, which came to them as part of the SPL International deal.

The problem with dry yeast in general is that it needs more fiddling with than liquid yeast, and each extra process adds an extra opportunity for contamination, particularly if it happens in a facility that isn't as sophisticated as Fermentis/Lallemand. In turn the more contamination there is, the fewer generations of repitching before the yeast "goes off". So repacking isn't ideal from that POV, although it's fine for single-use of yeast.

 

[Alastair70]

I used to rehydrate then I stopped. Chris White says you should, but I haven’t noticed any detriment to the beers from not doing it. And, I’m much happier avoiding another infection risk from the rehydration process if I’m pitching dried, so I won’t be going back.

 

[jof]

I just snip the packet open & sprinkle on to the top of the wort.
Usually the next morning as I wait for ambient cooling

 

[dad_of_jon]

I've found rehydrating to result in a quicker airlock displacement and bubbling within a few hours rather than 4-6 hours I was getting before. There's lots of variables at play here so whatever works for you. I've not had an infection or off-flavours either re-hydrating or not.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I’ve only ever used dried yeast and never done anything other than snip the pack, sprinkle it all over the top and put the lid on the FV. Never had a problem. The way I see it, if you can have airborne yeast invisibly find it’s way into wort and start fermenting it, you shouldn’t have to try too hard to kick a brew off with a 10-11g packet.

 

[clib]

I just sprinkle and put the lid on too. It mixes itself in. It's not a critical decision though according to the info put out by Fermentis and Lallemand.

I'm happiest when I'm pitching a lively starter and I think a lot of people miss out on this by always pitching a new pack of dried yeast. Paying again and not getting the best yeast possible I think.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

The only reuse I do is if I dump a chilled wort onto a previous slurry, or part of. Instructions from SWMBO are “you have already taken up a whole drawer in the freezer for hops, you are not taking up space in the fridge as well”. We have been married for 20 years and I knew from the look on her face at the time this was not open to negotiation .

 

[clib]

The only reuse I do is if I dump a chilled wort onto a previous slurry, or part of. Instructions from SWMBO are “you have already taken up a whole drawer in the freezer for hops, you are not taking up space in the fridge as well”. We have been married for 20 years and I knew from the look on her face at the time this was not open to negotiation .

One pesto jar?

It's all you need.

Hide it behind the big jar of mayo or something.

 

[An Ankoù]

The only reuse I do is if I dump a chilled wort onto a previous slurry, or part of. Instructions from SWMBO are “you have already taken up a whole drawer in the freezer for hops, you are not taking up space in the fridge as well”. We have been married for 20 years and I knew from the look on her face at the time this was not open to negotiation .

Treat yourself to an under-the-worktop larder fridge (one with no icebox) and put it somewhere discreet. You can keep your unopened hops in there your yeast collection and use it to keep the bottled beer cool in summer.
Seems a no-brainer to me. It would make a lovely Easter present, too.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Well you have both made me realise something quite interesting in that I wouldn’t need to use “the” fridge and could instead store a couple of jars of yeast in my kegorator were the space not being used by her tonic water and Lemonade

 

[clib]

Well you have both made me realise something quite interesting in that I wouldn’t need to use “the” fridge and could instead store a couple of jars of yeast in my kegorator were the space not being used by her tonic water and Lemonade

View attachment 84175

Sort it out.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Sort it out.

Divorce seems a bit of an extreme solution...

 

[clib]

Divorce seems a bit of an extreme solution...

Worked for me.

 

[James]

Rehydrate?
Pitch temp vs ferment temp?
Aerate?

I never used to rehydrate but tried it for a little bit because that was the advice from forums and so on. I recall the advice to rehydrate at a higher than pitch temp - around blood temp - so was probably thermally stressing the yeast as it cooled. Dry pitching is easier and is a nice clean end to the process (apart from the washing up).

Sometimes I pitch at higher than ferment temp and tell myself it’ll help the yeast.

I also recall advice that aerating the wort is not necessary when using dried yeast because they are packaged with high glycogen reserves.
Brewing outside it seems a bit risky churning all that fresh air into the wort but I doubt indoor air is much better. It’s also something I dislike when using a springer - I need a transfer hose to keep the flow and that means no frothy aeration.

In short I find dried yeast more reliable than liquid plus the shelf life is better and it hardly takes up any fridge space.

 

[MashBag]

In short I find dried yeast more reliable than liquid plus the shelf life is better and it hardly takes up any fridge space.

Here here. Nicely put.

 

[The Baron]

I pitch dry straight into the FV usually a couple of a degrees higher than the top temp usually as the yeast will get a slightly better start and it usually drops those couple of degrees and more before it activates.
Ps I always make sure the packet of yeast is as near to pitch temp as possible so as to reduce stress sometimes I place the packet on the FV so it draws a similar temp

 

[Druncan]

Aye @the baron, good point. My yeast is kept in the freezer. I let it warm and try to match the wort when pouring.

Re-shelf life/shop storage - The Novalager was a freebie direct from Lallemand - so should be the freshest I can get. 106g for 140L @ 10*C. It was a 500g brick as well,,,,,, Next Batch I'll go back to my original method and compare.

 

[Bogdweller]

That's what I do. It has the effect of nicely mixing the yeast through the wort as the rest continues into the fermenter. I never understood why most instructions say to sprinkle on the surface.

I splash my wort into the fermenter, so there is always a big 2 inch foamy head on the wort, and sprinkling on the top would just have the yeast sit on top of the foam rather than being in the wort

That's interesting. I've taken to skimming the foam off the top before sprinkling without any ill effects. It never seemed right leaving it sat on foam although I never had a problem other than a very slow start to fermentation getting underway with a fair bit of inactive yeast still on the surface later on.