Is there a big difference in the way cheap yeast works?

[ScottM]

I've noticed that my first extract brew using Wyeast is taking a lot longer than the likes of the cooper kits etc. My Bud lime is going to take a good 2 weeks to ferment out fully which is the longest I have ever had by quite some way. Normally when I brew a kit it goes from OG to FG in around 4-5 days.

Is this down to the quality of the yeast with the kit yeast being more akin to a turbo yeast to get the job done quicker? I've noticed straight away that the flavour of the beer being created by the Wyeast is miles better than anything I've had from a kit, even at this early stage.

I'm hoping it is all down to the difference in yeast quality as the difference for me is night and day. If I ever brew a kit again I think I'll just stump up some extra coinage for decent yeast and bin the kit stuff.

Cheers

 

[dennisking]

Keeping at a reasonably low temp. I've never known a liquid yeast to take less than a week.

 

[ScottM]

Keeping at a reasonably low temp. I've never known a liquid yeast to take less than a week.

Hmm, strange that this one is taking so long then. It's been bubbling once a minute for the last 4 days. Temp has been consistently between 20 and 22 degrees.

 

[calumscott]

The yeasts work in (pretty much) exactly the same way, they "eat" sugar and "poo" alcohol.

The differences come in the preferences of each strain for the types of sugars they prefer, how quickly they breed, what other by-products they produce while they are doing what they do, what their tolerance is to alcohol, how weak a concentration of sugar can keep them going etc etc.

But the basic principle for all yeasts, brewers, bakers, wine, beer cider, Belgian, English, Scots, American or whatever is fundamentally the same.

The trick is picking the right mix of the subtle properties for the beer you want at the end.

 

[ScottM]

The yeasts work in (pretty much) exactly the same way, they "eat" sugar and "poo" alcohol.

The differences come in the preferences of each strain for the types of sugars they prefer, how quickly they breed, what other by-products they produce while they are doing what they do, what their tolerance is to alcohol, how weak a concentration of sugar can keep them going etc etc.

But the basic principle for all yeasts, brewers, bakers, wine, beer cider, Belgian, English, Scots, American or whatever is fundamentally the same.

The trick is picking the right mix of the subtle properties for the beer you want at the end.

Oh no, sorry I understand all that, I was more meaning the difference in time between the yeasts that come in kit and the expensive yeasts available off the shelf.

For example the Youngs Super Wine yeast went through 1100g of sugar in 5L in about 4 days for me. Wheras this Wyeast has taken almost a fortnight to go through 3kg of DME in 23L. The Youngs super stuff is obviously more akin to a turbo yeast wheras the Wyeast is a normal one. I had previously noted that the packet yeasts that come with kits go through all the sugars in 3-5 days, from experience, so I was wondering if they were more like turbo yeasts than they were normal.

It would appear that my Wyeast is just a slow-un though rather than being different

 

[calumscott]

The yeasts work in (pretty much) exactly the same way, they "eat" sugar and "poo" alcohol.

The differences come in the preferences of each strain for the types of sugars they prefer, how quickly they breed, what other by-products they produce while they are doing what they do, what their tolerance is to alcohol, how weak a concentration of sugar can keep them going etc etc.

But the basic principle for all yeasts, brewers, bakers, wine, beer cider, Belgian, English, Scots, American or whatever is fundamentally the same.

The trick is picking the right mix of the subtle properties for the beer you want at the end.

Oh no, sorry I understand all that, I was more meaning the difference in time between the yeasts that come in kit and the expensive yeasts available off the shelf.

For example the Youngs Super Wine yeast went through 1100g of sugar in 5L in about 4 days for me. Wheras this Wyeast has taken almost a fortnight to go through 3kg of DME in 23L. The Youngs super stuff is obviously more akin to a turbo yeast wheras the Wyeast is a normal one. I had previously noted that the packet yeasts that come with kits go through all the sugars in 3-5 days, from experience, so I was wondering if they were more like turbo yeasts than they were normal.

It would appear that my Wyeast is just a slow-un though rather than being different

You have a lot of variables going on there: different sugars, different concentrations, different yeasts, different vessels, not to mention different days with different temperatures and light.

I would read exactly nothing into the results.

...kick back, enjoy the airlock bloop sounds and wait... :thumb:

 

[ScottM]

You have a lot of variables going on there: different sugars, different concentrations, different yeasts, different vessels, not to mention different days with different temperatures and light.

I would read exactly nothing into the results.

...kick back, enjoy the airlock bloop sounds and wait... :thumb:

The ingredients is the only thing that's slightly different from my previous kits though. I was only using the wine as an example of turbo yeast, not to compare to how quickly my brew is going with it. Every single kit I have done has fermented out in less than 5 days, I've always left it more obviously. That's Coopers Lager, Muntons Gold, coopers Cerveza, Ritchies OTR pear, Magnum cider and everything else in between. I thought it was the yeast making the difference to time but obviously it's not

I'm a little worried now that it's taking so long given that it's been suggested it should only take a week.

I'm going to rack it into a secondary just now and check the gravity of it to see how far it's came since my last reading.

 

[TRXnMe]

If it's any consolation all four of my fermented kits have taken 2 or more weeks to fully ferment out, only the first one was close to two weeks and I 'cooked' on the heat plate at between 24 and 26 degrees, my later kits have all been at 20 to 22 degrees and have taken longer, but so far are tasting better

The kits have been two coopers english bitter, a tom caxton's real ale and a woodforde's wherry, I've got another wherry and a munton's nut brown fermenting now, both at around 20 degrees and both bubbling like mad at 4 and 3 days respectively.

From what I've read on here it's all about patience when fermenting and maturing

 

[pittsy]

its all good , i have different strains of liquid yeast and some do take longer than others and actually thats a good thing , a bit like slow cooking some pork , it ends up better done if nice and slow , p.s try to ferment at 18c some times maybe 20c depending on the strain of yeast (always do a google etc on yeast info esp when liquid ) and if you make a 8 pint starter with 500g of light dme then split it after fermenting (in a dj for 5/7 days) into 10 to 12 330ml plastic bottles you have 12 yeasts ready for a 100g and 1 l of water starters (ferment for 2 to 3 days ) then when your down to your last 2 bottles do an 8 pint 500g starter again thus making 10/12 more (constant supply ) so your original £6.50 plus dme divide by around 50 vials = cheap yeast but top quality :thumb:

 

[tazuk]

yes that is wot i did with some w300 but not put any in freezer yet ?????????????? who else has and did it work ok :thumb:

its all good , i have different strains of liquid yeast and some do take longer than others and actually thats a good thing , a bit like slow cooking some pork , it ends up better done if nice and slow , p.s try to ferment at 18c some times maybe 20c depending on the strain of yeast (always do a google etc on yeast info esp when liquid ) and if you make a 8 pint starter with 500g of light dme then split it after fermenting (in a dj for 5/7 days) into 10 to 12 330ml plastic bottles you have 12 yeasts ready for a 100g and 1 l of water starters (ferment for 2 to 3 days ) then when your down to your last 2 bottles do an 8 pint 500g starter again thus making 10/12 more (constant supply ) so your original £6.50 plus dme divide by around 50 vials = cheap yeast but top quality :thumb:

 

[screamlead]

You will also find that the Youngs super wine yeast compound also has its own nutrients and i think bentonite in it too maybe that why it always gets off to a good start?
Minst you i had a dud batch that didnt work at all and had to re yeast using other stuff. :