Wine Yeast to make beer - possible?

[birket]

Hi have a kit for Tom Caxton Real Ale 1.8kg from Wilcos. Just opened the lid to make a start to find there is no yeast sachet!

I do have a container of Youngs Super Wine Yeast Compound, and I am wondering if I could use this instead. If so, how much would I use?

Thanks for your help.

 

[rickthebrew]

I wouldn`t - i`d wait and get a sachet of yeast (s-04 would be ideal) of course wine yeast would ferment the beer but dunno how it would turn out :whistle:

 

[luckyeddie]

Me neither.

The only time I would consider using a wine yeast in a beer would be for a secondary fermentation in a really REALLY big beer (like an Imperial Stout or a Barley Wine) with an SG of at least 1085 - and only if the primary had died early doors.

I predict 'cidery' or at best 'very dry'.

My advice would be to pick up 2 or 3 ale yeasts next time you are in Wilco's 'just in case'. I've had that problem from there in the past - kits being tampered with. Better still, go to a brew shop and buy some Nottingham, London or Windsor yeasts. You can order online too (see the forum sponsors above), and they won't charge you an arm and a leg for postage (probably) because a couple of sachets of dried yeast will fit in an envelope nicely.

 

[Moley]

I have actually tried this with my AG#5 London Pride clone. For some reason the beer yeasties didn't want to play, I hadn't got anything else and the shops were closed so I thought I'd give it a try.

Later on I compounded the felony by using a sachet of gelatine as finings, which I then noticed was about 2 years out of date.

40 bottles were opened and poured down the drain about 2 months later :cry:

Taught me always to keep a couple of sachets of yeast in the fridge though :thumb:

 

[Sean_Mc]

You could CONTACT them and they'd send you some out, but it would probably taste better using s04 or nottingham

 

[birket]

Thanks chaps. Managed to find a local (ish) shop with some proper ale yeast in stock!