A lot of small breweries filter their beers but only to reduce the sediment in the bottle, and many of these bottles will contain yeast - but what yeast they use is difficult to establish. A lot of small breweries seem to use dried yeasts, S04, US05 and Nottingham are popular. Kernel and Dark Star, two of the best breweries down south, use US05/S04. But then plenty of small breweries use liquid yeasts from Whitelabs, Wyeast and Brewlabs. And some small breweries have obtained yeast strains from old breweries.
Acorn brewery tells us on its website they use yeast from the Barnsley brewery dating back to the 1850s.
Marble brewery in Mancland apparently uses the Gales brewery strain. And they bottle condition their beers. It's a great yeast. It's time I harvested some. Watch this space. I did email the brewery but they never replied.
I read an interview with a brewer who went from Marble to Thornbridge then Buxton breweries, and he said he used yeast from Holts brewery at those two and that it was fantastic for pale ales/IPAs. So if there's any yeast in a Thornbridge or Buxton bottle, it could be well worth grabbing. Thornbridge used to do bottle conditioned beers, not sure if they still do?
Hook Norton bottle condition most of their beers, but I read that the bottle conditioning takes place elsewhere and is probably a different strain - but it's still a very good strain for making beer, according to a post I read by someone who uses it. The Hog's Back brewery uses Hook Norton yeast, so that's a possible source of the actual HN yeast - Joeyriles has just got some yeast from the Hog's Back brewery.
Morland Hen's Tooth still uses the old Morland brewery yeast strain apparently.
Brakspear Triple is the primary strain, and is used by home brewers.
Hop Back Summer Lightning bottles contain the primary strain and its very popular with brewers.
Thwaites Nutty Black contains primary strain yeast, or at least it did until Marston bought out Thwaites earlier this year, I've no idea what the position is now. But Marston's are looking to bottle condition more of their beers from their various breweries - 'Banksââ¬â¢s, Brakspear, Jennings, Ringwood and Wychwood'. Old Empire, Owd Roger and Sneck Lifter being considered for bottle Conditioning. They also do bottle conditioned beers for Tesco, which might be worth looking into.
Shepherd Neame 1698 is bottle conditioned and people use the yeast successfully.
Adnam's mini kegs contain the Adnam's dual strain primary yeast which is very popular, but their bottles don't. It's the only way to get this excelent dual yeast strain, I believe.
St Austell Admiral's Ale is bottle conditioned, but possibly a secondary strain.
Crouch Vale do Yakima Gold occasionally as a bottle conditioned ale.
M&S bottle conditioned beers with primary strains as of 2012, could have changed or been discontinued?:
Norfolk - Woodfordes - No secondary strain used
Sussex - Hepworth - Dual strain in the bottle
Lancashire - Thwaites - primary strain in the bottle
Cornish - St Austell - primary strain in the bottle
Yorkshire Bitter - Cropton Brewery, Pickering. Bottle conditioned. Dunno if primary strain.
Cotswold - Hook Norton, Bottle conditioned, probably not their own strain.
Welsh - Conway - Use SO4
Young's Special London Ale, Young's London Gold and Young's Bitter are bottle conditioned.
Fullers Bengal Lancer and 1845 are used by loads of brewers to obtain real Fuller's yeast.
Sam Smith's - Yorkshire Stingo is bottle conditioned.
Loads more I'm sure, but most of the best are probably here.
