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Vintners Dry Yeasts are now available for winemaking, cider and mead making.

Yeast is a major factor in determining the flavor of your beer. Different yeast strains will produce different beers when pitched to identical worts. Yeast is available both wet and dry. For the first-time brewer, a dry ale yeast is highly recommended. There are several brands of dry yeast available, including Nottingham, Coopers, Edme, Muntons and Ritche. All of these listed will produce good results.

Ale yeast are referred to as top-fermenting because much of the fermentation action takes place at the top of the fermenter, while Lager yeasts would seem to prefer the bottom. Ale yeasts like warmer temperatures, 65 degrees F or so, while Lager yeasts will happily work at 50F. Most important is to keep the temperature of your fermenting wort steady. A wild swing in temperature, more than 5 degrees or so, in one day, might stop your yeast from working. [Using Lager yeast at Ale temperatures 65-70F (18-20C) produces Steam Beer, or what is now termed California Common Beer. ]

Yeast Brands and Prices

All yeasts are kept refrigerated.

Yeast Starter

Liquid yeast should be pitched to a starter before pitching to the beer in the fermenter. Using a starter gives yeast a head start and prevents weak fermentations from under-pitching. Dry yeast should be re-hydrated before pitching. Re-hydrating dry yeast is simple.

First; after boiling your wort for about fifteen minutes, spoon out two ounces wort from your boil into a sterile cup and put it covered in the freezer for a few minutes to chill. OR you can use some sugar you’ve boiled and chilled [about one tablespoon].


Then follow these instructions:

• 1. Put 1 cup of warm (80F) boiled water into a sterile jar and stir in the yeast.
  Cover with Saran Wrap and wait 10 minutes.
• 2. Stir in two ounces pre-boiled wort cooled to 80 degrees.
• 3. Cover and place in a warm area out of direct sunlight.
  *NOTE: You should be chilling your wort now, while the yeast is starting*
• 4. After 30 minutes or so the yeast should be actively foaming. This starter is now ready to pitch.
  Your wort should cooled about now.

Liquid yeast is regarded as superior to dry yeast because of the refinement of yeast strains present and little risk of bacterial contamination during manufacture. However, the amount of yeast in a liquid packet is much less than the amount in the dry. For best results, it needs a starter. The packet must be squeezed and warmed to 70F at least two days before brewing. Read the package instructions. One day before brewing, it should be pitched to a wort starter made from 1/4 cup of DME and a pint of water that has been boiled and cooled to 75F (25C). Adding a quarter teaspoon of yeast nutrient is also advisable. Let this sit in the same warm place until brewing time the next day. Some foaming or an increase in the white yeast layer on the bottom should be evident. The Starter process may be repeated to provide even more yeast to the wort to insure a strong fermentation. Sanitze your culture container, stopper and airlock just as carefully as you do the rest of your equipment. Large beer or wine bottles, or growlers make good starter bottles.