Best Places To Buy Beer Yeast

Beer yeast is available for purchase from a variety of online retailers, including Amazon, Northern Brewer, Midwest Supplies, Imperial Yeast, and MoreBeer. These websites offer a wide range of beer yeast products, including dry and liquid yeast, as well as yeast starter kits. Prices vary depending on the type and quantity of yeast being purchased. It is important to select the appropriate strain of beer yeast for your specific recipe to ensure the best-tasting beer.

Online retailers like Amazon and specialist websites

Amazon, for example, offers a diverse selection of beer yeast products from different brands. You can find well-known brands such as LalBrew, Fermentis, Red Star, Craft A Brew, and North Mountain Supply. Amazon provides a convenient platform to compare prices, read customer reviews, and benefit from fast delivery options. Some products even offer Subscribe & Save options for repeat purchases.

Specialist websites, such as Northern Brewer, Midwest Supplies, Imperial Yeast, White Labs, and Omega Yeast, offer a more curated selection of beer yeast. These websites often cater to both professional and home brewers, providing a range of yeast strains and formats. For instance, Northern Brewer offers a wide variety of ale and lager yeasts, including popular brands like Omega Yeast, White Labs, Wyeast, Imperial, Lallemand, and Fermentis. They also provide yeast starter kits in different capacities, which can be useful for those just starting out or experimenting with different yeast options.

Midwest Supplies offers a full range of dry and liquid yeast from renowned brands like Fermentis, Wyeast, Omega Yeast Labs, Imperial Yeast, and White Labs. They provide yeast strains suitable for various beer types, including ales, lagers, Belgian styles, and meads.

Imperial Yeast, White Labs, and Omega Yeast are also great sources for purchasing yeast online. These websites offer insights into the science of modern brewing and provide resources for both professional and home brewers. They often showcase their unique propagation methods, strain innovations, and the range of services they offer to support brewers.

Whether you choose a general online retailer like Amazon or a specialist website, you'll be able to find the right type of beer yeast for your brewing needs, with options to suit different budgets, preferences, and brewing styles.

Local homebrew shops

When visiting your local homebrew shop, you'll be able to browse their selection of yeast strains and get advice from knowledgeable staff members. They can guide you in selecting the right type of yeast for your brew and may even offer tips and tricks for improving your homebrewing process. Some shops may also provide additional supplies for home brewing, such as starter kits, fermenters, and other equipment, making them a one-stop shop for all your homebrewing needs.

In addition to the convenience of having a physical store to visit, local homebrew shops often have strong connections with the local brewing community. They may host workshops, offer advice, and provide a space for homebrewers to connect and share their experiences. This can be invaluable for beginners who are just starting out, as well as for experienced brewers looking to refine their techniques.

To find a local homebrew shop near you, a simple online search can point you in the right direction. You can also ask fellow homebrewers in your area for recommendations. Visiting these shops not only supports local businesses but also helps you become a part of a community of like-minded individuals who share your passion for crafting delicious beers.

Dry yeast vs liquid yeast

You can buy beer yeast from online retailers such as Amazon, Northern Brewer, and Midwest Supplies, as well as specialist brewing shops.

There are several differences between dry and liquid yeast, and the right choice depends on your brewing needs.

Pros of Dry Yeast

• Sterile, strain-pure, and highly capable of producing great beer
• Long shelf life of up to 3 years
• More tolerant of warm storage or shipping conditions
• Packaged with nutrient reserves and ready to pitch without a yeast starter
• More affordable, especially for higher-gravity batches
• More durable and doesn't require refrigeration
• Easier to ship without ice packs
• Higher cell count (200 billion dry vs 100 billion liquid)
• More easily blended for creating unique profiles

Cons of Dry Yeast

Limited variety of strains as not all yeast strains can be dried

Pros of Liquid Yeast

• Wider variety of styles and strains
• Preferred choice for commercial breweries
• Live, fresh, and healthy yeast
• Endless options, including seasonal, specific strains
• Access to strains that pro brewers use

Cons of Liquid Yeast

• More expensive, sometimes twice the price or more
• Unstable in extreme temperature ranges
• Shorter shelf life of about 3 months
• Must be kept cold to remain fresh and viable
• Lower cell count, which means a yeast starter is usually required
• More sensitive and perishable

Yeast strains and their characteristics

Yeast is an essential ingredient in beer brewing. It transforms sugar into alcohol and other by-products, giving each beer its unique flavour. There are two main types of beer yeast: ale yeast and lager yeast. However, there are also several other yeast strains, each with distinct characteristics that make them suitable for different beer styles.

Ale Yeast (Top-Fermenting)

Ale yeasts, or *Saccharomyces cerevisiae*, rise to the top of the fermenter as they work, earning them the name "top-fermenting". They typically operate within a temperature range of 18–22°C, although some strains can go lower or higher. Ale yeasts vary in the flavours they produce, from fruity esters to clean profiles with minimal character. They are used to brew ales, stouts, porters, wheat beers, Kölsch, and blonde beers.

Lager Yeast (Bottom-Fermenting)

Lager yeasts, or *Saccharomyces pastorianus*, work at colder temperatures and slower than ale yeasts. They usually ferment at the bottom of the fermenter within a temperature range of 7–15°C. Lager yeasts are known for their high flocculation, resulting in a clear beer. The colder temperatures inhibit the production of off-flavours, giving lagers their characteristic "clean" taste. Lager yeasts are used for brewing lagers, pilsners, bocks, Märzens, and dortmunders.

Other Yeast Strains

There are several other yeast strains that fall outside the ale and lager categories, each with unique flavour profiles. For example, Brettanomyces bruxellensis is used to create "brett" or sour beers, while Saccharomyces cerevisiae variety diastaticus strains are known for their high attenuation rates, making them suitable for Saisons. Additionally, bacteria-positive yeasts, which contain bacterial strains, are often used for creating sour beers, and some yeast packets are 100% bacteria, adding flavour without producing alcohol.

Yeast Characteristics

When selecting a yeast strain, brewers must consider several key characteristics:

• Attenuation: Refers to the percentage of sugars converted into alcohol. It is typically described in percentages or terms like "low," "medium," or "high."
• Alcohol tolerance: Indicates the amount of alcohol the yeast can withstand before becoming inactive. Higher alcohol tolerance leads to a higher ABV in the final beer.
• Flocculation: Refers to the tendency of yeast to form clumps called "flocs" that drop out of the beer as fermentation ends. High flocculation yeasts produce clearer beer.
• Optimal temperature ranges: Ale and lager yeasts have vastly different optimal temperature ranges. Deviating from these ranges can result in slow or incomplete fermentation or the production of off-flavours.
• Flavour profile: Yeasts can accentuate the maltiness or hoppiness of a beer or add fruity, sweet, or dry notes. Defining a yeast's flavour profile can be challenging, and manufacturers often use descriptive terms like "fruitiness" to indicate the type of esters produced.

Yeast nutrients and energizers

Yeast Nutrients

Yeast nutrient blends typically contain a mix of trace elements and molecules, including inorganic nitrogen, organic nitrogen, zinc, phosphates, and other components that help yeast grow and complete fermentation. Nitrogen is used for amino acid generation, while phosphate contributes to the various energetic requirements for the yeast.

Yeast nutrients are usually added to the yeast before pitching. They are not often necessary unless you are brewing a high-adjunct beer, mead, or wine.

Yeast Energizers

Yeast energizers contain components such as vitamin B, diammonium phosphate (DAP), tricalcium phosphate, magnesium sulphate, and yeast hulls. They are particularly useful for restarting a stuck fermentation by allowing yeast populations to increase in a batch of beer or wine.

Yeast energizers are best added 24 hours or more after pitching yeast. DAP is toxic to yeast in high concentrations, so be cautious when selecting a nutrient blend containing DAP for use in starters or pitching.

Frequently asked questions