My Recipe Box
Yeasts are living, single cell organisms. They are part of the fungus family and are present in many varieties. Many wild yeasts exist airborne around us every day. In fact, the first beer was probably created by accident when wild yeasts found a home in some partially germinated grain that was lying about.
The yeast strains that the brewing world is concerned with are either Saccharomyces Cervesiae (for ales) or Saccharomyces Uvarum (for lagers). Once either of these dormant yeasts are added to wort, they begin their active life cycle again. There are three main phases of brewing yeast:
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Respiration - Occurs during the first half a day after pitching the yeast. The yeast cells are busy storing oxygen and starts converting sugars into carbon-dioxide and water.
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Fermentation - The stored energy is now applied to reproduction and converting sugars to carbon-dioxide and alcohol. The yeast is now fully dispersed throughout the wort. The duration of this stage depends strongly upon the amount of fermentable sugar and the health and strain of the yeast used.
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Sedimentation - After the yeast is in the fermentation phase for three or more days, it begins to settle out and form a sediment on the bottom of the fermentation vessel. It slows its fermentation process to a crawl and prepares once again for dormancy.
Only certain strains of yeast can be used for brewing beer. These strains have developed to withstand the alcohol and acidity levels in which they will have to survive for a few weeks. These strains are in two major categories: ale yeast and lager yeast. Ale, or top fermenting, yeast is the easiest variety to deal with as it prefers temperatures between 60 to 80 degrees F. Lager, or bottom fermenting, yeasts require a lower temperature (35 - 48 degrees F) to function optimally. For this reason, I recommend brewing ales until you get a handle on the brewing process.
Yeast is packaged as either Dry Yeast or Liquid Yeast. My recipes use the liquid form but you can substitute dry if you choose. Dry yeast is easier to prepare than liquid but gives poorer results than its counterpart.
Preparing Yeast for Use:
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Dry Yeast: Although it can be added directly to cool wort, it will perform better when given a little head start before pitching.
Mix the dry yeast in one cup of luke warm water. Stir in the yeast. Be sure to sanitize and rinse anything that will come in contact with the mixture. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes, then pitch to wort. -
Liquid Yeast: Liquid yeast is packaged in a foil pouch with an inner bag that must be broken. Once the inner sack has been ruptured, the yeast will start feeding on the liquid nutrient inside.
Place the pouch in a warm place until the foil package has swollen to at least one inch thick. This usually takes about 1 to 3 days. Lager strains may take a little longer than ale strains. Sanitize the pouch, cut open and pour into cool wort.
The following chart shows the common styles of Wyeast brand liquid yeast. This is the most widely used of all yeast brands.
| Strain Number | Style | Characteristics |
| Wyeast Ale (1007) | German | Dry and Crisp |
| Wyeast Ale (1084) | Irish | Slightly diacetyl, great for stouts |
| Wyeast Ale (1214) | Belgian | Abbey style, high gravity beers |
| Wyeast Ale (1056) | American | Finishes clean and dry |
| Wyeast Ale (1028) | London | Bold, woody |
| Wyeast Ale (3056) | Bavarian Wheat | A blend for Weizenbiers |
| Wyeast Lager (2007) | Pilsen | For dry, crisp, light pilsners |
| Wyeast Lager (2206) | Bavarian | Full bodied, malty finish |
| Wyeast Lager (2035) | American | Complex flavor, high temp lager |
| Wyeast Lager (2112) | California Steam | Malty profile, clears well |