Ok, with all the new dry yeasts available I wanted to make a thread with peoples thoughts on them. I am going to be trying some of them soon and will review when the beers are done. Here is some of the yeast:

Munton's Ale Yeast:Medium attenuation, low flocculation. Good all-purpose ale yeast.

Cooper's Ale Yeast: A good all-round yeast for a variety of ales. Produces complex woody, fruity esters at warm temperatures; reported to be more heat tolerant than other strains. Recommended fermentation temp: 65-75° F; medium attenuation and flocculation.

Lallemand Munich Wheat Beer Yeast: Strain used by a number of commercial breweries to produce Bavarian-style wheat beers. The propagation and drying processes have been specifically designed to deliver high quality beer yeast that can be used simply and reliably to help produce wheat beers of the finest quality. Quick start and vigorous fermentation, which can be completed in as little as 4 days above 17° C. Medium to high attenuation Non-flocculent strain; some settling can be promoted by cooling and use of fining agents and isinglass. Estery to both palate and nose with typical banana notes. Best used at traditional ale temperatures.

Windsor Ale Yeast: Danstar Windsor ale yeast originates in England. This yeast produces a beer that is estery to both palate and nose with a slight fresh yeasty flavor. These are usually described as full-bodied, fruity English ales. Depending on the substrate, the Windsor demonstrates moderate attenuation that will leave a relatively high gravity (density). Recommended 17° to 21°C (64° to 70° F) fermentation temperature range.

Nottingham Ale: The Nottingham strain was selected for its highly flocculent (precipitating) and relatively full attenuation (transforming sugar into alcohol) properties. It produces low concentrations of fruity and estery aromas and has been described as neutral for an ale yeast, allowing the full natural flavor of malt to develop. Good tolerance to low fermentation temperatures, 14°C (57°F), allow this strain to brew lager-style beer. Recommended 14° to 21°C (57° to 70°F) fermentation temperature range.

Safale S-04: A well-known English ale yeast, selected for its fast fermentation character and its ability to form a very compact sediment at the end of the fermentation, helping to improve beer clarity. This yeast is recommended for the production of a large range of ale beers and is specially well adapted to cask-conditioned ales and fermentation in cylindroconical tanks. High sedimentation. Recommended temperature range: 18-24°C (64-75°F).

Saflager S-23: The bottom fermenting yeast is widely used by Western European commercial breweries. This yeast develops the best of its fruity and estery lager notes when fermented at low temperatures (10°C-14°C) yet producing very good lager and pilsner beers at higher temperatures (16°C-20°C). Pitching rate: 80 g/hl to 120g/hl.

Saflager W-34/70: (I am trying this one) This famous yeast strain from Weihenstephan in Germany is used worldwide and has become the most popular strain for lager brewing. Clean and malty, suitable for a wide range of lager styles. Sedimentation: high. Final gravity: medium. Recommended fermentation temperature: 9.15° C (48-59° F), ideally 12° C (54° F)

Safbrew S-33: A general purpose, widely-used ale yeast with low sedimentation properties. This strain is extremely consistent, with excellent wort attenuation and a superb flavor profile

Safbrew T-58: A specialty ale yeast selected for its estery, somewhat peppery and spicy flavor. This yeast forms a solid sediment at the end of secondary fermentation, and is therefore widely used for bottle and cask conditioning.

Safale K-97: A German ale strain selected for its ability to form a large, firm head when fermenting. This top-cropping ale yeast is suitable for top fermented beers with low ester levels. Sedimentation: low. Final gravity: low. Recommended fermentation temperature: 15° C - 24° C (59° - 75° F).

Safale US-56: A dried American Ale strain with fermentation properties resembling that of Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale). Produces well-balanced beers with low diacetyl and a very clean, crisp palate. Sedimentation is low to medium, and final gravity is medium.

Safbrew WB-06: (I am trying this one) The US release of this highly-anticipated dry yeast selected for wheat beer fermentations. WB-06 produces estery and phenol notes typical of Bavarian-style wheat beers. Flocculation: low Final gravity: high. Recommended fermentation temperature: 15C-24C (59-75F).

Brewferm Blanche: A dry Belgian wheat-style yeast. Flocculation: low. Attenuation: high. Ferments clean with little or no sulfur. Optimum temperature: 64°-73° F.

Brewferm Lager: A dry lager yeast. Flocculation: high. Attenuation: high. Ferments clean and malty. Optimum temperature: 50°-59° F.

If you have used the yeast and would like to post a review, just start the post off with the yeast used, and then some vitals such as : pitching rate, fermentation temperature, Start of fermentation (lag),  length of fermentation (days), and taste notes.

Thanks!

Nottingham ale yeast with Midwest Berlin Wheat recipe (partial mash).

Pitching rate-11 gms for 5-gallon batch

OG = 1.045

FG = 1.006

Fermentation started within 15 hours and was complete after 5 days.  Fermentation temp. not recorded but fermenter was kept in a water bath with change of ice blocks twice daily (Southern California is hot in August). Two weeks in secondary. Four weeks bottle conditioning.

Comments: Beer was crystal clear -apparently a characteristic of this highly flocculating yeast.  Very smooth taste, only slight fruitiness, wheat malt taste came through but not overpowering.  

-Scott10k-

The Bavarian Reinheitsgebot (Purity Law) of 1516 decreed that the only ingredients used in the production of beer were water, barley, and hops.  It was not until 1857 that Louis Pasteur discovered the role of microorganisms (yeast) in fermentation.

Used 3 kinds of dry yeast.

Safale US-05, or us 56. I think these are the same. I really like US-05. Easy no nonsense and doesn't provide any flavors that I can detect. If you want you grain and hops to shine through this is probably the easiest yeast as all I do is drop a packet per 5 gallons on the fresh wort, and usually in a week it's ready. Temp usually doesn't matter in the 60F-70F range, but I have heard of a peachy flavors in higher temps. I haven't tasted this, but I've heard of it.

Muntons dry yeast(6grams)- Basic yeast that has never failed me, but I used this in my earlier exttract days. It worked, but it was hit or miss whether I made good beer. This could have been from other reasons, but sanitation has always been a strong point so it was either the yeast or the extract. If you use it I would use 2 packets per 5 gallons to reduce off flavors from underpitching. 

Nottingham dry yeast- Love this yeast, but I love english bitters and fuggles, EKG, willamette. Works well just pitchin on fresh wort.

Blechkrone Brauerei
Beero the Hero
blechkrone.blogspot.com

I'm wondering if this is their Dunkel yeast, even though it appears as a lager yeast.

Perhaps a warmer starting temperature followed by a slow drop to a lager temp? nNot really sure...I normally use all liquid yeasts and unlike you, I'm definately no lager expert. Worth a try I'd think though.

Shaun

VP of FBDU, Inc. and member Burlington M.O.B. homebrewers club.