Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

These little beasts do all the hard work. Share how to keep 'em happy and working hard.

Moderator: Site Moderator

shifty
Novice
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:52 pm
Location: Vicco Australia.

Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by shifty »

Can anybody tell me the difference between the two ?
I want to do a ujsm but i could only get bakers yeast for now. Will it be ok?
Im sure this has been talked about before but i couldn't find it..
Cheers...
Hawke
retired
Posts: 2471
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:39 am

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by Hawke »

baker's yeast will work fine for an UJSSM.
Distiller's yeast often has enzymes added to help break down the starches, this is not needed with the UJ recipe.
It is the very things that we think we know, that keep us from learning what we should know.
Valved Reflux, 3"x54" Bok 'mini', 2 liebig based pots and the 'Blockhead' 60K btu propane heat
User avatar
Tater
Admin
Posts: 9678
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am
Location: occupied south

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by Tater »

Hawke wrote:baker's yeast will work fine for an UJSSM.
Distiller's yeast often has enzymes added to help break down the starches, this is not needed with the UJ recipe.
The distillers yeast i use has no enzymes in it.share the link on where you saw that info .I always enjoy a good read.
I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper
olddog
retired
Posts: 3618
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 6:16 pm
Location: WEST OZ

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by olddog »

I only use bakers yeast for everything, I have not found a reason yet not to.
OLD DOG LEARNING NEW TRICKS ......
HookLine
retired
Posts: 5628
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 8:38 am
Location: OzLand

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by HookLine »

Hawke wrote:baker's yeast will work fine for an UJSSM.
And rum and vodka.
Be safe.
Be discreet.
And have fun.
shifty
Novice
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:52 pm
Location: Vicco Australia.

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by shifty »

HookLine wrote:
Hawke wrote:baker's yeast will work fine for an UJSSM.
And rum and vodka.
So if I use it in place of turbo yeast do I need to add some sort of nutrient?
HookLine
retired
Posts: 5628
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 8:38 am
Location: OzLand

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by HookLine »

shifty wrote:So if I use it in place of turbo yeast do I need to add some sort of nutrient?
Yes. Check the Tried & True recipes section. But various nutrients sources include, tomato paste, well cooked wheat germ, molasses, vitamin B tablets, dead yeast itself, and fertilisers such as DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) and magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts).
Be safe.
Be discreet.
And have fun.
Hack
retired
Posts: 904
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 7:45 pm

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by Hack »

HookLine wrote:
shifty wrote:So if I use it in place of turbo yeast do I need to add some sort of nutrient?
Yes. Check the Tried & True recipes section. But various nutrients sources include, tomato paste, well cooked wheat germ, molasses, vitamin B tablets, dead yeast itself, and fertilisers such as DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) and magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts).
For a UJSM you don't need to add a nutrient. As long as the pH is right and you keep the fermenter at the right temp UJSM will ferment out in a week or so.
HookLine
retired
Posts: 5628
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 8:38 am
Location: OzLand

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by HookLine »

Ah, yes, we are talking about a UJSM. In which case you should not need to add any extra nutrients.

As you were.
Be safe.
Be discreet.
And have fun.
shifty
Novice
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:52 pm
Location: Vicco Australia.

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by shifty »

Yeah, i got a little off track there. i was just thinking if i decided to use bakers yeast instead of turbo yeast when i do a sugar wash for my reflux still run.
Ill look over in the recipe section for that info....
Cheers...
drunk2much
Bootlegger
Posts: 122
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by drunk2much »

where do yall get yours from? I source mine for E.C. Kraus for ~$30.00 USD for 16 oz including shipping
when is never enough?
MashMan

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by MashMan »

olddog wrote:I only use bakers yeast for everything, I have not found a reason yet not to.
does anyone have an opinion on using bakers yeast for all grain, corn,rye etc mashes? i use bakers in sugar washes, mollases etc but my supply of ale yeast has dried up so to speak so looking for a cheap alternative.

thanks to all for the wisdom I have gained over the years from these forums :wink:
Dnderhead
Angel's Share
Angel's Share
Posts: 13666
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2007 8:07 pm
Location: up north

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by Dnderhead »

Iv used wiled yeast,bakers yeast, this year used Irish ale (come back in 4-5 years Ill let you know how it is) bakers yeast worked but I did not care for it.
schnell
Angel's Share
Angel's Share
Posts: 224
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:47 pm
Location: desert mountains of the west

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by schnell »

even some of the big boys use bakers yeast
poidog
Novice
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:25 pm
Location: The Far Side of B.F.E.

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by poidog »

As a homebrewer, meadmaker and winemaker I'm pretty picky about which yeast I use for a particular recipe. It makes a big difference in the flavor profile of beverages to be consumed after fermentation.

But, at the advice of many on this forum I tried bakers yeast for making washes for distillation. Good advice!

I use Red Star Active Dry Yeast. It comes in 2lb packages for $5.59 where I shop. The ingredient label says "Yeast (sacchromyces cerevisiae)"
If I'm not mistaken that is the latin name for ale yeast.

This Red Star yeast kicks ass! It takes my WPOSW from O.G. 1.080 to F.G. 0.990 in about 72 hours (I think this yeast would attenuate the black off of a car tire if given the chance), then drops very clear in about 7 days.

I've used it on Pugirum and Deathwish Wheat Germ with excellent results too. No yeast-like flavors carried over into the distllate. I like it so much I'm trying it on a batch of macadamia blossom honey based mead to see what it will do. That mead is still fermenting (three weeks out), but the yeast looks like its behaving the same way it does in my washes, just a bit slower (mead O.G. 1.110).

At $5.59 for two pounds I pitch a half a cup of yeast into a 6.5 gallon batch. I rehydrate the yeast before pitching, and get positive pressure in the fermenter within about 5 minutes of pitching.

So I guess an old poi dog can learn new tricks after all :D
I think, therefore I think... I think
MashMan

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by MashMan »

Dnderhead wrote:Iv used wiled yeast,bakers yeast, this year used Irish ale (come back in 4-5 years Ill let you know how it is) bakers yeast worked but I did not care for it.
Hi Dnder I'll probably forget to ask in 4 or 5 years, what didn't you like about the bakers and are you serious about the 4 or 5 years? I would expect to have an idea within a short time whether a particular yeast has desirable characters alcohol vs co2 production, aroma, flavour etc.

cheers.
Hillbilly Rebel
Swill Maker
Posts: 239
Joined: Sat May 28, 2005 9:07 pm
Location: mountains of appalachia

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by Hillbilly Rebel »

MashMan wrote:does anyone have an opinion on using bakers yeast for all grain, corn,rye etc mashes? i use bakers in sugar washes, mollases etc but my supply of ale yeast has dried up so to speak so looking for a cheap alternative.

thanks to all for the wisdom I have gained over the years from these forums :wink:
I do all grain, (corn). What works for me is a gallon of homemade malted corn and a pound of Baker's yeast in a 50 gallon fermenter, (189 liters). Quality of the product is first rate, I think so anyway.
I-GOR
Swill Maker
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:35 am
Location: Warshington State

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by I-GOR »

Here's what I've been using. http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/4,10042.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

It's cheap, I've been repitching it so 1 lb goes a long way, it finish of dry very quickly.
But, to be honest with you, I think it produces a shallow flavor profile.
If I get some time I'd like to do identical side by side UJSM washes using distiller's yeast, baker's yeast and dry ale yeast.
Anybody tried this?
theholymackerel
retired
Posts: 1432
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 7:39 pm

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by theholymackerel »

I-GOR wrote: If I get some time I'd like to do identical side by side UJSM washes using distiller's yeast, baker's yeast and dry ale yeast.
Anybody tried this?
Not exactly like that, but I've done somethin' similiar.

It wasn't UJSM, I did 3 side by side ferments of 100% malted barley and use bakers yeast on one, a packet of Nottingham Ale Yeast on one, and a smack-pac of liquid ale yeast on the third.

After fermentin' the bakers yeast mash smelled sulphury and a bit "flat", the two Ale Yeast mashes smelled basically identical and both smelled tastier than the bakers yeast mash. After all three had been run through the still the mash fermented with bakers yeast was OK and had lost the sulphury nose, but not nearly as nice as the two ale yeast ferments. The two ale yeast ferments after bein' distilled were VERY nice with a fuller flavour and nose than the bakers yeast mash. The two ale yeast ferments were identical (to the best of my abilities) in smell and taste, and to this day I do whiskey mashes with dry ale yeast (no point in the six-times more expensive liquid yeast if it doesn't make a better product).
I-GOR
Swill Maker
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:35 am
Location: Warshington State

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by I-GOR »

Thanks for the insights Mac. I'm going to try it too.
I went out an bought a bunch of sugar & yeast to get it started tonight. Hope I have enough containers. I notice a bunch of junipers looking heavy with berries (not quite ripe yet), so I think I'll cultivating any wild yeast they have and try it too. Don't have much corn on hand.

Gonna make up 4 batches, each 3/4 gal. backset, 4 gals water, 9 lbs sugar, teaspoon miracle grow, 4 lbs crack corn (all I have at home).
4 yeasts :

1. Distillers (dry)
2. Bakers (dry)
3. Nottingham Ale (dry)
4. Wild Juniper (I'll soak the berries in a starter wash over night then remove them)
MashMan

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by MashMan »

I-GOR wrote:Thanks for the insights Mac. I'm going to try it too.
I went out an bought a bunch of sugar & yeast to get it started tonight. Hope I have enough containers. I notice a bunch of junipers looking heavy with berries (not quite ripe yet), so I think I'll cultivating any wild yeast they have and try it too. Don't have much corn on hand.

Gonna make up 4 batches, each 3/4 gal. backset, 4 gals water, 9 lbs sugar, teaspoon miracle grow, 4 lbs crack corn (all I have at home).
4 yeasts :

1. Distillers (dry)
2. Bakers (dry)
3. Nottingham Ale (dry)
4. Wild Juniper (I'll soak the berries in a starter wash over night then remove them)
not trying to squash your experiment but I don't think 1lb of corn in 4 3/4 gallons with 9lbs of sugar is going to give much flavour. a typical ujsm is equal parts sugar and corn and a lower s/g than you propose. a 5gal ujsm would be more like 5 gal water/backset 7lbs cracked corn and 7lbs sugar.

Your last posts (I-GOR and the Mackeral) have inspired me to do a side by side myself, 20gal all corn, enzymes, s/g 1.050/1.060 dry bakers yeast in one and dry ale yeast in the other.I will get this down in the next week or so, run it a couple after that and post the results.


Anyone else have any all grain comparisons?
I-GOR
Swill Maker
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:35 am
Location: Warshington State

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by I-GOR »

MashMan wrote: not trying to squash your experiment but I don't think 1lb of corn in 4 3/4 gallons with 9lbs of sugar is going to give much flavour. a
No worries, MashMan. I meant 4 lbs corn per batch, but what I had left in the bag worked out to 8.5 cups per about a 4.5 gallon wash (don't know how many lbs that works out to be). I aknowledge that I would've use more corn if'n I had it. I've been makin sugar wash so far this summer and it seems that a couple cups of crack corn is all it needs, along with a gallon or so of backset and a tablespoon of miracle grow - now that's a sugar wash, not UJSM.
I used 3/4 backset cause I only had 3 gallons.

The blue bucket's got red star quick rising baker's yeast, the black bucket's got Danstar nottingham ale yeast, the 10 gal white bucket's got distiller's yeast (see link above). I picked 1/2 cup of juniper berries last night, put them in a small starter wash but got no action from them this morning. If nothin's fizzin tonight I'll start the 4th bucket with Cote de Blanc just for the hell of it.

Last night I also ran off a sort of cherry vodka, I'll post it a little later on in the "what you make today" thread.

[later that same day.....] From cruising the net I see that 1 cu.foot of corn grits = 42 lbs. 1 gallon = 0.134 cu.ft., so 1 gallon of crack corn is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5.5 lbs (I'm guessing less because grits is ground finer), depending on moisture content. So, I probably put about 2.75 lbs of corn per batch. Looks like I'll need to buy some more corn tonight.
I-GOR
Swill Maker
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:35 am
Location: Warshington State

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by I-GOR »

Couldn't get a starting yeast from the juniper berries so I dumped them and just kept to the three yeasts going right now, nottingham ale, distiller's yeast and redstar quick start baker's yeast. I added a bit more corn to each bucket. The temp was 90 F when I pitched them, a little on the high side. The distiller's yeast took right off, the baker's yeast was slower and the nottingham was the slowest, taking several days to work up to a good fizz. It may be that the nottingham likes cooler temps.

All of them are fizzing away right now. I'll take the s.g. tonight. The distiller's yeast seems to be the most efficacious, and none are producing any objectionable smells, aside from a normal ferment.
I-GOR
Swill Maker
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:35 am
Location: Warshington State

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by I-GOR »

Checked the s.g. this morning and all of them were at 1.00, so they all finished up dry in about 5.5 days at 70 - 75 F temps. I can't tell you when the distiller's yeast finished because I was away camping last weekend.

Now the tricky bit, finding the time to run them all. It'll take a week or so before the taste test results come in.

BTW.... Rumbull did a mobedder job on yeast trials, his was for rum. Check it out if you're new here. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =11&t=7678
Rod
Swill Maker
Posts: 378
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 7:28 pm
Location: Aussie

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by Rod »

[quote="poidog"]As a homebrewer, meadmaker and winemaker I'm pretty picky about which yeast I use for a particular recipe. It makes a big difference in the flavor profile of beverages to be consumed after fermentation.

But, at the advice of many on this forum I tried bakers yeast for making washes for distillation. Good advice!

I use Red Star Active Dry Yeast. It comes in 2lb packages for $5.59 where I shop. The ingredient label says "Yeast (sacchromyces cerevisiae)"
If I'm not mistaken that is the latin name for ale yeast.

This Red Star yeast kicks ass! It takes my WPOSW from O.G. 1.080 to F.G. 0.990 in about 72 hours (I think this yeast would attenuate the black off of a car tire if given the chance), then drops very clear in about 7 days.

I've used it on Pugirum and Deathwish Wheat Germ with excellent results too. No yeast-like flavors carried over into the distllate. I like it so much I'm trying it on a batch of macadamia blossom honey based mead to see what it will do. That mead is still fermenting (three weeks out), but the yeast looks like its behaving the same way it does in my washes, just a bit slower (mead O.G. 1.110).

At $5.59 for two pounds I pitch a half a cup of yeast into a 6.5 gallon batch. I rehydrate the yeast before pitching, and get positive pressure in the fermenter within about 5 minutes of pitching.

any one in Aus know the equivalent to red star here
The Friendly Spirit
I-GOR
Swill Maker
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:35 am
Location: Warshington State

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by I-GOR »

Ran the Nottingham's ale yeast ujsm style wash last night. At first blush, I like it. Seems a bit more mellow and grainier than the distiller's yeast. Also seemed to have a little less heads. But, gotta give me a couple of weeks.....................
MashMan

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by MashMan »

Well I finally got the two 20gal side by side all corn washes to bed, I used crushed maize from freemantle stockfeeds, even after an overnight soak I had to cook the s*%#t out of it, 4 hours and still not fully gelatenised ?? usually I use kernals I grind myself and a couple of hours is more than enough in the steamer. I did two batches the same, 20% backset mile high enzymes ended up with a s/g 1.05. not the best conversion so not going to tell how much maize I used :oops:
pitched one with 50grms of notingham dry ale yeast and the other with two cups of pinacle bakers instant dry yeast this stuff is cheap $4 for 500g.
both are sitting on 20degc, this morning the bakers is twice as active.
will update when done and i've run em both.

cheers mashman.
Dnderhead
Angel's Share
Angel's Share
Posts: 13666
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2007 8:07 pm
Location: up north

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by Dnderhead »

I usually regrind corn I fiend most is not ground fine enough to suit me, and it does seem to make a big difference in cooking.
MashMan

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by MashMan »

Dnderhead wrote:I usually regrind corn I fiend most is not ground fine enough to suit me, and it does seem to make a big difference in cooking.
thanks dnder, I didnt give it much thought at the time but i would usually grind a lot finer than what I used. i just did what I did because my mill is in dire need of maintenance waiting for a couple of bearings and a drive belt so I bought some already cracked ........maybe some patience is in order.
cousingary
Novice
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:25 pm
Location: California Outback

Re: Bakers yeast v distillers yeast?

Post by cousingary »

Yup; I have used baker's yeast for about 35 years for wine and always liked the yeasty fragrance and decent ABV. Apple, pomegranite, apricot, grape, etc. I read that it only went to about 7% so I started using 13% wine yeast with so-so flavor results. Is the Fleischmann's yeast different now? I would use it again if it has a better top end for distilling...I can get it at Costco cheap. Please advise...Thank You...Gary
Post Reply