Home Distiller

I went to a health food store and bought a pound of Brewer's yeast for $5CAD. It wasn't in a fridge or anything, just in a twist-tied bag. I tried making mash with it, the same way as I do with baker's yeast, but it didn't work. Did I buy nutritional yeast that can't ferment, or did I just proof it wrong or something?

What kind of a wash were you making?

My own recipe, Hudson Water:
20L Water
8kg brown sugar
20 citrus fruits
yeast

A wash like that should take off like jack the bear. I've never used brewers yeast, maybe it's no good, too old or something. Did you make a starter with it first? I usually hydrate the yeast and then make a starter culture for a few hours or sometimes even overnight before adding it to the wash.

I'm guessing a starter is the same thing as proofing.
With baker's yeast I take a 50ml of water and a few grams of sugar and heat it to around 110F, then add the yeast and let it stand for 10-20 minutes. I tried the same with the brewer's yeast and instead of foaming up, it bubbled for about a minute and then died. After that I just poured a few teaspoons in the actual mash and nothing happened.

Some health food stores sell dead yeast for a nutritional supliment. Makes your nose wet and coat shiny....I bet that is what you have.

What possum said. If they're selling it at a nutritional store, odds are pretty good it's old and dead. And very nutritious.

Yep, thats the bodies of our yeast buddies. Full of vitamins... You can buy the bakers yeast in the grocery. Probably around the flour and baking stuff. Fleischmans and Red Star are common brands around here.

The only thing brewers yeast from the grocery store or health food store is good at is getting you healthy.It wont ferment anything.But it does have a pretty good nutty flavor.Try it on grits.

Listen to them, they speak the truth.
I just figured that out now. Fucking health-food stores. Why say "brewer's" if you can't brew anything with it?!

All that wash... wasted...

In addition, I would keep the mash temp below 100F when you pitch the yeast.

Heya! Been reading this board for a couple of months now but first post here... **leap**

So, we pretty much killed the idea fo using this stuff as a viable yeast but would it be useful as an adjunct for your own farmed yeast? I have read that most of the commercial Turbo mixes contain dead yeast hulls for their living brothers to feed on for a quick start to fermentation. Or is it just a waste of time/money?

I am listening oh wise ones....

CRR

What you bought was probably dried yeast from a beer bed.. Never intended to be active again, probably pasteurized.. Did it smell like beer? I'd avoid all bulk-barn yeast whether its supposed to be active or not since you can get a nice vaccum-packed bag of bakers yeast for ~$4 cdn.. Bulk yeast is unlikely to have anything cool contaminant wise worth cultivating, it might have some bad, and its not stored for virility.. Probably paying less per live cell getting something reliable..

Yes,you can still use it for a nutrent supplement.Just put it in the boil.I sometimes put a pack of good yeast in the boil for yeast hulls.The hot water kills it,but the dead hulls remain.
wineo

The dead yeast I've seen was in the form of a powder - I've bought live yeast from a health food store which supplied baking stuff in the form of a thick paste/solid like tofu. Freeze dried live yeast is usually in the form of little balls rather than a fine powder.