Beer Yeast

[Opdog]

I haven’t been super active recently due to some work and family issues. Those are now largely resolved and I am working on a new bourbon recipe. As part of this process I have been looking at new yeast options outside of my standard DADY or baker’s. The wiki has a nice table on wine yeasts that are suitable for fruit ferments. I’m wondering if there is interest in putting together a similar table for beer yeasts that are appropriate for whiskey and bourbon production. I’d offer to put this together myself, but I know very little about it as I don’t brew beer much and when I do, I simply follow the recipe I’m given.

[tombombadil]

Here's a list of commonly available beer yeasts:

https://byo.com/resource/yeast/

Personally, once I've sorted out my corn handling process im going to experiment with English and Belgian yeasts. So windsor on the English side and wlp 5xx yeasts on the Belgian side. Fruity and spicy would probably both be good in bourbon.

[cayars]

You'll see people try some different beer yeasts with good results but for most traditional whiskeys distillers yeast like DADY is pretty ideal for taste, ability to fully ferment and speed of ferment.

One thing to watch for using ale yeasts is the temperature & pH ranges of the yeast. Ale yeasts like MUCH LOWER temps then distillers yeast and if you can't get down in those ranges you will not like them very much. Check out US-05 and Nottingham. 05 doesn't flocculate as well so it needs more time to settle. Nottingham is very versatile with temps on the high side (of ale yeast temps) and will produce some nice esters you typically don't get with distillers yeast. Generally neither is going to ferment down as far as DADY will in reasonable time which is desirable for beer but not for distillers beer.

[Opdog]

Thanks Tom. That is a great chart. I may import that into the wiki.

Cayars - It being winter here, a lower temp yeast is actually what I'm looking for. I have some ability to regulate the temp in my fermenter, but a yeast that likes it 60-70F is easier for me to control that one that likes it between 80-90. I'll take a close look at the Nottingham. Thanks for the tip.

[pope]

White Labs makes some liquid whiskey yeasts like WLP050, 065, 070, etc. with a maximum range on all three (combined) of 72-79. It's been many years but I liked the results of 050, haven't used the others.

[Uncle Jesse]

Please do.

If you start it, others can edit and improve it.

I haven’t been super active recently due to some work and family issues. Those are now largely resolved and I am working on a new bourbon recipe. As part of this process I have been looking at new yeast options outside of my standard DADY or baker’s. The wiki has a nice table on wine yeasts that are suitable for fruit ferments. I’m wondering if there is interest in putting together a similar table for beer yeasts that are appropriate for whiskey and bourbon production. I’d offer to put this together myself, but I know very little about it as I don’t brew beer much and when I do, I simply follow the recipe I’m given.