Dry vs Liquid Yeast

[CatsCradle]

Hi all, im new to the mead making process. Reading over some guides and recipes the majority call for using dry yeast with a go ferm pack to rehydrate. Is there a difference in flavor, quality, and process between the two types of yeasts, dry vs liquid? To me it seems like it would be quicker to just use the liquid and skip over the rehydrating and go-ferm steps.

 

[Steveruch]

Hi all, im new to the mead making process. Reading over some guides and recipes the majority call for using dry yeast with a go ferm pack to rehydrate. Is there a difference in flavor, quality, and process between the two types of yeasts, dry vs liquid? To me it seems like it would be quicker to just use the liquid and skip over the rehydrating and go-ferm steps.

I've had good results using dry yeast in mead including an 18% 18 year old cherry mead that is great. I don't think I rehydrated.
Using liquid yeast would most likely require a starter that takes more time and effort than rehydrating dry yeast.

 

[CatsCradle]

Could I skip the starter and just out the liquid yeast in directly ?

 

[NitrogenWidget]

the only real difference I see is there is a greater selection of liquid yeast out there.
Also, most of my yeast is already liquid in canning jars in my fridge and I always sprinkle some DME on them when I pull out of the fridge a day before so not a big deal to need a starter with liquid yeast for me.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Could I skip the starter and just out the liquid yeast in directly ?

maybe.
It depends on your OG and the yeast.

 

[Steveruch]

maybe.
It depends on your OG and the yeast.

And batch size.

 

[CatsCradle]

maybe.
It depends on your OG and the yeast.

If I were to do a starter with liquid yeast would it be the same process as a dry yeast starter ie go-ferm?

 

[Steveruch]

If I were to do a starter with liquid yeast would it be the same process as a dry yeast starter ie go-ferm?

Rehydrating dry yeast is not the same as a starter for liquid yeast.

 

[CatsCradle]

Rehydrating dry yeast is not the same as a starter for liquid yeast.

Ok just realized! Could someone just use the liquid yeast (without a starter) rather than rehydrated dry yeast or would the liquid yeast have trouble fermenting ?

 

[Steveruch]

Ok just realized! Could someone just use the liquid yeast (without a starter) rather than rehydrated dry yeast or would the liquid yeast have trouble fermenting ?

it depends on batch size and O G.
A five gallon batch at 1.110 would be problematic without a starter.

 

[Seamonkey84]

A fresh pack of liquid yeast is good up to 2 or so gallons of must.
Check out this guide Denard Brewing

 

[madscientist451]

Is there a difference in flavor, quality, and process between the two types of yeasts, dry vs liquid?

Your choice of yeast should be all about what you are trying to achieve in your beverage.
Some dry yeasts are not available as liquid and the same goes for liquid yeast, some may not be available dried. Dry wine yeast is also usually much cheaper than liquid yeast, with dry beer yeast being about 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost of liquid yeast.
Note that you can usually save your yeast and use it several times if you are making low abv beer or mead. Higher ABV meads may put stress on your yeast and you may have issues reusing that yeast.
Rehydrating dried yeast with go-ferm is a pretty simple and quick process.
I use the Tonsa nutrient addition method with Fermaid O and it really has improved my mead.

 

[ShadesManna]

I have never had a ready-to-go liquid yeast work. Ever. This may have been due to how the liquid yeasts were stored and/or shipped before I bought them, but every single time, they failed.

As a result, I use dry yeasts. When it's time to add the yeast to the must, I reconstitute the dry yeast per the instructions on the packet. Then, I add it to the must. I don't do any stirring (if any) until the next day. There have been times where I simply pour dry yeast into the must, and it's worked out fine, too.

 

[CatsCradle]

A fresh pack of liquid yeast is good up to 2 or so gallons of must.
Check out this guide Denard Brewing

What if someone were to use more than one pack of liquid yeast i.e 4 gallons of must 2 packs of liquid yeast?

 

[madscientist451]

Sure, you could do that, but if you made a 2 gallon batch with one pouch of liquid yeast, you could then re-use that yeast in a 4 gallon batch and save some money. What yeast are you going to use?

 

[Seamonkey84]

It’s just more expensive. Depending on what your making, a starter could just be honey and water with some nutrients, or even just pitch it into a bottle of preservative free white grape or apple juice.