Home / Guides / Dry vs liquid yeast

Dry vs liquid yeast

Dry yeast wins on cost, shelf life and convenience, while liquid yeast wins on the sheer range of strains available.

The case for dry yeast

Dried strains such as US-05, S-04, W-34/70 and Nottingham are the practical workhorses. They cost less per batch, keep for a long time in the fridge, and carry a high cell count, so for standard-strength batches you can pitch straight from the sachet without building a starter. That reliability and low fuss is why dry yeast dominates the common styles.

For a clean American ale, an English ale, a lager or a general ale, a dry strain will usually do everything you need.

The case for liquid yeast

Liquid cultures from Wyeast and White Labs exist in far greater variety. Many characterful and regional strains, the ones that give a beer its specific accent, are only offered in liquid form. If you want a particular Belgian, a specific English house character or an unusual lager strain, liquid is often the only route.

The trade is shorter shelf life, a lower cell count that may call for a starter on bigger beers, and a higher price per pack.

Choosing per batch

Match the format to the job. For a bread-and-butter style where a well-known dry strain exists, dry yeast is cheaper and simpler with no loss of quality. For a style that hangs on a specific strain only sold as liquid, or where you want a particular lab's version, liquid earns its keep. Many brewers keep dry sachets for the everyday and buy liquid for the special.

Where a recipe names a liquid strain, check first whether a dry equivalent exists, because a matched dry substitute can save money and effort.

Related

Sources: Fermentis (Lesaffre) · White Labs