LIQUID YEAST

The range of available strains is the greatest benefit of liquid yeast. Because liquid yeast is a live culture, it is usually more expensive and more perishable. There are also fewer cells per pack than dry yeast, so when making a beer with a gravity above 1.060 (or when making any lager), the yeast should ideally be ‘grown’ by making a yeast starter before brewing day. Many also come in a ‘smack pack’ that needs to be activated at least three hours before pitching.

DRY YEAST

Dry yeast is sterile, strain-pure, and highly capable of producing great beer. The shelf life is often a year or more, and it is much more tolerant of warm storage or shipping conditions than liquid yeast. Dry yeast is also packaged with nutrient reserves and is ready to pitch directly without a yeast starter. For high gravity fermentations, more than one pack of dry yeast should be used.