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Brewing yeast and nutrients

Dry beer, wine, cider and mead yeast from Fermentis, Lallemand, Mangrove Jack's and others, plus Go-Ferm, Fermaid and stir plates, with maker tech-sheet numbers.

Best dry yeast for IPADry vs liquid yeastRehydrate or direct pitch?Best yeast nutrientsYeast pitch rate calculator
A spoon of dry active yeast granules
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Yeast pitch rate calculatorMaker dose for dry yeast, cells for liquid.
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How to choose a dry brewing yeast

Yeast decides more of a beer's flavor than most brewers expect, and dry yeast is the easiest place to start: it ships without ice packs, stores for years sealed and doses by weight. Pick by style first, then by the temperature you can actually hold. A clean American ale strain such as SafAle US-05 suits pale ales and IPAs at 59–75°F (15–24°C) per its listing; lager strains want 48–68°F (9–20°C) or cooler; kveik strains like LalBrew Voss are happiest at 95–104°F (35–40°C).

Dry yeast by the maker’s numbers

YeastUseFermentation tempDoseAttenuation / toleranceRehydration
SafAle US-05
Fermentis		Ale (American)18–26°C (64.4–78.8°F)50–80 g/hL78–82%; not listed on the product pageOptional: ≥10× its weight of sterile water or boiled, hopped wort at 25–29°C (77–84°F), 15–30 min; or direct pitch at or above fermentation temperature
SafAle S-04
Fermentis		Ale (English)18–26°C (64.4–78.8°F)50–80 g/hL74–82%; 9–11% ABVOptional: ≥10× its weight of sterile water or boiled, hopped wort at 25–29°C (77–84°F), 15–30 min; or direct pitch at or above fermentation temperature
SafLager W-34/70
Fermentis		Lager12–18°C (53.6–64.4°F)80–120 g/hL80–84%; 9–11% ABVOptional: ≥10× its weight of sterile water or boiled, hopped wort at 15–25°C (59–77°F), 15–30 min; or direct pitch at or above fermentation temperature
LalBrew Nottingham
Lallemand		Ale (English)10–25°C (50–77°F)50–100 g/hL78–84%; 14% ABVDry pitching is the maker's preferred method (no significant difference vs rehydration, per Lallemand)
LalBrew Voss (kveik)
Lallemand		Ale (kveik)25–40°C (77–104°F)
Optimum 35–40°C (95–104°F) per Lallemand		50–100 g/hL76–82%; 12% ABVPer the sachet
Lalvin EC-1118
Lallemand		Wine, cider, mead10–30°C (50–86°F)25 g/hLFerments dry; 18% v/v (subject to conditions)35–40°C (95–104°F) water for 20 min with Go-Ferm Protect Evolution (30 g/hL), then temper to within 5–10°C of the must

Sources: Fermentis: SafAle US-05 product page; Fermentis: SafAle S-04 product page; Fermentis: SafLager W-34/70 product page; Lallemand: LalBrew Nottingham technical data sheet; Lallemand Brewing: LalBrew Voss Kveik Ale Yeast product page; Lallemand: Lalvin EC-1118 technical data sheet. 1 hL = 26.4 US gal, so 50 g/hL ≈ 1.9 g per gallon. Follow the sachet you buy; makers update their sheets.

How much yeast for 5 gallons?

Makers dose dry yeast by weight. Fermentis lists 50–80 g/hL for US-05, which works out to one 11.5 g sachet for about 3.8–6 gal. Stronger beers and lagers need more: Fermentis lists two packets or a starter for S-23. Liquid yeast is counted in cells and loses viability with age.

50–80 g/hLSafAle US-05 dose (Fermentis)Fermentis
36 monthsUS-05 shelf life from productionFermentis
18% v/vLalvin EC-1118 alcohol tolerance (TDS)Lallemand
Yeast pitch rate calculatorGrams of dry yeast by maker dose, or cells for liquid packs by age.

Nutrients for mead, wine and cider

Honey and fruit juice are short on the nitrogen yeast needs, so meads and ciders benefit from nutrient. Go-Ferm is a rehydration nutrient mixed into the yeast's water; Fermaid O (organic nitrogen) and Fermaid K (a blend that includes DAP) are added during fermentation in split doses. Follow each label's dose; DAP is not added to the rehydration water.

Making starters for liquid yeast? A stir plate and a borosilicate flask help.

Yeast mistakes to avoid

  • Pitching into hot wort: chill to the range on the packet first.
  • Fermenting at the top of the range: aim lower, because fermentation adds its own heat.
  • Ordering liquid yeast in summer without ice packs: heat during shipping hurts viability.
  • Adding DAP to rehydration water: Go-Ferm goes in the water, DAP does not.
  • Using an opened sachet weeks later: Fermentis says to reseal, refrigerate and use within 7 days.

Related reading: best wine yeast.

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Yeast & nutrients: questions

Do I need to rehydrate dry yeast?
Not usually. Fermentis allows direct pitching of US-05 onto wort at or above fermentation temperature, and Lallemand lists dry pitching as the preferred method for Nottingham. Wine yeast like EC-1118 is rehydrated per its TDS.
How much yeast do I need for 5 gallons?
One 11.5 g sachet of US-05 covers about 3.8–6 gal at the maker's 50–80 g/hL. Use more for high-gravity beers and lagers; the pitch rate calculator does the math.
Can I use dry yeast past its date?
Fermentis lists 36 months of shelf life for US-05 when stored as directed. Older yeast may be slower; pitch extra and watch for activity within a day or two.
What yeast works in a hot garage?
Kveik strains such as LalBrew Voss (95–104°F optimal per its listing) or Omega Lutra (68–95°F) tolerate heat that would stress a normal ale yeast. Saison strains also like it warm.
What nutrient does mead need?
A rehydration nutrient like Go-Ferm plus split additions of a fermentation nutrient such as Fermaid O. Use the doses on each label.