Yeasts

Distillique provides a variety of different Yeast Stains for Fruit, Grain, Cane Juice, Molasses, Honey, Potato, Agave, Grape and Sugar Fermentations.

What Yeast should I use for my Fermentation?

Various factors impact on our choice of Yeast - but the two overriding considerations will always be Quality and Yield. Unfortunately, normally the one precludes the other.

1. The Flavor profile of the product - Certain yeasts produce certain flavors, therefore, if you are Fermenting Pineapple, use a Yeast that produces Pineapple or Sub Tropical Fruit flavors.
2. The Alcohol Tolerance of the Yeast - the higher the sugar concentration before fermentation, the higher the potential alcohol after fermentation. Some yeast can handle high alcohol concentrations (21%) whereas other can only handle up to 15%. If your fermentation is going to produce an alcohol concentration that your chosen yeast wont be able to tolerate, you will end up with an incomplete fermentation.  If you are producing Neutral Spirit or Vodka, Yield is the most important factor to consider, but if you are producing a Non-Neutral Product, you should at least choose a Yeast that will use up all the sugars available, and not leave some behind.
3. The Brix Tolerance of the Yeast (resistance to dissolved solids, including sugar) is important when dealing with Raw Materials like Molasses, as the Non-Fermentable Compounds found in the Fermentation can negatively impact on the Yeast, and even kill them through Osmotic Stress.
4. The Temperature Range of the Yeast will determine Speed and Quality of Fermentation, but also, if I decided I want to produce a Hot and Dirty Fermentation to generate new and interesting Flavors and Aromas, I need a Yeast that withstand those temperatures.
5. The pH Range of the Yeast is not as important a Factor to consider (as I can adjust my pH to suite my Yeast) but I still need to be aware of it.
6. The Kill Factor of the Yeast - its ability to out-compete Wild Yeast or Bacterial Contamination.
7. Tradition can also play a role if you are trying to emulate a certain Style of product - the use of Red Wine Yeast with Molasses and White Wine Yeast with Cane Juice in Rum production was standard with both the Spanish and the French, and is still copied today.

So, do your research before you decide on a Yeast Strain to use, or ask your friendly and knowledgeable Distillique Staff Member for help.