Safale Ale S-04 Whitbread Strain (11.5 grams)

I got this yeast because the liquid yeast that came with my beer kit didn't start fermenting in the first 48 hours. I anticipated that since the package came on July 7th when then outdoor temps were over 100 degrees and the cold packs had melted. Anyway, I ordered the Safale because the reviews (not just here, but on home brewing forums) were very good and because I knew I could get it shipped more quickly. I had never used this one before. It came right on time. I rehydrated it per the package instructions, and it was very active within 15 minutes. It was hard to wait the full 30 minutes to pitch it. After pitching, my batch became active within a few hours and virtually completed fermentation within 36 hours. Very impressive! It flocculated well with only a few tiny clods floating after the secondary ferment and left no peculiar favors. It made a Porter that met precise specifications not only on my brew chart but also my palette. Yes, I would order again.

I have to say, I'm a big fan of Safale. I started keeping packets of Safale with my brewing equipment to act as a back up in case I have issues with the other brands. A lot of the brew kits I've used came with White Labs liquid yeast. Lately I've been disappointed with the liquid yeast either not starting fermentation or taking a long time to get going. Dry yeast lacks some of the cool factor that goes along with a test tube of White Labs, but more than makes up for it in consistency and shelf life. Lets face it, this dried yeast can survive a nuclear winter and still brew you a delicious batch of English style ale. Lately I've had so many issues with the liquid stuff that I've dropped it all together and go with Safale every time.This product delivers as promised. It makes delicious clear ales and start fermentation fast. I even find that it primes the bottles faster than the other brands. I highly recommend trying this yeast. I also recommend keeping a few around as a back up just in case. My local shop is closed Monday through Wednesday. When you do all your brewing on the weekends, Monday morning is a bad time to find out you had a bad batch of yeast when you can't get more for 3 days!

I purchased this to make a heavily hopped IPA recipe. Safale has always been my yeast of choice and this proved to be in line with my previous experience.There is no priming required. Just cut open and pitch into the fermentor. They say to use a half package per gallon of beer which means you can really make 2 gallons per packet. This is great if you are trying new recipes at a smaller scale.It started going in less than 12 hours from pitch, which is very quick. It continued for several days before petering off. It left a very compact puck of sediment at the bottom of the fermentor. Because of this, I did not even bother to transfer to a secondary, which is very nice.

This is a great yeast for cider brewing, along with ales. But leaves minimal taste and clears out well after several weeks. No need for a starter either. I've used this for all my cider batches and love it. Quick fermentation and ferments below 1.0 which is great if you love dry ciders.

Quality product, and only slightly higher in price than you would pay if you purchase on an on-line site. With Prime shipping, this bundles well if you're buying other home brew supplies. Would buy again!

My session IPA stalled and I used this to jump start it. It worked perfectly!

Started extremely fast compared to other yeasts i have used.

Slow starter - took about 16 hours to take off but once it did , the yeast ripped through the wort - i did not re - hydrate- pitched as is