The Yeast Story

More than any other product in the past year, we have struggled with yeast. We either have the wrong strain, the wrong brand, or it expires on us. It really has been a struggle, but after much debate, we have decided on a path forward.

Our first choice for yeast is Escarpment Labs of Guelph, but in recent months, we have been unable to obtain a wide enough selection of homebrew pitches, as they are simply not available for purchase. We understand that Escarpment is doing everything they can to ensure a wide and deep selection is available, but so far, it has resulted in frustration and long wait times for both clients and us. Still, we want to support Escarpment and will continue to special order as requested.

Our day to day "go to" yeast has been White Labs, for the simple reason that we could see search after search on our website by people looking for it, and many recipes continue to call for it. However, White Labs pitches offer 100 billion cells on packaging date, and by the time we get them, or you purchase the pitch, it might have lost 30% or more of it viability and starters are needed. If these pitches were $4.99 each, buy two and away you go, problem solved, but they are not. We needed to find a solution that offered high cell counts at reasonable prices and good inventory support.

Imperial. We had a number of conversations with Imperial last summer and nearly made the commitment to stock their product, but decided to try the local option. Needless to say, when we reopened that conversation recently, Imperial was more than happy to pick up right where we left off. I have to say, they are a GREAT company to deal with.. very supportive of efforts by staff and students to learn about their products, a great "shelf protection" plan for expired yeast (in fact dealers are asked NOT to sell expired yeast but to discard it), and great pricing! Oh, did I mention that each pitch is 200 Billion cells? Even with loss of viability in transit or in our fridge, most pitches will still be sufficient to pitch without a starter, and they are only $1.50 more than the 100 billion option! THAT is your best value, hands down.

Why is 200 Billion cells better than 100 Billion cells?

Shorter lag times, decreasing the likelihood that you end up with infected beer.
Faster and healthier fermentations
Less yeast-stress derived off flavors such as: diacetyl, isoamyl acetate, Acetaldehyde, nail polish, oxidation, etc....
Increased number of generations from each pitch. Saving brewers money!
No starter necessary for 19L batches under 1.070, compared to 1.048 for White Labs
No more buying multiple packs for single batches
More consistent beer

So, for these reasons, we are happy to announce that we will be stocking Imperial Yeast. Products are online now.. CLICK HERE

Simple Cross Reference Table

Imperial Strain	Escarpment Strain	White Labs Strain	Assumed Origin
A01 House	N/A	WLP007	Whitbread
A04 Barbarian	N/A	N/A	The Alchemist
A07 Flagship	Cali Ale	WLP001	Sierra Nevada
A09 Pub	English Ale I, II	WLP002	Fuller's
A10 Darkness	Irish Ale	WLP004	Guiness
A15 Independence	American Ale	WLP051	Anchor Liberty
A18 Joystick	N/A	N/A	Rogue
A20 Citrus	N/A	WLP644	Unicorn Dust
A24 Dry Hop	N/A	N/A	Blend A04/A20
A31 Tartan	Scottish Ale	WLP028	McEwan
A38 Juice	Foggy London	N/A	Boddingtons
B44 Whiteout	Classic Witbier	WLP400	Hoegaarden
B45 Gnome	Ardennes	N/A	Achouffe
B48 Triple Double	West Abbey Ale	WLP530	Westmalle
B51 Workhorse	N/A	N/A	Kasteel
B56 Rustic	N/A	N/A	Brasserie de Blaugies
B63 Monastic	N/A	WLP500	Chimay
B64 Napoleon	N/A	N/A	Brasserie Thiriez
G01 Stefon	N/A	WLP300	Weihenstephan
G02 Kaiser	N/A	WLP036	Zum Uerige
G03 Dieter	Kolsch, Weisen I	WLP029	PJ Fruh
L05 Cablecar	California Common	WLP810	Anchor
L13 Global	Munich Lager	WLP830	Weihenstephan
L17 Harvest	N/A	WLP860	Augustiner
L28 Urkel	N/A	N/A	Urquell
F08 Sour Batch Kidz	N/A	N/A	Blend of Saccro, Lacto, Brett
W15 Suburban Brett	N/A	N/A	Proprietary