White Labs Pitchable Yeast

Each vial of White Labs liquid yeast is designed to be used directly in 5 gallons, hence the term "pitchable yeast." Each vial is equivalent in cell count to a pint starter, or 75-150 billion cells. One vial will usually start fermentation in 5 gallons in 5-15 hours at 70°F. If a faster start is desired, or if initial gravity is over 1.070, we recommend a 1-2 pint starter be made. 

Homebrewers who enjoy yeast culturing: If a starter is made from a fresh vial, one vial can be added directly to a 2 liter starter, which in 2 days will grow to approximately 240 billion cells, to achieve a pitching rate in 5 gallons of of 1 million cells/ml/degree Plato (with a 12 Plato beer).

Directions for Use: Store in refrigerator until use, do not freeze. Remove 2 hours prior to addition and let warm to room temperature (~70°F). This makes re-suspension in the vial easier, and prevents a temperature shock when added to wort. Remove the shrink wrap on cap, shake the vial well to re-suspend yeast, and open cap carefully. Pour into fresh, aerated wort (by shaking fermentor for 15 minutes or injection though an aeration stone) at 70-75°F. The first sign of fermentation will be a raised airlock, then wisps of foam will start to cover the top of the wort.  A full, thick krausen will be evident 1-2 hours after this.  Be careful to leave enough head space in the fermentor, or use a blow off tube because some fermentations will be very active, and it is not unusual for a 5 gallon fermentation to blow the airlock off a 6.5 gallon fermentor! When fermentation activity subsides, check the gravity. If fermentation is complete, bottle the beer or transfer the fermentor to 40°F for 1 week to cold condition. Bottling or transfer to cold should take place 14 to 30 days after brewing. 

Yeast strains: White Labs offers more than 35 unique liquid yeast strains for homebrewers. We sell wholesale to homebrew shops, so please order our yeast from your favorite shop or mail order house, or call/email White Labs to find the store nearest you. Strains and other homebrew supplies can also be ordered directly from White Labs..

Members of:
Home Wine and Beer Association
American Homebrewers Association

ABCs of Yeast

If you are just learning about brewers yeast, read on ...

What is Yeast?
Yeast are very small, single cell organisms. Yeast are everywhere, on plants, in soil, and in the home. One species of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been "domesticated" over the centuries to produce good beer. Now there are hundreds of different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae available to make beer.

What Makes White Labs Liquid Brewers Yeast Different?
Liquid yeast has many advantages over dried yeast. The variety of liquid strains is much greater, but most important is the flavor profile. Most brewers would agree that beer made with liquid yeast is superior in flavor, and consistently wins medals over dried yeast in national competitions. Most liquid yeast on the market is supplied in small quantities. To make homebrewing easier, White Labs produces vials of liquid yeast that are ready to pitch into 5 gallons of beer. Each vial corresponds to a pint size starter, which saves the brewer 2-3 days and $1.50-3.00 in material cost. If more then a pint starter is desired for pitching (for beers over 1.070 Original Gravity, cold fermented lagers, or homebrewers wanting a faster fermentation), a 1-2 liter starter can be made in just one day.

How is Yeast Used?
Once wort is transferred into the fermentor, shake the fermentor vigorously to get plenty of oxygen into solution. This will help fermentation, and is the only time oxygen should be introduced into the brewing process. Brewers call adding the yeast "pitching". Before pitching, make sure the wort temperature is between 70-80o F. Too cold and the yeast will take too long to begin fermentation, too hot and the yeast can be killed. To use White Labs Liquid Brewers Yeast, remove from refrigerator 2 hours prior to pitching. This allows the yeast to get to room temperature and prevents a temperature shock. Shake the vial to dislodge all the yeast, open cap and pitch! Shake fermentor well to mix up and aerate.

What Should the Fermentation Profile Look Like?
Normal fermentation will begin 5-15 hours after pitching the yeast. During this "lag phase", yeast become acclimated to their environment and uptake sugars and oxygen they will need for the fermentation. The first sign of fermentation activity will be a raised airlock. This signals CO2 production. A fine layer of foam will then form on top of the liquid. Within a few hours the head will get rocky and the airlock will quickly expel CO2. Fermentation will usually be complete in 5-20 days. If there is not enough room for foam, the foam may get into the airlock and then blow the airlock off the container! So be careful and allow plenty of headspace, or use a blowoff tube for the first 3 days. The airlock will bubble very slowly, and the yeast will begin to drop to the bottom of the fermentor. Check the gravity, if fermentation is complete and yeast is still on top of the beer, either cool the fermentor to force the yeast down or transfer the beer into a different container. Now the beer is ready to keg or bottle!