USING SAF YEASTS

High quality yeasts such as SAF Yeasts should always be used instead of kit yeasts for
the following reasons:

• Better tasting beer - Better yeast at the right temperature = better beer. The SAF
yeast strains are a better quality than those provided with kits. Virtually all kits use
generic ale yeasts irrespective of the beer to be made. Replacing that yeast for a
yeast that is designed for a specific style will produce a far better tasting beer. A
large number of commercial breweries worldwide use the same strains available in
the SAF range to ferment their beers.

• Quantity of yeast - A sachet of Saf yeast at 11.5grams has over twice the amount of
yeast of a standard kit yeast (5g). More yeast = a stronger, healthier fermentation.
Kit yeast will give a reasonable fermentation with a kit and dextrose. For better
quality, more complex beers using more malt, the kit yeast will struggle to work
through all the fermentables and can result in an under-attenuated (not brewed out)
beer which is too sweet.
(Note: When using the SAF yeasts, do not use the yeast provided in the top of the beer kit)
Yeast is the biggest defining factor for different styles of beer and can account for up to
20-30% of the flavour. Basically, all beers in the world can be split into 2 categories:
• ALE (beer made with top-fermenting Ale yeast), and
• LAGER (beer made with bottom-fermenting Lager yeast).
These 2 simple categories can then be split into many sub-categories which encompass
all the different beer styles of the world.
For example, the most popular beers in Australia (XXXX, Carlton Draught, Victoria
Bitter) regardless of their name, are pale lagers. Using SAF Lager S23 at the correct
temperature will give a far more authentic taste in a pale lager than the kit yeast. To
make the best lagers, use lager yeast; to make the best ales, use ale yeasts.
All yeasts are sensitive to temperature and will provide their optimal flavours when
brewed at the correct temperature. In higher temperatures, through the warmer months, a
better result will occur if the fermenting temperature can be controlled. This can easily be
done with a Brewers Choice Brewing Thermostat and an old fridge. During cooler
weather, the yeasts can be used with little or no temperature control. Many brewers stop
production or resort to a heating device during winter because the kit yeasts cannot work
effectively at lower temperatures. In fact, if a brewer has no access to temperature
control, the cooler months of autumn and winter are the best times to make great quality
beer. © Brewers Choice Pty Ltd 2007
Which SAF yeast to use?

Lager yeasts
Saflager (S23) Used by Western European commercial breweries. It can be used as a
general purpose lager yeast for Australian, European and American lagers and pilsners.
The recommended fermentation temperature range: 9C - 15C, ideally 10-12C.
Saflager (W34/70) This famous yeast strain from Weihenstephan in Germany is used
world-wide within the brewing industry. Well suited for European style pale lagers,
pilsners and darker lagers like Vienna, Oktoberfest and Bock.
The recommended fermentation temperature range: 9C - 15C, ideally 10-12C.

Ale yeasts
Safale (S04) A well-known, commercial English ale yeast, selected for its fast
fermentation character and its ability to form very compact sediment at the end of the
fermentation. This yeast is recommended for a large range of English ales and stouts.
The recommended fermentation temperature range: 15C - 24C. Ideally 18-20C
Safale (US-05) This is the most popular and famous American ale yeast, and for good
reason. This is a fantastic general purpose ale yeast which can be used in nearly all ale
styles with great results. Highly recommended for use in pale ales, amber/brown ales,
porter and wheat beers. Because this yeast has quite a neutral flavour effect, it can even
be used with good results in lager style beers to make pseudo lagers at 15 to 16C.
Recommended fermentation temperature – 15-24C, ideally 18-20C.
Safbrew (S-33) This yeast is a very popular and consistent performing general purpose
ale yeast. This yeast produces superb flavour profiles and is used for the production of a
variety of top fermented special beers. It exhibits excellent performance in beers with
alcohol contents of up to 7.5% but can ferment up to 11.5%. For use in Belgian type
wheat beers, Trappist ales and Barley wines. Recommended fermentation temperature –
15-24C, ideally 18-20C.

Safbrew (T-58) Known for its high ester, spicy and peppery flavour profile, able to
tolerate high alcohol conditions (up to 11.5% v/v). Recommended fermentation
temperature – 15-24C, ideally 18-20C.
Safbrew (WB-06) Specially selected for wheat beer and weizen beer styles, Safbrew
WB-06 produces subtle ester and phenol flavors typical of these styles of beer.
Recommended fermentation temperature – 15-24C, ideally 18-20C. 

Using SAF yeasts
Lager yeasts
Lager yeasts behave a little differently to ale yeasts and for best results require slightly
different treatment. The main difference between using Saflager yeasts and kit/ale yeasts
is the fermenting temperature at which they will work best and the time taken for
fermentation.
As a general rule, a genuine Lager yeast (Saflager S23, Saflager W34/70) gives the best
result when fermented at around 12ºC. Some form of temperature control will be
required. This can easily be done with a Brewing Thermostat and fridge set up. At this
temperature, fermentation can take 2 to 3 weeks to complete. At cool temperatures, lager
yeasts work very slowly with little apparent activity. They do not generally produce a
large krausen (foamy head on the fermenting beer) as the majority of the work done by
the yeast is at the bottom of the fermenter. Airlock activity can be minimal.
At low temperatures, lager yeasts can sometimes produce sulphur compounds which
smell like rotten egg gas coming from the fermenter. This is perfectly normal and will
dissipate as fermentation progresses.
When using lager yeasts, it is necessary to consider what temperature the wort will be at
when you pitch the yeast, and at what temperature you can maintain the fermentation.
These factors will dictate how much yeast is needed.
Ideally, the wort should be as close to fermenting temperature as possible (10-12ºC)
when pitching the yeast. The cooler the starting temperature, the more yeast required.
For instance, if the wort has a starting temperature of 10-12ºC when pitching the yeast for
a standard 20-23lt batch and the fermentation temperature can be controlled at 10-12ºC,
two sachets of yeast are recommended. Under these conditions, if only one sachet of
yeast were used, fermentation could take several days to start.
For most brewers using kits and bits, it will be difficult to achieve a starting wort
temperature of 10-12ºC when pitching the yeast. It is easier to aim for a starting
temperature of 20ºC. To help achieve this starting temperature, use a bare minimum of
hot water and lots of fridge cold water when mixing the brew. At this temperature, one
sachet of yeast is sufficient.
After pitching the yeast, leave the fermenter at 20ºC for 12 hours to allow the yeast to
start working. At the end of 12 hours, start to cool the fermenter in the fridge, dropping
the temperature to 12 ºC over the next 10 hours. A drop in temperature faster than this
can result in the yeast going into ‘survival’ mode and not working properly.
If the beer has been fermented at temperatures below 15ºC, a step known as ‘Diacetyl
rest’ is recommended. Diacetate is a chemical compound that has a buttery/butterscotch 
taste and can be produced by lager yeasts at low temperatures. For warmer brewing, the
diacetate is naturally released into the air but if the fermenter is at 12 ºC, the diacetate is
trapped in the beer. A diacetyl rest is therefore needed to release the trapped diacetate.
This is done simply by raising the temperature of the fermenter to around 20ºC, after the
SG of the beer has dropped below 1020. When the beer has reached a stable finishing
gravity, it is then ready to bottle, keg or lager.
To get the very best result from your lager, a cold conditioning or lagering stage is
recommended after fermentation and diacetyl rest have been completed. This is simply
racking or transferring the beer from the fermenter to a keg or settling cube and putting
the cube or keg in the fridge at a cold temperature (ideally 0-2ºC) for at least 2 to 4
weeks. This lagering stage helps produce a cleaner, crisper lager and allows more yeast to
drop out of suspension giving a clearer beer. If the beer is to then be bottled, allow a
little more time for carbonation as it will contain less yeast than normal.

Ale yeasts
There is not a great deal of difference between using Safale yeasts and kit yeasts for Ale
fermentation apart from a lower fermenting temperature and the quality of the beer will
be significantly better. As a general rule, quality Ale yeast (Safale S04, Safale US56)
gives the best result when fermented at around 18-20ºC. At this temperature,
fermentation will generally take 1 to 2 weeks to complete.
Ideally, the wort should be as close to fermenting temperature as possible (18-20ºC)
when pitching the yeast. To help achieve this starting temperature, use a bare minimum
of hot water and lots of fridge cold water when mixing up the brew.
Using Ale yeast to make Pseudo lagers
When fermented at a lower temperature, the US56 yeast imparts a very crisp and clean
finish to the beer, with a neutral flavour profile. The advantage of using this yeast over a
lager yeast is that the time taken to ferment is a lot less than a true lager strain and the
cold conditioning or lagering period normally required with lager yeasts is not needed.
While you cannot class the beer produced as a lager, it certainly produces an excellent
result at a cool fermentation temperature, a pseudo lager if you will.
It is critical to keep the fermenting temperature in the correct range (15-16 ºC) otherwise
the more traditional fruity ale characteristics will shine through in the finished beer.