Distillers Yeast (DADY) (1 lb. bulk pack)

Really works on converting those sugars. Has a good finish flavor.

(Disclaimer: I plan to update/edit this review after my next batch) Hey friends! I bought this brewers yeast along with a 10 gallon fermenting/distilling kettle for the purpose of making moonshine and/or wine. I have some experience brewing beer, though this comes from maybe a decade ago and I relied pretty heavily on kits and malt extracts. Back to the future, I was very happy from the start at how fast this yeast became active and was mesmerized by the rate of CO2 output, but I’m on the fence after my second (ever) batch whether the little buggers lost some viability over a month in my fridge… If I’m being honest, I strongly suspect operator error is the primary factor here, but I will definitely update in a short time. So far I am primary using rice and granulated sugar for my mash, but I have definitely been satisfied to a point with the results as my distillate comes out tasting like a pretty decent raw whisky where I had anticipated something closer to soju or sake. My first batch went incredibly well and used perhaps two cups rice, 10# refined sugar, and 8 oz each of brown sugar and raw cane sugar for nutrients in a seven gallon batch. I pitched a bit over two oz. yeast and saw good CO2 production in less than 30 minutes along with a fairly natural looking cycle over the next two weeks at ambient temperature which was close to or slightly under 70F. Yeah, I stopped it short of completion and distilled to get almost a gallon of high test (~120 proof) whisky, and I saw that that was good. Second run went a bit differently, but my mash was definitely different because I was emboldened and wanted to explore a bit. I used close to 14 lb sugar in 8 gallons with a bit less rice (I ran out) and added some grain that I think is called khemet or something similar. Well the yeast didn’t take off as well as in my first batch and CO2 production peaked later and lower even though I pitched three oz. Unless I’m mistaken, I think the issue was due to the high initial sugar content and tannins from the grain which wasn’t malted or roasted. The flavor was/is still decent, though I won’t use that grain again in upcoming batches, and the yield from two weeks fermentation seems to be about 40% lower than the first batch. TLDR, this seems like a very good yeast for the price, and it makes some swag moonshine, but I definitely need the do additional tests to determine it’s staying power in refrigerated storage. I did set aside a bit to keep as wine and will update on that as well, but now I think I need to buy a bit of isinglass.

This makes the best hooch. I make wine from juice concentrate from time to time because it's fun to experiment with something cheap like juice concentrate to hold me over while my good wine/mead/cider ages. In the quest to find a recipe that produces something strong and drinkable in the shortest amount of time I started looking into distiller's yeast. It makes sense; this stuff is meant to make a quick and crazy high ABV, which was what I was going for. I figured for $10 I would switch it out with my usual slow fermenting champagne yeast and give it a shot and I'm so glad that I did. I drink this stuff while it's still bubbling and it tastes great and it definitely gets the job done. I've also let it sit and turn my hooch into rocket fuel, which is still pretty tasty if you're in the mood and it DEFINITELY gets the job done. Haven't tried to age the rocket fuel yet, but that'd be a fun experiment. All things equal I'd narrowly take champagne yeast concentrate wine over DADY, but all things are not equal and this it way quicker/higher ABV. Per gallon: 2 cans juice concentrate (I like apple or grape juice but I've literally closed my eyes in the concentrate frozen section and grabbed two random cans and it turned out decent, experiment/have fun with it, just don't do orange juice), 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 tsp of this yeast. Add the concentrate and sugar to an old Carlo Rossi gallon wine jug (if you don't have one go buy one and drink it all). Fill most of the way with warm water, but don't fill it above the handle or it'll foam out when it's fermenting. Shake until the sugar dissolves. Get a cup of about 100 degree water (warm/hot but colder than a shower) and add the yeast and a pinch or two of sugar. Stir and let it sit for about ten minutes until it's nice and foamy, then pour it in. I cover it with a CLEAN sock and a hairband or rubber band to keep bugs out and allow air in. After a couple days you can add an airlock but I usually don't bother. Taste and drink as much as you want, I usually start slowly drinking it at about four days in.

Works good for the wine, but seems like could be better quality for the moonshine production, also just make sure you keep it in the fridge.