Where to get fresh yeast?

[Intheswamp]

There are tons of vendors selling wine supplies and trying to pick one or two to order from is kind of confusing. With so many out there it seems there would be a chance some of them might not be turning inventory as fast as others. Any recommendations on vendors to purchase from...good experiences, etc.,. I'm looking at Amazon presently...anybody with good experience purchasing yeast from there?

I'm dusting off some old mead making supplies and going to try a little wine. But, I need to get some fresh yeast and ingredients.

Thanks.

 

[Brettanomyces]

Don't know that buying off Amazon fixes your problem. You still have to select a seller, just like before. Any of the standard online stores with high volume should be fine.

 

[Scooter68]

It depends not just on the seller but the yeast you chose. Chose one that isn't that popular and you might get older products.

Best bet is to call and have them tell you what is their criteria for selling fresh yeast. Do they sell yeast with less than 6 months to expiration date?

 

[ibglowin]

https://morewinemaking.com/category/wine-yeast-malolactic-bacteria-additives.html

 

[Intheswamp]

Thanks for the feedback. All good points. I got to looking at Amazon and the multi-pack offerings were from a seller called "Lalvin"...not sure whether it's the yeast company or someone "borrowing" the name. Anyhow, lots of the reviews stated that they only received a single pack of yeast for what they thought would be a multi-pack. Some people got what they bought, some people didn't. Seemed kind of like a crap-shoot so I backed off of Amazon. I've been looking at Austin Homebrew and Midwest. I think I'll scamper over to More Wine! now. (Thanks for the link, Mike)

 

[Frosty452]

I haven't had a problem with Amazon yeast. If you don't have a local source Amazon is a good source

 

[Brettanomyces]

But "Amazon" could be any number of stores. You have to pay attention.

 

[Intheswamp]

Ok, I asked on Amazon and the seller stated the expiration date of there current K1V batch was 06/2021. I ordered some of it.

I did check with Morewinemaking and received a very nice and honest reply regarding shipping times. It sounds like they are having some shipping delays, etc., at the moment but in the future when I'm not rushed I will definitely revisit them simply because of the cordial email.

 

[bstnh1]

I stay far, far away from Amazon when I want to be sure I'm getting an authentic product or a fresh product. There are way too many reviews on there talking about receiving knockoffs and out of date or mouldy, bug infested products. You never know on Amazon exactly who you're dealing with.

 

[Intheswamp]

Ah well, we'll see how it goes.

 

[Scooter68]

Actually if you shop carefully you shouldn't have a problem. Amazon has always supported me on the rare occasions when I have a problem. In fact 8-9 months after I purchased one product (Led Lights) I received a notice that I should throw them away due to a electrical hazard discovered and I was told my credit card was going to be credited for the purchase price. Never had a return denied. etc.
I'm a prime member so I get free shipping on many things (Yes - Aware of the price differences (added $) but all in all it's worked well). If you contact a seller and they give you bad info - you have a record (as does Amazon) of that response.
Do your homework and things generally work well.
I have found products with reviews that didn't match the product or very suspicious reviews and it steer clear of those. In fact one product group I do not trust is .... can openers - go figure. I've looked for a decent hand operated one but the reivews and info on them just are wacko - so I go to the local store and pick one up that I now I can return within reasonable time and use limits.

 

[BernardSmith]

Two quick thoughts, intheswamp. Very likely there are local homebrew stores (LHBS) within a few miles of where you live (Not sure if your state is one that frowns on home brewing and wine making so perhaps there are none) and many LHBS will ship to you if the distance is too far or you are not mobile. In much the same way , there are three or four national home brew supply stores that all ship. I would google them for their addresses to your state. Sure they add a few dollars for shipping and if all you are buying is yeast then the shipping cost relative to the price of the yeast might be relatively high... but at the very least you would be dealing with a company that sells wine making supplies and where you can speak to human beings..

 

[Scooter68]

Last time I bought online I ordered 10 package bag of yeast. That was December 2018. All that yeast is still good for at least another 12 months. it stays in the fridge until I'm ready to use it. At a price of about $.85 per packet and no shipping, I'm pretty happy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TOEEFG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[bstnh1]

K1-V1116 Lalvin Wine Yeast .96 each at Labelpeelers - free shipping.

 

[Intheswamp]

The closest LHBSs are 50 and 60 miles from me...one-way. And, it's a crapshoot to catch them open. I understand the ability to talk with someone face-to-face can be valuable...but, not worth a two-hour drive for a couple of packs of yeast. Otherwise, I could go by the stores when I'm in those towns on other business...but then again, they may or may not be open for business on the days I might be there. It's just much simpler for me to order online.

I feel that the yeast will be fine from Amazon but had I known about Labelpeelers I would have investigated their current expiration dates on their stock of yeast and possibly purchased from them. I will keep Labelpeelers website in mind for down the road. A single packet of yeast with free-shipping might be useful.

scooter68, the best hand operated can-opener that we've been able to find is the Swing-A-Way handheld model. I think they used to be of higher quality (better steel) but it seems like companies are trying to build things cheaper for more profit. This white handled Swing-A-Way is what we're currently using and it does a decent job...we've had it for probably 10-12 years. But, while looking it up I saw this Swing-A-Way crank-style openers that look very interesting...interestingly, none of these are listed as PRIME items.

 

[Scooter68]

Yeah, That was just an example of how you cannot trust Amazon items without a little common sense checking. Bottom line, as long as people see cheaper more desireable, then this will always happen.
I just bought a Vitamix Blender for 3 reasons 1) 2.2hp motor - will power through whatever I put in there. 2) Reputation as evidenced in numerous sources/reviews, and 3) Metal to metal drive connection from the motor to the container base. Our old Kitchen Aid has a rubber drive connection and I've become good at replacing those - but should not need to be doing that every 3rd time I used it for blending up cooked veggies.
For the Amazon haters - I did not buy it there but on EBay. And interestingly it was listed as "New" but in fact was reconditioned or an open box item (sticker stated All functions Checked ready for reuse." But i was able to register it with the company as new so I'm going with it. Price was good but....

So - On topic - Yeah it stinks to have no place nearby that can provide those emergency items. That's one reason if its a critical item and like a hydrometer I keep a spare.

 

[CDrew]

scooter68, the best hand operated can-opener that we've been able to find is the Swing-A-Way handheld model. I think they used to be of higher quality (better steel) but it seems like companies are trying to build things cheaper for more profit. This white handled Swing-A-Way is what we're currently using and it does a decent job...we've had it for probably 10-12 years. But, while looking it up I saw this Swing-A-Way crank-style openers that look very interesting...interestingly, none of these are listed as PRIME items.

Swing-away has a typical story. They made a great world beating product for decades, then sold out and production moved to China. The Chinese made ones are junk. But the rumor is, some of the USA employees bought the tooling, and still make the same opener, only they had to rename it. So now it's the EZ-DUZ-IT can opener. I have one and it's every bit as good as the ancient Swing-Away my mom had from the 1950s until a couple of years ago. But it's still just a consumer can opener, but unlike the fakes and chinese clones, it works pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/EZ-DUZ-IT-Ca...GFZ2F33P0PG&psc=1&refRID=P5ZD78RDVGFZ2F33P0PG


And here's more than you want to know:
https://www.chowhound.com/post/bought-ez-duz-opener-1042261

 

[Intheswamp]

That's a great story!!! I might just have to pick one of these up!!!

 

[Intheswamp]

Ok, I opened up the box from Amazon tonight (it came in a day or two ago). The K1V1116 has an expiration date of 06/2021 and the 71B has one of 12/2020. So, I think that's pretty good. Now to get it stored away and some chugging along.