Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:19 am
One tube or smack pack into 2 liters of starter wort is about the same as an 11.5 gram pack of dry yeast (or two 5 gram packs).
I like the US56 yeast and like others I have a pack or two on hand as a back up. However, I really prefer the results from using White Labs CA ale yeast, WLP001. While the difference is really minor, it seems a touch cleaner and better balanced than the US56.
If you're not 100% certain that you can make a perfectly clean starter (or don't want the expense) you'd be much better off using the US56 dry yeast.
I hope my post helped in some way. If not, please feel free to contact me.
Jamil Zainasheff
http://www.mrmalty.com"The yeast is strong within you." K. Zainasheff