Lalvin Sparkling Wine Yeast EC-1118 Sachet 5g - Ideal for Making Cider and Champagne Style Wines

This is now my favourite yeast for sake, which is the only homebrew I make. I've tried a few different yeasts, from a specialist sake variety which was too terrifyingly vigorous for my newbie skills to baking yeast (traditional for doburoku) but this one has given me consistent results and a floral / fruity style. The description says the yeast contributes a neutral flavour and aroma, so the floral/fruity element is from the koji characteristics standing out.I think it's ideal for homebrew sake because it does well at low temperatures, and in my limited experience even lower than the manufacturer states. When I started brewing a year ago, I was advised to ferment sake as cold as I could get it to increase the complexity of flavour, so whenever I've had room at the bottom of the fridge and the patience to wait a few more weeks, I've fermented small batches there from start to finish at 5C (not planned, just what the fridge temp happened to be) and they've been by far the best.I didn't originally set out to make clear sake – I wanted a nigori or doburoku type – but this yeast gives me crystal clear sake without any need for filtering just by cold-shocking it in the fridge after it's finished fermenting at room temperature. The sediment drops out very cleanly and there's still plenty of doburoku-type left if I pick the right moment to siphon off the clear layer.The image shows the latest batch in a patterned sake glass (from Amazon Japan) and you can see just how clear it ends up. The sake lives at the bottom of the fridge anyway once bottled because I don't pasteurise it, and it still carries on fermenting slowly for months. Great little yeast – you can't really go wrong with it.

Great, used it to make elderflower champagne

As it says on the packet!

Bit expensive

Really robust yeast, tolerated a wide range of temperatures in attic and lobby from roughly 4*c-30*c while still going strong.Leaves a neutral taste which i found very helpful in gauging the flavor of my various brews.Provided you start the yeast properly there shouldn't be a problem, however i have yet to encounter any set-backs by just pouring the sachet into the must and stirring. Pretty compact lees too(yeast sediment at the bottom) which made racking easier and less wasteful.Great for beginners and enthusiasts due to its general tolerance for punishment or neglect and ability to give a fine clean finish with care and attention.

Can't really comment within the 5 days as the wine is still fermenting

I have used this in my second attempt in wine making (First attempt over thirty years ago) My wine tasted great with a kick of alcohol, but a slight after taste,no sure if this was the yeast or not.I shall be using a different yeast in my next homebrew, and see if I get the same slight after taste.

Very good yeast, but can be slow as it eats virtually all the sugar it can for as high an alcohol content as possible. But does have the side effect of maybe being to dry for some, so adding a bit extra sugar to make it a bit sweeter may helpI use it for 1 gallon mead and ginger beer, I also use a warming mat and still takes on average 2 weeks or maybe more if I'm making a sweet strong mead and we also have quite a warm kitchen, so if your looking for a quick yeast this isn't for youCan take a day or more to get going, and MUST be rehydrated so follow the instructions on the packet to get the best out of this yeast. Works at very low temperatures and quite high temperatures. 18c to 40c so it should work pretty much with anythingOnce it gets going it just plods along until all sugar has gone, if you leave it right until the end