I rehydrate yeast in sterile water for a half hour before pitching.
if you are going to go through the trouble this is the way to do it. water should be about 95-100F. I can't remember the right amount for one packet of yeast but I want to say it's something like a 1/4 cup.
as for me - I stopped rehydrating a little while back the beer didn't suffer for it. sprinkling on top of the cooled wort is just too easy.
I have used US-05 many times. usually it's for hoppy American ales but I've also enjoyed it in brown ales, strong ales, stouts and ambers.
I've used belle saison a couple of times. for the high gravity saison I made it was top notch. for something I made that was a little more experimental recipe wise I thought it was okay. if I wanted to make a big saison again I wouldn't hesitate to use it though.
I've used Nottingham a few times. It was too long ago and my process wasn't like it is now so I can't say too much about it. I seem to remember it being a little bit tart or something but that could have been my process and not the yeast. I made some early American ambers with it that at the time I thought were awesome. I was also a noob though
S-04 is a decent yeast. I generally like it in English pale ale type beers. I made a hybrid American/English pale ale with it that I enjoyed. it rounded everything out nicely. unlike US-05 I'm a little more likely to go with a liquid yeast here. US-05 is good enough that it's hard for me to justify acquiring 1056 and making a starter.
I think those are all of the dry yeasts I've tried. I'd try some of the dry lager strains but most of them seem to call for 2 packets/5 gallons of wort and for that price it would be cheaper to just buy a liquid strain and make a starter. maybe someone will do an experiment and tell me that 1 packet is just as good and then I'll be down for that!
Edited by Evil_Morty, 10 June 2016 - 05:07 AM.