Yeastman™ FAQ

Note: If this page does not view this page within the Yeastman site, copy and past the following into your browser:
http://www.whitelabs.com/yeastman/FAQ.html

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What is Yeastman?

Yeastman is a customized yeast tracking and ordering system built specifically to help brewers and shop owners. The system has been expanded to handle all ordering including gifts, testing and reports.

Big QC Day and Yeastman 

Log-in to your customer account at yeastman.com. If you have not logged in before, but have signed up for Big QC Day already, or if you are a White Labs customer and are seeking to sign up for Big QC Day, click “I have not logged in before.” If you are not a customer and you have not yet signed up for Big QC Day, follow "I am not currently a customer." After signing in, look to the toolbar on the top of the page. There you will find a button for QC Day. Follow this link and the rest should be self-explanatory. If you would like help entering your information, call 1-888-5-YEAST-5 or email us.

Before proceeding:

The following questions are designed primarily for professional business-to-business customers. If you are an individual, non-business person using Yeastman, click on the link "I am not currently a customer" and select Individual from the drop down menu. Fill out the information and you are on your way.

I am a White Labs customer (I have ordered yeast before from White Labs but not via the Yeastman online system). How do I log into the Yeastman tracking and ordering system for the first time?

For a video answer to this question, click on the image.

1. Go to www.yeastman.com and follow the link toward "I have not logged in before."

2. Your login code is your White Labs account number without any dashes. To verify your account number or for any other questions, please write us. (Please note: International account numbers begin with 011 and have a maximum of 12 numbers).

3. Enter the email you have on file with us (this must be an exact match).

4. Enter your name and create a password. Ignore the question about your tax ID number.

5. Hit enter

You will be redirected to your account. In the future you just enter your account number and your password from the main page.

If you have problems ordering, you may continue to use the older forms but please tell us in the notes section about any problems you may be having logging on or using Yeastman. 

What If I am not a White Labs customer but want to order for the first time?

From the front page of Yeastman, follow the link, "I am not currently a customer."

I don't see the product I want in your listings. What do I do?

Please add these details in the notes section (at the top of the products page - which is also available for comments on the page before checkout) and we will send you a revised sales order.

How do I pay?

You can select to pay by a new credit card by selecting Visa, MasterCard or American Express under the drop down menu on the appropriate page and filling in your information. Alternatively, if you have terms with White Labs or historic payment methods with the lab, these should appear under the drop down menu for your account as well. 

I have ordered online from White Labs before, don't I already have a password? 

Yeastman is a new and highly improved system. If you have not specifically logged on to this site, you must first go to "I have not logged on before.

What is my user name (also called login code)?

This is your 10-digit White Labs account number. 

What is my password?

You select your password the first time you sign up when you fill out the "I have not logged in before" section

Why do I have to give all this information to log in for the first time?

You are logging into your own account, with your details and order history (for Yeastman.com orders only), so customer security is critical.

Is the system secure?

Yeastman Online uses a secure SSL connection from the moment you begin the login process. Your data is encrypted with high-grade 128-bit RC4 encryption using a certificate verified by The User Trust Network, preventing other users from intercepting or reading it.

HOMEBREW STORE QUESTIONS

I want to add on to an FAP (Freshness Assurance Program) order, how do I do so?

On the products page mark the box that the order applies to the FAP program. Only customers enrolled in this program will have the option of clicking this box. If you are trying to add on to an FAP order, click the box and write in any notes you feel necessary in the notes box, which appears both on the products page and the page just before check-out. After we receive the FAP related order, we will process and send you a revised sales order, if necessary.

It is summer - will the yeast survive during the shipping process?

Our yeast is shipped with ice packs. Nevertheless, summer temperatures do present challenges in the hotter regions of the country/world, and we recommend that such stores order yeast overnight under hot conditions. Stores are free to select overnight shipping during the checkout process in Yeastman.

PROFESSIONAL BREWERY QUESTIONS

When can I get my yeast?

This is generally the first question we get when talking to a brewer – and this is what the Yeastman system is designed to answer in a matter of seconds. On the products page, click the calendar icon to the right of the strain. This will give you a date of availability, although the date is not certain until later in the order (for instance, this date could vary if two strains are ordered and one is not available until a later date, or if a brewer is ordering a larger size pitch than available at that time; nevertheless, this is all identified before check out).

How does Yeastman  know when the yeast is available?

The system communicates directly with a tracking system used in the laboratory and production department. This hand-held tracking system monitors each stage of a yeast strain’s growth, and can thus predict when it will be available based on normal production schedules. However, because the yeast must clear rigorous QC testing, this ship date may change and this information would be conveyed to the brewer. 

Why are some strains available sooner than others?

Lead time is officially 3 weeks, but we grow yeast based on order expectations, not just actual orders. Thus popular strains could be available sooner than others. For instance, WLP001 California Ale Yeast is generally available for shipping in one to 10 days, depending on production. We start new yeast every 2 days, so yeast is constantly clearing our QC program. 

What does clearing QC mean?

All yeast delivered to our customers must pass a rigorous quality control program. This requires a minimum of one week of plating. If someone tells you they can propagate and deliver yeast to you in less time, they are not performing proper QC tests. The tests mandated by brewing standards require at least one week of plating. When White Labs says they can ship yeast to you the following day, for instance, this means the yeast has already cleared QC.

When do I get assessed a rush fee?

When a brewer seeks to have yeast shipped the same day, they are charged a $25 rush charge. Users are asked to call White Labs for same day orders.

Update: In recognition of the fast tracking and processing afforded by the Yeastman system, the rush fee described above was eliminated in 2010.