The brewer's yeast that I have, and usually see in stores, is added to bread for nutrition, and not for rising. Unless you bought the actual beer making yeast, it will not have active yeast in it. I have not ever used the active beer making yeast for bread, which is a different species from the baking yeast. In the old days, the brewer's yeast came from the "dregs" of making the beer, and it always had a funky smell to it, but now most of the brewer's yeast is made on its own, and is clean smelling, compared to the old stuff.