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yeast starter

Post #1 made 13 years ago
by alanem
Hi people, I have never really made a yeast starter except for early on in HB days with kits when I made one with just warm water and a packet of yeast in a pot, covered it in cling wrap and let it sit for an hour.
now I look online and find its like a bloody chemistry course and you near need a diploma in chemistry to make one.
can some one please tell me a simple way of making a yeast starter that I can add to my fermenter after I empty my 15 litre BIAB cube into it? I would normally just get a satchel of DCL Yeast US-05 and sprinkle that over the top of the brew in the fermenter then shake the beejezus out of it and leave to brew. anyone got any ideas that would help
I used to spill more than I drink these days!

Post #2 made 13 years ago
by PistolPatch
alanem wrote:I look online and find its like a bloody chemistry course
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Hi there alanem and welcome to the forum ;),

I usually use dry yeasts so I'll let someone else answer your question. However, before they do, maybe let them know what you intend to start with i.e. a smack pack, a vial of yeast etc. If you're not sure what to use maybe let them know what beer you are brewing.

:peace:
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 15 Jun 2012, 19:08, edited 3 times in total.
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Post #3 made 13 years ago
by BobBrews
alanem,

First off why do you need a yeast starter? If I use dry yeast I just sprinkle it on top my wort and cover and shake. If I use liquid (smack pack- vile) I just dump it in and shake. If I am making a lager beer then I will need to use a yeast starter. Are you making a lager beer or a ale? A yeast starter is as simple as adding boiled DME (Dry malt extract) to a sanitized jar and adding your yeast? Come to think about it that is also the complicated way to do it? No chemistry degree needed here?

I also just reuse the yeast from the previous beer by dumping my fresh wort onto the yeast cake from my last brew. It takes a little coordination in bottling or kegging and having wort ready to go but it is not that hard? I no chill so I normally have a wort waiting in the wings for a compatible yeast cake anyway.

Some brewers will brew a small batch of wort just to save in sanitized containers as a ready yeast starter (replacing DME) just add yeast? You could always look up (yeast washing or washing yeast) but that seems to be a bit more work than I want to do? I am lazy!
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Post #4 made 13 years ago
by thughes
I wash and reuse yeast so I often have to make a starter to build up a small vial of saved yeast into enough yeast to ferment a 5 gallon batch. There's no need for a PhD in chemistry:

1 cup of dry malt extract (DME) boiled for @ 10 minutes in one quart of water. Cool it down to pitching temp (ice bath in the sink?), pour it into an empty container (I use a growler), shake it up really well, add your yeast, and cover loosely with a piece of tin foil. Put it some place warm and let it ferment. Every time you think about it, pick it up and give it a swirl to rouse things up.

You can pitch it as soon as it is actively fermenting, or wait for it to finish and then chill it in the fridge, decant the fermented beer, and just pitch the slurry.

Or.....you can use dry yeast and avoid all that screwing around.

---Todd
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Post #5 made 13 years ago
by alanem
Perhaps I am reading to much info from to many sites on the net, it just seems by some of the stories I've read that a starter is the way it's being done these days for a better beer.
I am brewing an American ale. Ok so it looks like a continuation of dry yeast is as good as any and is the easiest, so if its the easiest then that's the way I will go.
thanks for the advice guys, handy to know should I venture into a lager brew.
I used to spill more than I drink these days!

Post #6 made 13 years ago
by Beachbum
Dry yeast is best rehydrated in lukewarm sterile water for about 20 minutes to revive the yeast cells. When the mixture is "creaming" on the top then pour it in. Sprinkling the dry yeast directly into the wort also works, but the "shock" can kill about half of the cells as they are "plumping up" and you are starting off with a lower live yeast count. Either way you get fermentation happening, but the extra stage is well worth while.

Post #7 made 13 years ago
by alanem
Beachbum wrote:Dry yeast is best rehydrated in lukewarm sterile water for about 20 minutes to revive the yeast cells. When the mixture is "creaming" on the top then pour it in. Sprinkling the dry yeast directly into the wort also works, but the "shock" can kill about half of the cells as they are "plumping up" and you are starting off with a lower live yeast count. Either way you get fermentation happening, but the extra stage is well worth while.
Very similar to what I used to do many moons ago, but I covered with cling-wrap while the mixture come to the "creaming"stage.
Thanks for the input
Last edited by alanem on 18 Jun 2012, 07:47, edited 3 times in total.
I used to spill more than I drink these days!

Post #8 made 13 years ago
by alanem
Ok I need a quick reply here... I have my US-SAF dehydratibng and has been for about 45mins and all it is is a milky sort of cloudy color but no bubbling and still some granules on top of mix...is it good or bad??? anyone any Idea??.... I had the yeast for a couple of months in butter commpartment in fridge
I used to spill more than I drink these days!

Post #9 made 13 years ago
by PistolPatch
Sorry we didn't give you a quick reply alanem :dunno:.

Very rarely would I ever get a creamy mixture like you are meant to when rehydrating yeast. They more often turned out like what you are describing and I never had a problem so I think you'll be fine :peace:.

I haven't bothered rehydrating for quite a few years and have never had a problem just sprinkling the dry yeast on to the top of the aerated wort. Not once have I failed to get a good fermentation.

I think the sprinkling on to the foam of the aerated wort allows the yeast to acclimatise to its new temperature and to the wort gravity nicely and may actually pose much less of a risk than an imperfect rehydration. (For example, a lot of tap water has chlorine in it which yeast hates.)

All should be good so don't worry ;).
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Post #10 made 13 years ago
by Squared
There was a nice article in BYO a few months back that challenged the need to rehydrate dry yeast. They concluded that there was negligable differences between the samples so they just told readers to do what makes them great beer. The theory is that dry yeast will absorb water through osmosis and restore its cellular functions to ferment, however, yeast in wort might take up other things that are toxic in their rehydration periods on route to fermentability.

Points:
-Both ways got the same FG in most cases, occasionally have rehydrated samples down by 2 points (ie 1.022 vs 1.020)(maybe more healthy?)
-Rehydration is another step, another way to contaminate, uses up time-probably only to 3V brewers ;)
-About half of the participants preferred the rehydrated...so basically its up to you.

Post #11 made 13 years ago
by alanem
I have some Nottingham in my fridge and I noticed on the packet it has to be rehydrated, not sure now what to do...
Last edited by alanem on 21 Jun 2012, 15:21, edited 1 time in total.
I used to spill more than I drink these days!

Post #12 made 13 years ago
by alanem
Squared wrote:There was a nice article in BYO a few months back that challenged the need to rehydrate dry yeast. They concluded that there was negligable differences between the samples so they just told readers to do what makes them great beer. The theory is that dry yeast will absorb water through osmosis and restore its cellular functions to ferment, however, yeast in wort might take up other things that are toxic in their rehydration periods on route to fermentability.

Points:
-Both ways got the same FG in most cases, occasionally have rehydrated samples down by 2 points (ie 1.022 vs 1.020)(maybe more healthy?)
-Rehydration is another step, another way to contaminate, uses up time-probably only to 3V brewers ;)
-About half of the participants preferred the rehydrated...so basically its up to you.
I guess you have put up a great case for "sprinkling yeast" and I think I tend to agree with regards to contamination and time wasted
and maybe that is the way to go for the best.
Last edited by alanem on 21 Jun 2012, 07:24, edited 3 times in total.
I used to spill more than I drink these days!

Post #13 made 13 years ago
by housecat
alanem wrote:I have some Nottingham in my fridge and I noticed on the packet it has to be dehydrated, not sure now what to do...

That looks like a typo to me. We only want to rehydrate dry yeast be it in tepid water or wort.
Personally I sprinkle it on top of the wort once I have aerated it. I'm lazy so this removes an extra step for me to do!

HC
Last edited by housecat on 21 Jun 2012, 09:07, edited 3 times in total.
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Post #14 made 13 years ago
by alanem
housecat wrote:
alanem wrote:I have some Nottingham in my fridge and I noticed on the packet it has to be dehydrated, not sure now what to do...

That looks like a typo to me. We only want to rehydrate dry yeast be it in tepid water or wort.
Personally I sprinkle it on top of the wort once I have aerated it. I'm lazy so this removes an extra step for me to do!

HC
Typo all fixed :thumbs:
Last edited by alanem on 21 Jun 2012, 15:23, edited 3 times in total.
I used to spill more than I drink these days!
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