Directly pitchable yeast. - Page 3

**Brandon O** · 02-18-2009, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowend

Most of the dry yeasts that I've been using say that they're directly pitchable. Still, I've been going through the hydrating process just to be careful. Has anyone tried sprinkling the yeast directly onto the wort? It sounds so much easier, but somehow it just doesn't sound right.

I have never rehydrated nottingham. It's incredibly consisten and vigorous every time.

Qdog · 02-18-2009, 07:30 PM

been using safale 05 and I actually inspect every little yeast nugget to insure it is smiling and not frowning prior to pitching.......

just kidding

i just chuck the whole thing in there and stir the hell outta it. Never failed thus far

HP_Lovecraft · 02-18-2009, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

The brew might be more estery than it should be. It may hang a few points above the desired FG. If you're trying to brew the best possible beer, why cut corners?

Though, there is something that Chris White said, from White Labs during a Brewcast, that changed my opinion about yeast.

He said that most homebrewers OVER pitch. To make good beer, you are supposed to have a certain lag time for flavors to develop. Pitching massive amounts of starters REDUCES those flavors (ie esters, etc).

He went so far to say that making starters is bad, unless you are making an extremely high gravity beer. Reusing cake is the worst thing, since the yeast at the bottom is the least healthy yeast. Both dry yeast, and liquid vials are designed to provide the ideal number of yeast cells, given the environment of a typical wort, adjusting for a certain percentage of die.

What he said goes against everything I learned, but since then, I stuck to his advice, and tried to allow for a healthy amount of lag sutable for the style I'm shooting for.

**Bobby_M** · 02-18-2009, 09:01 PM

I hate to idolize anyone and I'm still not doing it here, but if Jamil tells me how much yeast I should be pitching, I'll probably trust that the answer is good, if not great advice. The pitch calculator is there for anyone to use or disregard. I simply don't believe that "most home brewers over pitch". I think it's exactly the opposite unless you're talking about those who consistently pitch on full yeast cakes by default regardless of the desired outcome. I think more people DON'T make starters than do.

What's under pitching in my opinion? A single WL vile in ANY beer, a WYpropagator in any beer, an Activator pack in wort over 1.060 and an 11 gram dry yeast pack straight pitched in wort over 1.060. That's my 2 cents.

Overpitching is probably less of a problem when the end result is just a cleaner yeast flavor profile than the style may dictate. Grossly oversimplified, but it can make an ale taste more like a lager than you were going for.

If you want to make the best beer possible attention to these details is pretty important and "good enough" is a poor philosophy. If you're more about RDWHAHB, then more power to you.

**Brandon O** · 02-18-2009, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

I think more people DON'T make starters than do.

If you're more about RDWHAHB, then more power to you.

/agreed 12345

yeoldebrewer · 02-19-2009, 10:06 AM

So what would be the upper OG limit for pitching dry yeast directly to sterile wort or pitching re-hydrated dry yeast? Can you compensate for not using a big starter or yeast cake on a big beer by just pitching more dry yeast?