Starter or no starter?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Eltenchiz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
54
Reaction score
0
Location
Hawthorne
Hi everyone!
I am going to brew soon and I had a question on making a starter or not.
About a month ago I washed some yeast I got from a saison and stored it in 4 jars in the fridge. This was the first time I have ever done this and was pretty excited about it. I'm all about being as thrifty as possible. The question I have is if I need to make a starter for these guys to get them active again prior to pitching or if I can just throw them in the fermenter? Also, if I am able to just throw them in. Should I dump majority of the water out still siting in the jars?
Thanks a lot
Mike
 
I would look for a calculator to figure out how much you have in the jar that you plan on using and see what you have to start. Then take a look at your OG of you future brew and go from there. As for the liquid I would decant all but what you need to get the yeast cake back into suspension.
 
thanks. i guess now i need to just figure how much i have. can i measure the amount in oz? i am not sure how to figure out the actual amount of yeast in the cakes.
 
Even if you don't need a starter for your cell count, it's never a bad idea to do a small starter to get your yeast active and make sure it is viable before pitching. Plus this will help fermentation to take off quicker.
 
Back
Top