I add yeast to my cooled wort and shake the crap out of it. Is that wrong?

Hey all,

I learned that I have to oxygenate the beer for the yeasties to work well. I'm using dry yeast, and I figure I want to mix them well throughout the wort.

So, what I've done three times now is boil, cool, transfer to carboy, sprinkle the yeast in, and then pick up the carboy (with my sanitized hand covering the opening) and shake it like a Polaroid picture. I have gotten three good fermentations (two that I've actually tasted and one that I am about to bottle, but everything looked OK with the Kreusen).

But is what I'm doing harmful or risky in some way?

Nope. That works fine. Just don't drop the carboy.

I keep mine on the ground and shake it. If I'm not in the grass, I make sure I'm on a floormat or rug or something (if nothing else, that helps me keep the thing in place).

You really don't want to drop that carboy. Besides the obvious fact that you will lose a batch of beer, you also risk some serious lacerations. It's not worth the risk when you have such an easy fix.


TL

Not that is really matters, but I oxygenate before I add the yeast. The yeast doesn't have to be mixed as it knows what to do. I do tend to give the yeast a stir after adding, but I don't think that it is necessary.

I bought a wine stirrer. I put it in the end of a drill and it gets nice and bubbly. It cost $20. However what you are doing is fine. I just almost dropped a wet carboy doing that, and it scared me.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/winemaking/wine-equipment/wine-fermenting-equipment/wine-mixing-degas/mix-stir-plastic-24.html

peripatetic said:

So, what I've done three times now is boil, cool, transfer to carboy, sprinkle the yeast in, and then pick up the carboy (with my sanitized hand covering the opening) and shake it like a Polaroid picture. I have gotten three good fermentations (two that I've actually tasted and one that I am about to bottle, but everything looked OK with the Kreusen).

But is what I'm doing harmful or risky in some way?

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Don't know what yeast you are using, but Safale (US-05, etc) and Danstar (Nottingham, etc) recommend letting the yeast rehydrate before shaking.

You can rehydrate prior to pitching using boiled then cooled water to gently reawaken the yeast or rehydrate in wort by pitching directly from the package. Either way you choose to rehydrate (so far it seems like you favor option 2) you should let the yeast sit for 15 or so minutes before shaking the carboy like a polaroid.

I've been reading about rehydrating. I think I just had an "aha moment" when I realized that rehydrating yeast and creating a yeast starter were two different things. However, I don't really understand the difference between them. Can someone help me out?

Let's keep it simple and assume I'm using dry yeast. I thought there were two choices, but now it looks like there are at least three. And, of course, more than three if you throw in liquid yeast.

Rehydrating just means that you put yeast in about a cup of warm water about an 30 minutes before pitching. It's really easy to do, and while it may not be absolutely necessary (some people have lots of luck with just sprinkling the yeast over the aerated wort), it's probably a good idea.

Making a starter is something you usually only do with liquid yeast, since those vials or packets start out with fewer yeast cells than dry packets do. It basically involves boiling a few liters of water and extract together, then adding the yeast and stirring for a few days. Making a starter helps ensure that the yeast is healthy and strong enough to tackle the amount of wort you're throwing it in.

If you're just starting out, I'd highly recommend getting the hang of things with dry yeast. It's a lot easier to deal with, and does a great job for most recipes! Just my $0.02.

Palefire said:

It basically involves boiling a few liters of water and extract together, then adding the yeast and stirring for a few days.

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DAYS?!? Yikes. Yes, it's dry yeast for me for now. Thanks for the concise info.

peripatetic said:

DAYS?!? Yikes. Yes, it's dry yeast for me for now.

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More like 12-24 hours for me (on a stir plate) - the benefit is a much wider variety of yeast strains.

And, I think you should post a video of the "Polaroid shaking" technique.

When baking bread, you often "proof" the yeast, which means putting it in a cup of warm water with some sugar. If it bubbles, it's good. You wouldn't want to add bad yeast to your bread. Same with beer.

I'll see if I can get it on film.

Actually, it isn't too dangerous for me, since I use the Better Bottle rather than a glass carboy. I don't think I'd try that with a glass one. Yes, there is still some risk of dropping it; maybe I have too much faith in my vice-like gripping abilities.