Yeast starter

Hi all
I was thinking of making a yeast starter tommorow. How long does the yeast starter need to sit as i want to get this stout fermenting asap! Failing that i may just hydrate it in abit of water at about 20 celcius or should i just bung in the dry yeast and quit worrying?

Thanks.Josh.

First, don't worry.

If it is dry yeast, don't bother with a starter. There are more cells than you need there, likely. But re-hydrating is a great idea. Pitch that dry yeast into a small bowl of water half an hour before you need it. It's best to boil (microwave) the water, then chill to room temp, first.

If you have liquid yeast, it can take a couple of days to ferment out a starter depending on how old the yeast is. If you have the time, do it. If not.... don't worry!

Most of the time you don't need a starter for dry yeast. There's an article in BYO Magazine this month about whether or not you even need to hydrate.

Check out MrMalty if you really want to get b@lls deep into yeast starters and the nerd math behind it. I used it tonight to figure out how big of starter to use for a yeast that was made in August.

Mrmalty.com

Mrmalty.com

Think ill just hydrate it in half a cup of water as im aleready over the 5 uk gallon mark (about 5.25), or shall i just bung it in as i have a 25l bucket and i dont want the krausen to blow over;(

I also will be making a yeast starter for the first time, just bought an Imperial Mocha Stout kit that recommends doing a starter because of the high gravity. I will also try not to worry, but have not done this before, so I probably will! The kit provided the extra dme to make the starter and gives pretty good instructions so hopefully all will go well. Just need to find some time to brew! The wife already has me booked with holiday events, etc!

JT Kratzer - looking forward to Pens vs Flyers game on Thursday! Always the best games of the year! Is Pronger still out?