To re-hydrate or not to re-hydrate, that is the question....

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jjacobs

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I'm brewin' up a chrismas beer this weekend that calls for Safale S-04. This is the first time I've used dry yeast - I've always used a Wyeast smack pack to this point.

Expected OG: 1.063
Expected FG: 1.016

I've got two questions: 1) do I need (or should I) prepare a starter? and 2) do I need to re-hydrate the yeast?

As dumb as this may sound, if I should re-hydrate, how do I go about doing this? I've never had to do it before and I don't wanna screw anything up.
 
You don't need a starter for dry yeast. It is recommended that you rehydrate. The instructions are usually on the pack. Here is the instructions straight from Danstar's website:

REHYDRATION AND USAGE TIPS

Pitching Rate: 1g/L
Windsor Ale Yeast

Step 1.

* Sprinkle the yeast on the surface of ten (10) times its weight of clean, sterilized (boiled) tap water
at 30 - 35°C (86° - 95°F)

* DO NOT STIR !!!

* Leave undisturbed for 15 minutes at 30 - 35°C (86° - 95°F)

* Foam or no foam is not an indication of vitality



Step 2.

* After 15 minutes stir until all yeast is suspended

* Leave undisturbed for another 5 minutes.

* Adjust temperature of solution to that of the wort in 10°C (18°F) steps, by adding small amounts
of wort at 5 minutes intervals and mixing gently (ATTEMPERATION)


Step 3.

* After attemperation inoculate without delay.

* Aeration of wort is not necessary.
Click to expand...
 
You need to rehydrate, yes. Sprinkle yeast into 1 cup of 100F water for 30 minutes. This isn't really set in stone though. Basically, just add yeast to some hot water (not too hot) and let it sit for awhile.

As for your starter, I make one for anything above 1.050, but that's me. A starter wouldn't hurt, but it's not mandatory. Some say it's not important with dry yeast, but I do them anyways.
 
You do not need a starter. Just use the pitching rate calculator to pitch the correct amount of yeast.

There is a lot of debate about whether to re hydrate or not. The short answer is that either way you will be making beer. If you rehydrate you will probably be making better beer.

Lots of the yeast will die when poured into wort if they are not re hydrated. Then you will under pitch and toss a bunch of dead yeast cells into your beer.
 
Suthrncomfrt1884 said:
You need to rehydrate, yes. Sprinkle yeast into 1 cup of 100F water for 30 minutes. This isn't really set in stone though. Basically, just add yeast to some hot water (not too hot) and let it sit for awhile.

As for your starter, I make one for anything above 1.050, but that's me. A starter wouldn't hurt, but it's not mandatory. Some say it's not important with dry yeast, but I do them anyways.
Click to expand...

it was always cheaper with dry to just pitch two packets but now its about the same. And I always rehydrate the yeast because I have had some dudes lately. They did absolutely nothing but clump at the bottom of the jar.
 
Take this with a grain of salt, because I don't do anything right. Right before i turn off the heat on my boil, I rinse out my bucket again, but I don't pour the rinse water out real good. That leaves just a little water in the bucket. I pitch the yeast in that little puddle of water. Then I cool my wort and pour it in the bucket.

The main reason I do it that way is so I don't forget to add the yeast. I have never forgoten to add the yeast.

If my little yeast buddies can hydrate themselves in that little puddle during my 20 minute cool down, then good for them. ö¿ö
 
mrk305 said:
Take this with a grain of salt, because I don't do anything right. Right before i turn off the heat on my boil, I rinse out my bucket again, but I don't pour the rinse water out real good. That leaves just a little water in the bucket. I pitch the yeast in that little puddle of water. Then I cool my wort and pour it in the bucket.

The main reason I do it that way is so I don't forget to add the yeast. I have never forgoten to add the yeast.

If my little yeast buddies can hydrate themselves in that little puddle during my 20 minute cool down, then good for them. ö¿ö
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be able to do a gravity reading if I did mine like this. My Keggle is too wide and when I do 5 gallon batches, my hydrometer just sits on the bottom of the keg. I need to dump it in the fermentor and take a reading before I add yeast.
 
Suthrncomfrt1884 said:
I wouldn't be able to do a gravity reading if I did mine like this. My Keggle is too wide and when I do 5 gallon batches, my hydrometer just sits on the bottom of the keg. I need to dump it in the fermentor and take a reading before I add yeast.
Click to expand...


Having some yeast in your wort will not throw off the gravity reading. The yeast is in suspension yes but not in the solution . just like Hot and cold break have no effect . The Hydrometer only measures whats in solution.

look at it this way if the yeast did throw off the hydrometer than FG readings would be useless without a correction calculator
 
FWIW... When using dry yeast like S-04 I like to dip a sauce pan in my brewpot at about 30 minutes into the boil and get a quart or so of wort. Wipe the wort off the outside off the pan and cool it to 80F. Pitch the yeast and gently stir for about 20 minutes & then let sit covered. After the wort is cooled & ready for the fermenter I add some cooled wort to the yeast to balance the temp. When the fermenter is filled & aerated I add the yeast.
 
mrk305 said:
Take this with a grain of salt, because I don't do anything right. Right before i turn off the heat on my boil, I rinse out my bucket again, but I don't pour the rinse water out real good. That leaves just a little water in the bucket. I pitch the yeast in that little puddle of water. Then I cool my wort and pour it in the bucket.

only problem here is you just undid your sanitizing. And the water isn't warm enough to properly rehydrate

The main reason I do it that way is so I don't forget to add the yeast. I have never forgoten to add the yeast.

If my little yeast buddies can hydrate themselves in that little puddle during my 20 minute cool down, then good for them. ö¿ö
Click to expand...

You could be setting the condition for an infection. Although if the yeast start quickly they will overtake whatever else in there but why take a chance. I get the water above 180° for about 10 minutes and then let it cool to around 85° then I pitch the yeast to rehydrate.Then I add some of the wort to the slurry in steps to balance the temps between the two. I may go overboard but I have yet had one done this way take longer that 6-8 hours to kick in.
 
springer said:
Having some yeast in your wort will not throw off the gravity reading. The yeast is in suspension yes but not in the solution . just like Hot and cold break have no effect . The Hydrometer only measures whats in solution.

look at it this way if the yeast did throw off the hydrometer than FG readings would be useless without a correction calculator
Click to expand...

I guess you're right... I never thought about it like that.
 
springer said:
You could be setting the condition for an infection. Although if the yeast start quickly they will overtake whatever else in there but why take a chance. I get the water above 180° for about 10 minutes and then let it cool to around 85° then I pitch the yeast to rehydrate.Then I add some of the wort to the slurry in steps to balance the temps between the two. I may go overboard but I have yet had one done this way take longer that 6-8 hours to kick in.
Click to expand...

You are right. That's why I qualifide my answer with " I don't do anything right."

(except make pretty darn good beer)
 
I like this video advice from Mark Emiley of the Washington Homebrewers Association on how to rehydrate safale yeast packs.

I never used to rehydrate, had a few bad batches. I used Mark's method and my beer did turn out a lot cleaner tasting.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
the only thing I noticed that he did wrong is stir in the yeast after he poured it into the rehydration liquid. The directions specifically say sprinkle on, the DO NOT STIR for 15 min. After 15 min, you stir, then pitch.
 
Take this for whatever it's worth - I have never rehydrated any dry yeast. Once the wort reaches the temperature range recommended, I pitch dry yeast right into the fermenter. Except for experience with Nottingham and their poorly sealed packets earlier this year, I have never had a ferment fail to start or had to repitch in seven or eight years of brewing.
 
SteveM said:
Take this for whatever it's worth - I have never rehydrated any dry yeast. Once the wort reaches the temperature range recommended, I pitch dry yeast right into the fermenter. Except for experience with Nottingham and their poorly sealed packets earlier this year, I have never had a ferment fail to start or had to repitch in seven or eight years of brewing.
Click to expand...

I don't think the idea is that your beer won't ferment if you don't rehydrate, but that you'll get a better fermentation if you do.
 
I do this while my mash water is heating up or while the grains are mashing since I have some free time.

I use a Qt mason jar. Fill it with water. Pour the water into a small sauce pot and add the lid and jar cover into the water. Boil it for 5 mins then remove from heat and let sit for 5 mins. Pour the hot water into the jar and cover with the lid and let sit until it feels warm.

Put the yeast pkt into a small bowl of sanitizer with your scissors. This prevents infection. Let sit for 5 or 10mins. Once the jar is warm, open it up and pour the yeast in and cover again.

DO NOT STIR!!!!!!!

Let the yeast settle to the bottom (about 10 mins), then swirl and shake before you add it to your fermenter.
 
Suthrncomfrt1884 said:
I wouldn't be able to do a gravity reading if I did mine like this. My Keggle is too wide and when I do 5 gallon batches, my hydrometer just sits on the bottom of the keg. I need to dump it in the fermentor and take a reading before I add yeast.
Click to expand...

Just use a theif or turkey baster to fill up a test tube, and drop the hydro in thier, then it wont matter how deep the kettle is. I think its a bit more sanitary to do it that way as well, but I could just be spitting bull...
 

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