Yeast starter necessary?

Ok, messed up my first batch and going to try another one. My question before I start in the morning is how necessary is making a yeast starter?

I'm brewing up a wheat beer (Boundary Waters Wheat from Midwest Supplies) using a vial of the White Labs yeast. Can I just pitch this in after I have cooled and aerated the wort? Or do I need to make the yeast starter a couple days before?

Thanks in advance!

I make a starter for every single batch, regardless of OG. That said... if your vial is FRESH, you can get away with pitching it straight into a 5 gallon batch if the OG is 1.050 or less (my opinion).

Its liquid, make a starter. Using starters has improved my beers ten fold. Will never go back. Plus they are fun! You also have more control over how much you pitch. Its hard to over pitch, under pitching is no bueno and pitching the right amount will give you better results.

Is there any specific DME to use for this starter? My recipe kit only came with LME, but most of the instructions in reading call for measuring out a DME to water/yeast ratio..

Brulosopher said:

I make a starter for every single batch, regardless of OG. That said... if your vial is FRESH, you can get away with pitching it straight into a 5 gallon batch if the OG is 1.050 or less (my opinion).

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Agreed. Would like to add that since you said it's a wheat beer, if the vial of yeast you're using is a hefeweizen yeast (not a neutral american strain) it's pretty common for people to underpitch a little to get better yeast character. Considering the gravity of your brew is probably sufficiently low to begin with, pitching the vial straight might even work better in this case. Unless it's just a neutral American strain, then go with what Brulosopher said. (probably still ok, but starter preferred)

WISAZ13 said:

Is there any specific DME to use for this starter? My recipe kit only came with LME, but most of the instructions in reading call for measuring out a DME to water/yeast ratio..

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Extra light dme. It will keep the color lighter for your style. Never tried lme before. The lme is prob for your recipe. You should just snag a # from you lhbs tmro.

WISAZ13 said:

Is there any specific DME to use for this starter? My recipe kit only came with LME, but most of the instructions in reading call for measuring out a DME to water/yeast ratio..

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Most folks do use a lighter DME for making starters, I prefer Pils DME myself. Since your kit was likely designed with no starter in mind, it would be most prudent for you to either ditch the starter this round (as previously mentioned, lower OG and the fact you're making a hefe reduces the necessity for a starter), or run to your lhbs for some DME. What kind of yeast are you using anyway? And what is the expected OG of the recipe?

Cheers, pal!

brulosopher said:

i make a starter for every single batch, regardless of og. That said... If your vial is fresh, you can get away with pitching it straight into a 5 gallon batch if the og is 1.050 or less (my opinion).

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+1

the only time i ever do not make a starter is if the yeast is a blend

ffaoe said:

the only time i ever do not make a starter is if the yeast is a blend

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Why is that? I've never heard that before.

I use extra light DME for all my starters and if you are going to begin making starters for your liquid yeast strains I would suggest you just order a few lbs of DME to have in stock. That being said it is common for people to underpitch Wheat/Hefe beers as stated to enhance the flavor profile assuming fresh yeast.

Brulosopher said:

Most folks do use a lighter DME for making starters, I prefer Pils DME myself. Since your kit was likely designed with no starter in mind, it would be most prudent for you to either ditch the starter this round (as previously mentioned, lower OG and the fact you're making a hefe reduces the necessity for a starter), or run to your lhbs for some DME. What kind of yeast are you using anyway? And what is the expected OG of the recipe?

Cheers, pal!

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This is the recipe:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/boundary-waters-wheat.html

The expected final gravity range is from 1.009-1.013.

The yeast is the White Labs pitchable vial (the exact strain I couldn't tell you until I got home). Obviously they say it is good to just toss in however I live here in AZ and it may have been sitting in a hot truck for a few hours before getting delivered so I'm wondering a bit...

It's a good idea to make a starter for any liquid yeast you've had shipped, particularly in the summer heat. Otherwise you may be pitching dead yeast into your wort and risking contamination before you have a chance to get more yeast.

As pretty much everyone else stated, if you're using liquid, make a starter. As far as gravity is concerned, I'm doubting many of us brew many beers of a low enough OG for one pack/vial to be enough, regardless of what the label on that pack/vial says. According to the more trusted pitch rate calcs, MrMalty and YeastCalc, one vial/pack is enough yeast for 5 gal of 1.028 wort, any higher OG and those calcs begin recommending a starter. Hefe shmefe, you may not be concerned about ester and phenol production, but surely you're concerned about a healthy and complete fermentation, make a starter.

TheMerkle said:

Why is that? I've never heard that before.

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You don't do a starter for blends because it throws off the ratios of different yeast or bugs when you pitch it in your wort. Examples would include wyeast lambic blend, white labs american farmhouse Saison, and many others. The ratios are specifically designed to create a certain flavor profile. A starter messes the ratios up because some yeast/brett/bacteria have different growth rates.

WISAZ13 said:

This is the recipe:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/boundary-waters-wheat.html

The expected final gravity range is from 1.009-1.013.

The yeast is the White Labs pitchable vial (the exact strain I couldn't tell you until I got home). Obviously they say it is good to just toss in however I live here in AZ and it may have been sitting in a hot truck for a few hours before getting delivered so I'm wondering a bit...

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Ah, most likely WLP320 - American Hefeweizen... a clean fermenting yeast. I'd make a starter, though with 1.043 OG and a well controlled fermentation (68F tops), you could likely pull off just pitching the vial. Let us know what you do and how it turns out!

Is a starter "necessary"? No. You can pitch your yeast straight from the vial and you'll still get beer. You might even get a very tasty beer.

However, you'll get much more consistent results if you take the time to calculate pitching rates and make an appropriate starter. Since starters are both cheap and easy, it makes a lot of sense to just make them a normal part of your brewing procedures.

Well I made the starter and the wort is boiling right now. My fermentation temperature will prob be the temp of my house (approx 72 degrees) so undecided to make it up. I can see little bubbles popping up in the starter so I guess it's working so far?!

Yeast starters make a HUGE difference. That said, like others have posted, if it's a 5 gallon batch I would suggest at least 2 vials of fresh liquid yeast. Remember to warm em up in your pocket while you are doing the brewing so they won't be sleepy heads.