Yeast starter advice

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dmbnpj

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Just decided to brew on Saturday. Brewing this Saturday so we won't pitch the yeast until late Saturday afternoon/evening. Using White Labs 001 yeast on a stirplate. Just boiled a pint of water with 1/2 cup of DME. Would you recommend adding any more DME between now and then? Any other advice to assist on our short starter time would be great!

Thanks
 
I cant ever seem to figure out those yeast calculators so I just use a pint of water with 1/2 cup of DME as stated in the "How to Brew" book.

The recipe says:
OG=1.074
FG=1.014

Its a clone of Pliny the Elder
 
My rule of thumb is to make 2L starters for all ales and 4L starters for lagers. Depending on the viability of your yeast (I.e., the date it was bottled) you may need a bit more or less.

I use 100g of DME per liter (200g for 2L and 400g for 4L). Let it rip for 3 or 4 days.

PS, I generally use older yeast - I've not had a problem with any yeast and some as old as 6 or 7 months.
 
This is a helpful video from Whitelabs on making a yeast starter.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
sikkingj said:
My rule of thumb is to make 2L starters for all ales and 4L starters for lagers. Depending on the viability of your yeast (I.e., the date it was bottled) you may need a bit more or less.

I use 100g of DME per liter (200g for 2L and 400g for 4L). Let it rip for 3 or 4 days.
Click to expand...

I have a 2000mL flask and when I tried making a 2L starter last time with the flask the liquid ended up overflowing out of the top of my flask. How do you prevent this from happening in making such a large starter?
 
sikkingj said:
My rule of thumb is to make 2L starters for all ales and 4L starters for lagers. Depending on the viability of your yeast (I.e., the date it was bottled) you may need a bit more or less.

I use 100g of DME per liter (200g for 2L and 400g for 4L). Let it rip for 3 or 4 days./QUOTE]

I have a 2000mL flask and when I tried making a 2L starter last time with the flask the liquid ended up overflowing out of the top of my flask. How do you prevent this from happening in making such a large starter?
Click to expand...

A drop or two of Fermcap-S does the trick for me. Never had a big starter blowoff.
 
Why do the folks at White Labs and Wyeast always say that a starter isn't usually necessary? I come on here and it's almost a given that you should do it.
 
MaxStout said:
A drop or two of Fermcap-S does the trick for me. Never had a big starter blowoff.
Click to expand...

Using this, how can you tell that the starter fermented? I usually see residue from foam on the inside of the flask well above the liquid.
 
OKCAg2002 said:
Why do the folks at White Labs and Wyeast always say that a starter isn't usually necessary? I come on here and it's almost a given that you should do it.
Click to expand...


They are correct - your beer will ferment, but a source of a a lot of off flavors is under pitching your yeast. The yeast become stressed and generate off flavors. A good healthy starter will allow the beer to begin fermenting I as little as 2-4 hrs. And produce a better cleaner tasting beer.

Lagers almost always require a starter because you are pitching the yeast into a cooler batch of wort.
 
If you are getting blow off, you could try stepping up - do 1l, chill until the yeast drops, decant the liquid, and pour new starter wort onto the yeast to resume the build up.
 

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