Help Creating a Yeast Starter

Hi Guys,
I wanted to try making a yeast starter for my next batch of beer (brewing my third batch of beer this weekend).

I would like your input on the procedure as I understand it:

Steps to Make a Yeast Starter:
1. Mix ½ pound (~2cups) of DME in 1.5L water
2. Boil for 15 minute s
3. Sanitarily cool this quickly to Pitching temps
4. Take the mixture and pour it into a 2L container
5. Pitch the yeast
6. Cover (it doesn’t need to be air tight) with aluminum foil and put away. You want some oxygen.
7. Approximately 24 hours before you use it, put the container in the fridge to increase flocculation
8. Right before pitching, dump out the clear liquid on top
9. Pitch into your Wort like normal on brew day.

One additional question I have is when you dump out the clearer liquid on top, won't the yeast be caked to the bottom of the bowl? How do you ensure you get all the yeast out?

Yup - you're on the right track. Add the DME when you put the water on the heat. You do not need to wait for a smack-pack to expand. I aerate the wort by swirling it after cooling and pitching the yeast (also mixes the yeast into the started). I just leave mine at room temp. If you're going to decant prior to pitching, leave about an inch of liquid. That way, you can swirl it and resuspend the yeast to ensure that you get all of it pitched.

I generally aim for an OG of ~1.035 for my starters. This comes out to about 6 oz DME per 1/2 gallon water. You're a little higher than that, but I don't know if that's a problem. The theory is that you're trying to propogate yeast, not make beer.

It really doesn't matter when you mix the DME into the water; it dissolves faster if the water is hot, and you probably don't want to do it while boiling (just to avoid boilovers). But whatever works for you is fine, no biggie.

Because I don't have a stir plate yet, I give the jug a good swirl several times a day until I crash-cool. Yes, pour off the "beer" portion, but keep a bit of it to make it easier to swirl up the yeast into a slurry. Then pitch that. It's really not that tricky.

I've only made a couple starters myself but for 2a I've always added once the water is boiling. For 6b lots of people use stir plates to get as much air in as possible or you can shake it by hand a few times a day. To get the yeast out of the container just leave a little of the liquid in and shake it like crazy. Lots of people also use flasks to do starters, I used a big canning jar cause that's what I had laying around, but I wouldn't do it in a bowl. I'm also not sure about doing a starter at higher temps. Check this out too.

ImNewToBrew said:

1. Mix ½ pound (~2cups) of DME in 1.5L water

Click to expand...

aim for an OG of ~1040 on whatever size starter you're making and using whatever materials you use (DME/LME/Mini-mash/wort from another beer)

ImNewToBrew said:

2. Boil for 15 minutes

a. Do you add the DME after the water as reached a boil or before?​

Click to expand...

I bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, add/mix the DME and return to the heat for 10 minutes. 10 minutes is overkill at boiling temps but I put the lid mostly over the top of the pan to sanitize the side of the pot with steam.

ImNewToBrew said:

3. Sanitarily cool this quickly to Pitching temps

Click to expand...

Can be done in the pot or the flask. **CAUTION** only pour boiling liquid into a glass container if you know it borosilicate else it may shatter. Just use an ice bath and target room temp, not too cold.

ImNewToBrew said:

4. Take the mixture and pour it into a 2L container

Click to expand...

see 3

ImNewToBrew said:

5. Pitch the yeast

a. If using Wyeast or WL you don’t need to wait for the package to expand, you can pitch right after hitting the smack pack.​

b. Do you need to aerate the Wort?​

Click to expand...

Pitch after aerating. shaking the container is fine, so is a stone and O2. No need to smack pack it but why not? smack and pour right in.

ImNewToBrew said:

6. Cover (it doesn’t need to be air tight) with aluminum foil and put away. You want some oxygen.

a. Higher temps (75F) are better for this since you want rapid fermentation​

Click to expand...

I cover with snug (not tight) foil that has had StarSan rubbed on the underside. You WANT O2 exchange when growing yeast (unlike when making beer). Room temp is appropriate or in a fermentation chamber if you have one.

ImNewToBrew said:

7. Approximately 24 hours before you use it, put the container in the fridge to increase flocculation

Click to expand...

Let it run for at least 24 hours before stepping up or crashing. Crash in a fridge overnight if able.

ImNewToBrew said:

8. Right before pitching, dump out the clear liquid on top

Click to expand...

Don't dump, decant/siphon. Pouring will agitate the yeast and you'll be pouring a bunch out. Remove as much of the liquid as possible without removing yeast. If you're out of time, just pour the whole thing into your beer.

ImNewToBrew said:

9. Pitch into your Wort like normal on brew day.

Click to expand...

Get the yeast to room pitching temp for the beer. Agitate lightly and pour into the wort.

ImNewToBrew said:

One additional question I have is when you dump out the clearer liquid on top, won't the yeast be caked to the bottom of the bowl? How do you ensure you get all the yeast out?

Click to expand...

Just decant 'most' of it out. I decant as much as I can and pour about 1-2 cups of boiled and chilled water into the flask to shake and pitch.

Thanks everyone for all your help. Greatly appreciated. I have modified my process based on your input.