"starter" when using liquid yeast

is it still prudent to use a starter even when the yeast is liquid such as WLP-001?

i'm assuming yes, but that it's also not necessary.

gator

A large starter is always the best option, but never a necessity. AFAIK, the only time a starter is not recommended is when using dry yeasts. In that case, you simply use additional yeast packets in lieu of making a starter.

Using a starter is one of the best things you can do for the beer. I've successfully made lots of beer just pitching the yeast directly, but my best have been with the starters. That may only be a coincidence, but the experts pretty much agree that a starter is worth the time and effort.

yes, starters are essential for liquid yeasts... supposedly you can pitch the activator packs after they swell, but i (and many others), still like to make a starter... this is a great site for calculating how big of a starter to make:

Mr Malty Pitching Rate Calculator

New question with the same topic - I don't have any dme around, can I make starter out of 3/4 cup of sugar with a pint of water?

android said:

yes, starters are essential for liquid yeasts... supposedly you can pitch the activator packs after they swell, but i (and many others), still like to make a starter... this is a great site for calculating how big of a starter to make:

Mr Malty Pitching Rate Calculator

Click to expand...

+1 for Mr Malty has tons of great info on starters. It really is the place that made me understand the importance and logic behind the use of a starter.

MarkSheffield said:

New question with the same topic - I don't have any dme around, can I make starter out of 3/4 cup of sugar with a pint of water?

Click to expand...

Do not use table sugar or corn sugar to make a starter, the yeast eat those sugars up first, and if you make a starter using those sugars they will be ready to consume those sugars and may have a hard time digesting maltose during fermentation of the wort, I dont know the exact particulars, but I have read it here on HBT many times, do a search on starters and you will run into exaclty why, or someone else will chime in with a better explanation. In any case it is not a good idea to use table sugar or corn sugar for a starter.

MarkSheffield said:

New question with the same topic - I don't have any dme around, can I make starter out of 3/4 cup of sugar with a pint of water?

Click to expand...

No- it'd be better to not make a starter at all than to acclimate the yeast to eating simple sugars.

If you're AG, it's good to always have a pack of DME in the cupboard. I bought a three pound bag a couple of years ago, just for starters.

Great - thank you, the explanations made complete sense. I can juggle things to get some DME tomorrow and still be on for brewing Sunday (it's Father's day, you know)

rgds - Mark

Heh, 3 lbs of DME is one starter for me Well I make several and can it for later use in 1 qt mason jars.

I've pitched from the smack pack onto a bunch of beers and it's been fine. I also make starters for some (and probably will do so more in the future now that I have a 5L flask). For some it seems optional (and you could also run the risk of overpitching), but for bigger beers it's necessary.

YooperBrew said:

If you're AG, it's good to always have a pack of DME in the cupboard. I bought a three pound bag a couple of years ago, just for starters.

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Mash a 1.040 wort. Boil 15 min. NO HOPS. Bottle it in bombers (22oz). No yeast. Use it, later, in place of the DME in your starters. DME is too expensive.

I made up a starter for this latest batch. Was a starter from a split up wyeast pack and I pitched it a bit over 24 hours later at high krausen. It was slow to take off so I'm thinking next time I'm better off waiting 48 hours, chilling it and then pouring in only the yeast slurry. Some say the starter will impart off flavours if all poured in but i've read and seen people do it. Its a hoppy APA.

It was only a 1L starter that I that was required so thats not a lot of volume to pour into a full fermenter I guess.

First time I've used liquid yeast and want to hone my technique on timing my starters to pitching on brew day.

I normally pitch my entire starter, I recently built a stirplate, so I let them grow fo 18-24 hours and try to pitch at high krausen, if for some reason my efforts get derailed, I will let it sit on the stirplate for about 48 hours and then stick it in the fridge.

Pitching your entire starter causing off flavors is debateable, if your starter wort is ~1.040 you shouldn't stress the yeast too much, and if your temps are controlled (not too hot) I don't see where a considerable amount of off-flavors can come from.

As you stated, if you're pitching 1 liter into 18.5 Liters how much could it affect it. Plus the yeast are going to stay in their aerobic state and continue to reproduce until all available oxygen is gone, so they are basically doing what they were in the starter to begin with. Plus if you extend your primary, some of the off-flavors that may have devolped will be reduced. The yeasties "clean-up" after themselves to some extent.

I also brewed an APA last Sunday, and I will leave it in the primary for 21 days, then I will dry-hop (in the primary) for an addition 7 or so days. This will be my first APA.