HighGravity
Well-Known Member
First time using liquid yeast and don't want to mess it up....
My plan is to brew at least 10 five gallon batches of pilsner over the winter using two types of Wyeast 50mL packs: Czech Pils and Pils Urquell. I've made a 1.5 litre starter for each, but only one seems to have taken off and may be ready today for pitching. The other shows the smallest amount of life, it was also the pack that never swelled after smacking. Could someone help me out with the questions below?
1 - Is it possible to delay doing both batches until the slow starter catches up? I missed my free time for brewing and can't brew for another 4-6 days now. Today is the starters day 2, and I am adding another 450 mL of LME wort to the bottles.
2 - I didn't realize that I needed to refridgerate the starter and pour off most of the beer before pitching the slurry into either a new starter or the wort. Could I cheat and use some yeast nutrient and dextrose instead of LME? With the cost of the LME and smack packs I've already spent $23 for these 2 starters and the slow one may never build up.
3 - If the starters are successful, can I keep 1/4 of them when pitching for the fridge, then do a new starter a week early for the next batch and repeat?
Sorry for the long post, there seems to be so many methods of reusing yeast out there but I still don't get it. I'm not using a stir plate, just sanitized 2L pop bottles in the closet that have a hole drilled in the cap, with a rubber seal with a tiny hole that only vents under pressure.
Thanks!
My plan is to brew at least 10 five gallon batches of pilsner over the winter using two types of Wyeast 50mL packs: Czech Pils and Pils Urquell. I've made a 1.5 litre starter for each, but only one seems to have taken off and may be ready today for pitching. The other shows the smallest amount of life, it was also the pack that never swelled after smacking. Could someone help me out with the questions below?
1 - Is it possible to delay doing both batches until the slow starter catches up? I missed my free time for brewing and can't brew for another 4-6 days now. Today is the starters day 2, and I am adding another 450 mL of LME wort to the bottles.
2 - I didn't realize that I needed to refridgerate the starter and pour off most of the beer before pitching the slurry into either a new starter or the wort. Could I cheat and use some yeast nutrient and dextrose instead of LME? With the cost of the LME and smack packs I've already spent $23 for these 2 starters and the slow one may never build up.
3 - If the starters are successful, can I keep 1/4 of them when pitching for the fridge, then do a new starter a week early for the next batch and repeat?
Sorry for the long post, there seems to be so many methods of reusing yeast out there but I still don't get it. I'm not using a stir plate, just sanitized 2L pop bottles in the closet that have a hole drilled in the cap, with a rubber seal with a tiny hole that only vents under pressure.
Thanks!