Rehydrating Yeast

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BrewProject

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I have done three brews so far. I used the dry yeast packets that came with the kits for each batch.

I now have a 4th kit sitting here with more dry yeast.

My questions are about rehydrating the yeast.

Is there more to it than just seeing if your yeast is alive?

Does it help with fermentation if you rehydrate?

Also my most recent kit came with 2 packets? What is up with that?

Ok, one more question, what are the advantages of liquid yeast?

Ok, one more, if i mail order most of my kits, should i stick with dry yeast packs?
or should i look to my LHBS to buy some liquid yeast?

thanks much :mug:
 
I have used both dry and liquid, and most recently used a smakpak. So far I like making starters from the dry yeast better. I know about 1 day before brew day if its alive.

The little white lab vials are cool though.
 
Yes, rehydrating is just basiclly ensuring the yeast is alive. It is not like making a starter, which tells you that you have viable yeast, but also builds up the cell count and prepares the little guys for mass consumption of sugars.

Some kits can come with 2 packets, especially if it's a stronger brew. Doubling the yeast can only help.

You generally have a greater variey in yeast strains with liquid yeast. Although they are often advertized as "pitchable", making a starter with them is also very beneficial.
 
Jetsers said:
I have used both dry and liquid, and most recently used a smakpak. So far I like making starters from the dry yeast better. I know about 1 day before brew day if its alive.

The little white lab vials are cool though.
Click to expand...

what do you mean by a starter? is that the same as just rehydrating?

John Palmer mentions in his book to rehydratre the yeast in 1 cup of water at 95-105 degrees.

then he says proof it with a teaspoon of malt extract that has been boiled in 1/4 cup of water.

what's a smakpak?

what do you do with your yeast for a full day? refrigerate it?

thanks again :mug:
 
Brewsmith said:
Yes, rehydrating is just basiclly ensuring the yeast is alive. It is not like making a starter, which tells you that you have viable yeast, but also builds up the cell count and prepares the little guys for mass consumption of sugars.

Some kits can come with 2 packets, especially if it's a stronger brew. Doubling the yeast can only help.

You generally have a greater variey in yeast strains with liquid yeast. Although they are often advertized as "pitchable", making a starter with them is also very beneficial.
Click to expand...


so is a starter the step Palmer calls "proofing" ?
 
A lot of brewers use the smack pak or the White Labs vial and grow more yeast with a starter. You would make a roughly 1.040 gravity solution with DME and after it cools down to 70 or so add the liquid yeast. The starter will ferment for a day or two and you will surprised as to how much more yeast you have to pitch into your wort. A good yeast count will ensure that your beer ferments well and thoroughly so that you get a better beer. The 11 gram dry yeast packets contain enough yeast cells that starters are not needed but rehydrating just before pitching gets them ready to do their work. There should be plenty of info on this Forum on yeast starters.
 
glibbidy said:
Switch to liquid yeast please, you'll be happier with the results.
Click to expand...

how so, will it make for better tasting beer, better fermentation or both?

thanks:mug:

ok, i am reading more of Chapter 6 in Palmers book and it is answering some of my questions...
 
Proofing is taking the dried yeast and adding it to some warm water and sugar to see if it's alive. This can be done right before pitching the yeast, although I wouldn't reccomend it. This does not build up the cell count. It only ensures that the yeast is alive.

Making a starter is like making a mini batch off beer. You boil some malt extract in some water, maybe a half cup to a cup, and chill it and add it to a sanitized jar, or better yet, do it in a flask that can be put on the stove itself. Then add the yeast. The yeast ferments the sugars and multiplies, telling you the yeast is alive and giving you more yeast to pitch. This is done a few days before brewing and can be repeated to build up a ton of yeast, especially for a high gravity brew.

I would reccomend always doing a starter, regardless of the gravity. You know if the yeast is alive before hand, which takes the surprise out of brew day when you find out your yeast is dead and you have nothing to pitch.
 
When dry yeast is thrown into wort a signifigant number of yeast cells implode as their cell walls are not yet strong enough. Hydrating yeast as per direction ensures they yeast is in a more robust state, ready for pitching.
 
thanks guys after reading more of Palmer and reading your answers it is starting to make more sense...

i will definately rehydrate for this next batch, a Double Chocolate Stout.

i will continue to learn and read about starters so i can start using that techinique as well...

so more viable yeast = better fermentation, better attenuation, more ABV, correct?
 
I just wanted to ask something for clarification. I plan on using dry yeast but also want to make a starter. Would it be best to first hydrate the dry yeast in a cup of 80dF pre-boiled water (in a sanitized container of course) for 30 minutes and then add in a cup of cooled starter wort?

I planned on using one cup of DME in one cup of water boiled then chilled to 70-80dF. Any old sanitized tupperware would work if I throw an airlock in it right?

Does this starter have to be boiled more than 15 minutes or so?

How many days do you guys usually wait until brewing your full batch?

Thanks so much.

Bobby
 
Bobby_M said:
I plan on using dry yeast but also want to make a starter.
Click to expand...

If you're worried about cell count, just pitch two packets of dried yeast. Starters are mainly used with liquid yeasts.
 
I would not waist your $ or time with liquid yeast unless you wanted a specaulty yeast.
Most of your modern dry yeast can be pitched on your wort. And for that mater you can buy 3 packs of dry for the price of one tube of whith lab, and if liquid yeast was so good why do you have to make a starter. Something to think about i have used liquid yeast 2 times and dry yeast for over 15 years making 2-3 batches a month
 
Hmm, interesting conflicting things going around about the benefits of making starters regardless of yeast type. From what I've been reading, it's mostly done to bring cellcount up to a point where latency is reduced. THis is supposed to reduce chances of contimination and at the very least you're proofing that you have enough viable yeast to get it moving. Not so much?

Bobby
 
Fatabbot said:
If you're worried about cell count, just pitch two packets of dried yeast. Starters are mainly used with liquid yeasts.
Click to expand...

I've mainly used dry yeast. With my most recent batches, I rehydrated it in 95-100 dF boiled water. There was a noticable difference between this and previous fermentations. The krausen was about 1" higher, indicating (as far as I know) a more vigorous and healthy fermentation; the airlock activity was also faster, and the fermentation began sooner than when pitching dry.
 
Evan! said:
I've mainly used dry yeast. With my most recent batches, I rehydrated it in 95-100 dF boiled water. There was a noticable difference between this and previous fermentations. The krausen was about 1" higher, indicating (as far as I know) a more vigorous and healthy fermentation; the airlock activity was also faster, and the fermentation began sooner than when pitching dry.
Click to expand...

I wasn't talking about rehydration, I was talking about actually making a starter. :ban:
 
I don't bother with a starter with dry yeast. Just rehydrate. And the reason many of us use liquid yeast is variety. Yeast strain has a huge impact of flavor and attenuation, flocculation etc.

Dry yeast's tend to be very neutral.
 
So far, I have had no problem with sprinkling my yeast on top of my ~70 degree wort, right on the fresh wort foam.

What's wrong with this picture? Advice please!

:mug:
 
winter999 said:
What's wrong with this picture? Advice please!
Click to expand...

Nothing is wrong with that. It'll still ferment fine. Rehydrating is just the optimal preparation of the yeast.

Having said that, I don't rehydrate mine either. Haven't had any problems yet. Of course, I'm still a newb :)
 
Logbuyercab said:
I would not waist your $ or time with liquid yeast unless you wanted a specaulty yeast.
Most of your modern dry yeast can be pitched on your wort. And for that mater you can buy 3 packs of dry for the price of one tube of whith lab, and if liquid yeast was so good why do you have to make a starter. Something to think about i have used liquid yeast 2 times and dry yeast for over 15 years making 2-3 batches a month[/quote

Nothing wrong with just pitching the dry yeast on top of the cooled wort. Also nothing wrong with using dry yeast. Like was stated, dry yeast usually brew neutral brews.

Liquid yeast is more pure than dry yeast and can provide a better flavor to a finnished brew, everything else being equal. You need to make a starter, IMHO, although a lot of people don't, in order to increase the cell count to provide optiminal pitching rates.
Click to expand...
 
ALL of the above work. You can pitch a liquid yeast, sprinkle a dried yeast, hydrate a dried yeast, proof either, smak y'r pac, make a starter from a liquid yeast, make a starter from a dried yeast. I've roughly listed them in order of the number of viable cells you'll have to pitch. By the time the yeast finish their growth phase, you will have almost the same number of yeast regardless of how you started. That's because the growth phase depends on the amount of oxygen in the wort.

More cells pitched, faster growth phase & actual fermentation starts sooner.
 

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