Yeast Starter with Dry Yeast?

I read in this thread that pitching a starter with dry yeast is a bad idea:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/br...-nutty-nasty-what-happened-370465/index2.html

Does anyone have any info on this? I did this with my 2nd brew (NB's Irish Red starter kit; about done bottle-conditioning). I'm about to start my 3rd, and I was about to make a starter with DanStar Nottingham Ale Yeast--but I'll make a trip to the LHBS if that's a better idea.

Actually, if making a starter for dry yeast is a bad idea (and I'm going to be making a store run anyway), what yeast would you all recommend for a Southern English Brown Ale? I'm going for an oatmeal cookie-type flavor.

I'm the one who made that thread so I'll subscribe to this one! I had to make a starter for my 11 gallon batch because I only had 1 packet of S-04 yeast on hand. The starter worked well and produced over 1 cup of thick white yeast layer in the bottom of the 2L starter. Maybe I stressed the yeast? They took off in the beer within 12 hours!

if you have the notty dry ( not repitching from a slurry) then just sprinkle it on top of the wort. No need to make a starter. If you are washing and saving the notty then yes do a starter.

Well is not that is a bad idea is just unncesary and it can cost you the same to make an starter than to buy an addiotional pack of yeast if needed, if the wort doesn´t have a very high OG you can pitch just one pack with no problems.

Well, the recipe I'm using comes in at a higher OG than style according to BeerSmith (1.067 as opposed to 1.033-1.042), and it looks like a starter (or a second pack) will be necessary.

I use dry yeast for my 2.5 gallon batches. I've used sa-04 and sa-05 for all kinds of beer with various gravity's ranging from 1.050's all the way up to 1.080 with no starters. I've never had any issues with fermentation and I ferment at about 65-67 degrees. If I'm doing a 5 gallon batch, or more, I just use WL yeast and always use some sort of starter. After a lot of trial and error this works best for me.

Well, the DanStar Nottingham is 11g. I made a starter with dry yeast for my second batch, and like you said it took off quickly, but I have only tasted it once (it's been in the bottle for about 4 weeks). It tasted a little green but without any horrible aftertaste.

How was the taste of the beer you made with a dry yeast starter? The thread I linked basically said it'll mess with the taste.

Good, I like making starters. It makes me feel like an alchemist with my flask and stir plate.

When making a starter with dry yeast, is it necessary to rehydrate it first?

Just to add the discussion, I make starters from dry yeast all the time. It is a cheap way to make a bunch of yeast for future use, too. I really started doing it with the 34/70 packs because they are over $5 apiece and you usually need two for a lager batch. I also like to slightly overpitch.

I'm not sure how the yeast itself can tell the difference between a starter and a batch of beer, so I harvest yeast from either one interchangeably. I pitch a single pack of dry into a 2l starter, and I collect a jar or two for later, before I pitch into the beer. BTW, one of my best batches to date is a pilsner brewed from a stepped up single pack of 34/70.