Yeast Starters - what to use?

First I apologize - I have tried to use the search function but the keywords amass a ton of threads and it's impossible to sift through them all.

I am about to place my order for our first extract kits to use on our first brew day. The equipment should arrive tomorrow (Delux Kit from NB with a few upgrades).

We are going to ordering the Fat Tire clone and an American Pale Ale.

My confusion lies in making starters for these guys.

Lets use the Fat Tire for example. Saying we plan to brew at noon on Saturday. When I start my yeast starter the night before - I always read that you should use a DME (dry malt extract) but nobody seems to specify beyond that.

So my question is do I use a sample from my Fat Tire clone kit? Or should I be purchasing something along with my two kits to use as a DME for my yeast starters? I would prefer to just pitch the entire starter in as that seems the simplest for my first brew day (not even sure how to decant stuff off to do it the other way).

thanks in advance for helping me wrap my head around this.

The best thing to get is an extra pound of light (or extra light) DME (http://www.northernbrewer.com/malt-extract.html) I have been using Briess Golden with good results. The procedure is detailed (quite well!) here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Starter

Good luck on your first brew!

Thanks!

I have a pretty good idea on the process thanks to Palmers book and all over the web - but will definitely read that (if I haven't already haha) as it never hurts.

So if I buy the one you suggest - am I still able to just pitch the entire solution into my beer? Or do I have to decant it off?

Kulprit said:

Thanks!

I have a pretty good idea on the process thanks to Palmers book and all over the web - but will definitely read that (if I haven't already haha) as it never hurts.

So if I buy the one you suggest - am I still able to just pitch the entire solution into my beer? Or do I have to decant it off?

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You can pitch the whole thing. This is what I do unless it is a very large volume. Here are some other good resources:
http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.htm

thanks - great links - hadn't come across that site yet - soaking it up.

Stupid question part 2: I notice MrMalty says that the DME should be measured by weight - does this mean I should order up a scale as well? I don't have one in the house currently. Hadn't really thought about this until now.

Kulprit said:

thanks - great links - hadn't come across that site yet - soaking it up.

Stupid question part 2: I notice MrMalty says that the DME should be measured by weight - does this mean I should order up a scale as well? I don't have one in the house currently. Hadn't really thought about this until now.

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A scale is never a bad thing to have. But, you can kind of guess. A pound of the Briess golden will give you 1.040 in one gallon (this is where you want starter wort). So half the pack would be appropriate for 1/2 gallon and so on.

Scale is also nice to weigh hops, etc. I don't have one but need to get one.

Good to know.

Figured I wouldn't need one until I got off the extract kits. Helps keep the initial price a bit (LoL way too late for that really though)


thanks again for the help - making my order now with a 3pd bag of Briess - that should get me through the first brew day right?

Kulprit said:

Good to know.

Figured I wouldn't need one until I got off the extract kits. Helps keep the initial price a bit (LoL way too late for that really though)


thanks again for the help - making my order now with a 3pd bag of Briess - that should get me through the first brew day right?

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Yeah, you could probably get by with1-1lb bag...that should be plenty for two starters (each at 2L), maybe even three starters depending on how big you want them to be, but DME keeps a long time if kept dry so...

Kulprit said:

Stupid question part 2: I notice MrMalty says that the DME should be measured by weight - does this mean I should order up a scale as well? I don't have one in the house currently. Hadn't really thought about this until now.

Click to expand...

Ideally you should, but measuring by volume is close enough - especially since in a starter you don't have to hit a certain specific gravity, just somewhere around 1.030-1.040 or maybe a little higher.

For a rule of thumb, I usually try to put around 1oz DME (by weight, not to be confused with fluid ounces) per cup of water, or slightly less. A minute ago I made a starter and 1/4 cup of DME weighed around 40 grams, or about 1.4 ounces, so I'd probably use 1 cup DME per 6 cups of water.
But I'm sure someone can chime in with a more established rule of thumb for DME:water ratio when measuring by volume.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_66_554&products_id=1506

Would this be a good thing to use to make starters? Anyone have a better alternative - as I need 2 of them - $60 for two is a bit steep it seems.

I use quart or pint mason style canning jars. The pint ones fit in a small pressure cooker. You can make the starter, minus the yeast, then "can" them, ahead of time. Can at 15PSI for 15 minutes, then let cool. When I need them, I sanitize the outside of the jar before opening them. Add the yeast, put the lid on, minus the screw ring, then purt the jar in a zip lock bag.

I like to get extra light DME. that way it's fairly neutral in color and flavor, so if you don't decant, you're not really altering the final beer.

I just use a small amount of the extract Im going to brew with.