Just Bought Stir Plate - Use Dry or Liquid yeast

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thorn054

thorn054

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Hi Folks

I just bought a stir plate and flask and I want to know if I should only use liquid yeast with this or can I also use dry yeast. I understand that the dry yeast has more cells and you don't sometimes need a starter with it but if I'm brewing a big beer and still need more cells beyond those in a dry pack, can I use it in a yeast starter? My guess is that using it would cause it to kinda lump together when I pour it in the flask so it may not be ideal. I just want to toss this out to the group and see what everyone thinks.

Thanks!
 
thorn054 said:
Hi Folks

I just bought a stir plate and flask and I want to know if I should only use liquid yeast with this or can I also use dry yeast. I understand that the dry yeast has more cells and you don't sometimes need a starter with it but if I'm brewing a big beer and still need more cells beyond those in a dry pack, can I use it in a yeast starter? My guess is that using it would cause it to kinda lump together when I pour it in the flask so it may not be ideal. I just want to toss this out to the group and see what everyone thinks.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

using dry yeast is fine. yeast is yeast. brew up a starter wort, cool, pitch, stir. all will be well.
 
Dry yeast must be properly rehydrated before use in a starter wort. Not rehydrating before use will damage the cell wall structure. Result may be ending with fewer viable yeast cells than were originally in the package.
 
thorn054 said:
Hi Folks

I just bought a stir plate and flask and I want to know if I should only use liquid yeast with this or can I also use dry yeast. I understand that the dry yeast has more cells and you don't sometimes need a starter with it but if I'm brewing a big beer and still need more cells beyond those in a dry pack, can I use it in a yeast starter? My guess is that using it would cause it to kinda lump together when I pour it in the flask so it may not be ideal. I just want to toss this out to the group and see what everyone thinks.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I sometimes make dry yeast starters for my bigger beers. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing this if you need a higher cell count for your brew.

Many here condemn this practice, and will swear up and down that you shouldn't do this because if a variety of silly reasons. The most common advice is to just use two packets because dry yeast is cheap. While it is cheap, it costs me less to make a starter. Besides, I prefer to pitch at (or just after) high krausen, rather than rehydrated yeast.
 
Dry yeast has nutrients and such (just passing on stuff I sort of remember reading about here on HBT) added while it's dried out that you will lose if you make a starter with it.

It's fine, but it's likely you'll get a faster stronger start if you do just add a second packet if you need more yeast.

Liquid yeast definitely benefits from a starter. I don't think you should use liquid yeast without making a starter. But that's just my opinion.

In short, dry yeast often has enough cells that a starter isn't needed and you lose one of the benefits of dry yeast once you make a starter with it. Liquid yeast almost always benefits from a starter.
 
I had a pack of 04 that was old and I literally could not read the date on the package. I e-mailed NB and asked if rehydrating that yeast and pitching into a starter as I would with regular liquid yeast would be okay. They said yes. I did and I have the most vigorous fermentation I ever have in my nearly 40 batches of beer. It's the first time I have done this, but it probably won't be the last.
 
I wouldn't necessarily condemn making a starter with dry yeast, but it's usually cheaper (and certainly faster and by inherently safer from a sanitation perspective) to just buy a second pack, and they work hard to pack in a bunch of glycogen reserves with dry yeast for a faster start. However, if you handle your starter properly, you should be able to get your yeast to rebuild most of it anyway, you just may not get to the level that was in there originally.

Point is, not really necessary to make a dry yeast starter, but it won't actually hurt anything.
 
Gameface said:
Dry yeast has nutrients and such (just passing on stuff I sort of remember reading about here on HBT) added while it's dried out that you will lose if you make a starter with it.

It's fine, but it's likely you'll get a faster stronger start if you do just add a second packet if you need more yeast.

Liquid yeast definitely benefits from a starter. I don't think you should use liquid yeast without making a starter. But that's just my opinion.

In short, dry yeast often has enough cells that a starter isn't needed and you lose one of the benefits of dry yeast once you make a starter with it. Liquid yeast almost always benefits from a starter.
Click to expand...

Just think about it for a second. What are the nutrients there for? For the yeast to consume when they are rehydrated and added to the wort. If you rehydrate and add the yeast to starter wort, those nutrients don't disappear. They are used by the yeast, as the manufacturer intended.

The nutrients and stuff are added because the dried yeast are in a weakened state and need these nutrients when rehydrated and added to the wort. Actively dividing yeast are at their healthiest, not dried and rehydrated.

I've pitched both two dry yeast packs and dry yeast starters, and the starters always have a faster and more vigorous start.
 

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