First use of Liquid Yeast

[FxdGrMind]

This w/e I plan on brewing a Mac&Jack's clone. The recipe calls for a liquid yeast Wyl005 (I think if my memory is correct, it's in a bottle that looks like a lab bottle with screw cap) or a Smack Pack 1098 (once again from memory)

I got the Bottle...

1st Question:
So it's in the fridge for now, how soon before Sat (arround noon) do I need to take it out of the fridge, and get the yeast going?

I've never used liquid yeast, even in baking, I've always used dry. However for Pizza dough I normally pitch the dry into warm 105deg F water (1 cup) with 2 tbs of suggar.

2nd Question:
If my target SG is 1.058, how much water should i heat up and how much DME to add to the water to get 1.058 (so the yeast isn't strained when piched).
Is there a calculator? or do I just need to use my hydrometer to check the SG of the starter?

Cheers and thanks in advance.

 

[conpewter]

1. I'd make the starter on Wedneday or Thursday. You have the option of pitching the whole starter (which is fine if it is a 1 liter starter) or if it is bigger, or you just feel like it you can put the starter in the fridge Friday night, let it warm up to room temp in the morning, pour off the spent beer and just pitch the slurry into the wort.

2. I've read that usually you want to make a starter that is around 1.040, that gives the yeast plenty to chew on but not so much that they get stressed. The gravity will drop to 1.010 or so, even if you used 1.058 gravity wort to start, so you won't really be matching the gravity you'd be pitching in to anyway.

1/2 cup of DME in 2 cups of water seems to work fine for me. I also use a stir plate to really up the yeast cell count (see a great article here) but you don't have to do that.

 

[FxdGrMind]

Ok... so why don't I pich the whole thing?? As in all the liquid that is in the starter? I realize some of it to be Beer... but why drain off the beer off the starter?
Sorry if this is a way NOOB question, but if the starter is just yeast working on DME... why not just pitch the whole 2 cups into the Wort?

Another question... at what temp do you keep the starter at? Normaly I pich yeast at 105 in water and sugar. But in my beers I've piched only at the chilled temp... 65-75 degF. So is that the temp I hold the starter at.. or something lower?

 

[BarleyWater]

Some people like to decant the liquid (beer) off the top of the starter because it may not match the flavor profile of the beer they're making, and it can have some off flavors like oxidation if you used a stir plate. Other people will argue that the entire volume of the starter should be pitched in it's fast growth stage, at around 18 hours. I have done both, and have had sood results with both.

Dry yeast should be proofed at around 100 just a little while before you use it, but liquid yeast should be treated a little nicer. Pitch the yeast at 65-70, and keep the starter at fermentation temps, otherwise you can stress the yeast out too much.

 

[CBBaron]

Several choices here:
1) Pull the tube out of the fridge during the boil to warm up and pitch directly into the cooled wort. This is the easy method but is underpitching considerably.

2) Make a 1-2 quart starter the day before, using 1/2 cup DME per quart or starter. Pitch this directly into the cooled wort. Within 12-18 hours after pitching in the starter the yeast cell count is at its maximum and they are very active. This pitches a strong healthy yeast that will result in a very short lag time. However you are pitching a couple quarts of possibly stale beer depending on how much O2 introduced to the starter. This is the method i use.

3) Make a starter a couple days before brewing. After the ferment in the starter, cool it in the fridge. During the boil warm the starter back up to room temp and decant off the excess beer. Pitch the yeast slurry on the bottom. This ensures a good supply of yeast but they have been allowed to go dormant again before pitching. However you are only pitching yeast and not diluting your beer with starter.

Craig

 

[conpewter]

Ferment the starter at the same temp (or slightly warmer) that you'll be fermenting the beer at, you don't want to pitch liquid yeast into 100 degree water.

Also I've pitched either way and both work, since I use a stir-plate I don't want to put oxidized beer into my wort, so I prefer to decant as mentioned, both work fine.

 

[FxdGrMind]

Conpewter:
Read that link... Oh my brain overload!! I've got a head ache now.

Ok so does this sound reasonable....

I'll need to get a smal 1/2 gal bottle with stopper for airvalve.

Sanitize, add 70 deg 2 cups water and 1/2 cup DME (same as in the wort) Pinch of hops (same as wort) so as to best resemble the wort to be made...

Add the Yeast (from vile) 4pm day before. for a Pich the next day about 2-3 pm... that should give it nearly 24 hrs to propogate...

Is that enough yeast so as to not under pich. I noticed that when I read the link that dry yeast piching gives nearly 10 times the yeast piched than liquid, so I don't want to underpich.

Cheers and thanks for your very helpfull guidance!:rockin:

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Conpewter:
Read that link... Oh my brain overload!! I've got a head ache now.

Ok so does this sound reasonable....

I'll need to get a smal 1/2 gal bottle with stopper for airvalve.

Sanitize, add 70 deg 2 cups water and 1/2 cup DME (same as in the wort) Pinch of hops (same as wort) so as to best resemble the wort to be made...

Add the Yeast (from vile) 4pm day before. for a Pich the next day about 2-3 pm... that should give it nearly 24 hrs to propogate...

Is that enough yeast so as to not under pich. I noticed that when I read the link that dry yeast piching gives nearly 10 times the yeast piched than liquid, so I don't want to underpich.

Cheers and thanks for your very helpfull guidance!:rockin:

You're going to boil the starter wort for about 10 mins, right? Then add your yeast after it cools.

 

[FxdGrMind]

YB THANKS!!!
No I wasn't intending to boil the DME and water solution... DOH!!! Once again my baking dry yeast thinking comes to haunt me!

Cheers and thanks!

 

[conpewter]

Conpewter:
Read that link... Oh my brain overload!! I've got a head ache now.

Ok so does this sound reasonable....

I'll need to get a smal 1/2 gal bottle with stopper for airvalve.

Sanitize, add 70 deg 2 cups water and 1/2 cup DME (same as in the wort) Pinch of hops (same as wort) so as to best resemble the wort to be made...

Add the Yeast (from vile) 4pm day before. for a Pich the next day about 2-3 pm... that should give it nearly 24 hrs to propogate...

Is that enough yeast so as to not under pich. I noticed that when I read the link that dry yeast piching gives nearly 10 times the yeast piched than liquid, so I don't want to underpich.

Cheers and thanks for your very helpfull guidance!:rockin:

With the addition of the boil mentioned above it sounds just fine.

Remember to shake up the starter really well after you cool it down from the boil, then as it ferments shake it occasionally to help keep some oxygen in solution for the yeast to use. You'll do just fine pitching that amount of yeast.

Appreciate the thanks, it is nice to help others. Every brewer is one batch behind someone, and one batch in front of someone, it is our job to help each other up the ladder. (paraphrased from Revvy)

 

[fahne23]

You don't even need to use a stopper for your starter. I now just use a piece of aluminum foil over the top loosely. This still allows CO2 to escape while allowing a small amount of oxygen to mix in, helping yeast growth and still keeps bacteria from falling in.