Help W/Yeast Starter!!

[O'Houlihan]

Hello y'all. I'm about to brew a Pumpkin Ale from Midwest. I got an activator smack pack & I was gonna do a starter, I smacked it & thought it was ready, but unfortunately when I opened it the packet inside was not broken (the last one I had didn't expand much so I thought this one was doing the same thing).
So to stay on course, I got my yeast starter ready, but I had a boil over - those things are very volatile!! So, I redid the boil on the yeast starter, adding water & more DME, then let it cool & added my yeast b4 it was actually mixed for 24 hours.
The yeast starter has sat for over 24 hours & there has been very little activity. Very little bubbling in the airlock unless I shake the bottle & it looks like there is burnt "gunk" in the bottom of the bottle.
My problem is I want to brew late Tuesday night, I won't have time to get another "good" liquid yeast shipped to me, but a local place does sell the dry yeast packs. Should I totally scrap this yeast, make a new starter carefully w/ the best supplies available to me (dry yeast packet)? Help!! Your thoughts all?

Thanks again!

 

[Dude]

Hello y'all. I'm about to brew a Pumpkin Ale from Midwest. I got an activator smack pack & I was gonna do a starter, I smacked it & thought it was ready, but unfortunately when I opened it the packet inside was not broken (the last one I had didn't expand much so I thought this one was doing the same thing).
So to stay on course, I got my yeast starter ready, but I had a boil over - those things are very volatile!! So, I redid the boil on the yeast starter, adding water & more DME, then let it cool & added my yeast b4 it was actually mixed for 24 hours.
The yeast starter has sat for over 24 hours & there has been very little activity. Very little bubbling in the airlock unless I shake the bottle & it looks like there is burnt "gunk" in the bottom of the bottle.
My problem is I want to brew late Tuesday night, I won't have time to get another "good" liquid yeast shipped to me, but a local place does sell the dry yeast packs. Should I totally scrap this yeast, make a new starter carefully w/ the best supplies available to me (dry yeast packet)? Help!! Your thoughts all?

Thanks again!

I would re-do the whole thing. The burnt gunk has me worried. That will definitely affect your beer.
As for the starter not doing anything--I've seen that with mine, but sure enough it actually DID do something. I guarantee if you did the starter right, after 24 hours you've doubled your yeast.

 

[Steve973]

Did the wort actually taste burnt? That might not be a flavor that you'd want in your beer, depending on how prominent it is. But if you have your starter sitting there, and the wort tasted fine, it should be ok by tuesday night. Seeing activity in the airlock indicates some activity, and seeing a dusting of yeast on the bottom is a good sign too. I've heard that some yeast starters don't show a whole lot of activity.

 

[O'Houlihan]

Hmm... Well I havent tasted it, but I think I might try that this afternoon when I get home w/ a little sample & if it tastes normal I'll use it, otherwise off to the local spirit shop. Thanks for the replies guys

 

[O'Houlihan]

Ok, so I got home & tasted the starter & it did not taste burnt at all. It tasted ok - don't get me wrong I wouldn't want to drink a bunch of it, but it tasted remotely like beer. I think I'll chance it & see what happens. I don't know, what would you do?

 

[El Pistolero]

I don't know, what would you do?

Relax, have a brew, brew, pitch it, have another brew.

 

[kneemoe]

was the 'burnt gunk' on the bottom of the bottle the yeast colony you're trying to grow?
if not, go get a dry yeast package if you're brewing tonight, i use em all the time and have yet to have a problem with them - just pitch it dry and watch it do its work.
for most of my heavier beers i prefer dry yeast, its easier (maybe i should just say 'cheaper' ) to deal with.

 

[El Pistolero]

Dry yeast is much easier, and a little cheaper, but there seems to be an almost universal consensus that liquid yeast makes better beer.

 

[Steve973]

What difference do you notice, if any, when you make a starter out of dry yeast? I used to use Danstar Nottingham yeast all the time, with great results. We always had a quick fermentation that started within 12 hours and was over in about four days, and our ales came out nice and clean. Never tried making a starter from it, though.

 

[homebrewer_99]

My starter for sdry yeast is just like it says on the packet...mix with 1 c of warm water and let sit for 15 mins. Stir and pour.

Alway started in under 12 hours.

 

[O'Houlihan]

Relax, have a brew, brew, pitch it, have another brew.

Yeah, I think that's what I'll do. Like I mentioned, the starter didnt taste bad so what the hay. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Thanks for the encouragment!

 

[bikebryan]

Dry yeast is much easier, and a little cheaper, but there seems to be an almost universal consensus that liquid yeast makes better beer.

Most of us prefer liquid yeasts because there are so many varieties/strains of yeasts available as liquid cultures vs what is available as dry.

Yeast add a lot of the character to the brew, so it's important to match the right yeast to what you are trying to end up with. You stand a better chance at that using a liquid culture vs a dry pack.

 

[Steve973]

My starter for sdry yeast is just like it says on the packet...mix with 1 c of warm water and let sit for 15 mins. Stir and pour.

Well, that sounds a bit more like "rehydration" than like a starter. Who knows... Maybe I'll try it someday.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

One of the guys at my LHBS actually suggested that I use dry yeast instead of liquid for one recipe I was brewing where they had the strain I needed both liquid and dry. He recommended buying two packs of dry yeast (1/3 the cost of the liquid) and just pitching them as is into the fermenter. He specifically told me the rehydration wasn't necessary with the modern yeasts they sold, but that it wouldn't hurt, either.

The batch turned out great, hit FG, and I couldn't have told you whether or not liquid or dry yeast was used, but I'm sure it would have been quite instructional to have split the wort and tried one of each (liquid/dry) as a scientific endeavor.

 

[Walker]

Do you shop at American Brewmaster, BeeGee?

-walker

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Do you shop at American Brewmaster, BeeGee?

-walker

I do. Generally, if they have everything I need I buy it there. Those guys are fun to hang out with, as well, if they're not too busy. I have ordered internet if they don't have all the ingredients, but I think I'm going to ask them in the future if they can acquire them for me.

 

[PT Ray]

This may be after the fact but for me a good starter is the key to a good beer. There are forgiving steps in the actual brewing process but I don't take chances with my cultures. It be a shame for everything to go well on brew day and then pitch a questionable starter. Something as simple as a boil over with my starter, I will stop, clean the outside of the flask, the inside of the mouth, the stopper, cotton plug and foil before continuing. This is the one thing I don't want to have to question if a batch of beer goes south.

The good news is that regardless of how well or bad it turns out, you carry that experience over to the next batch.

 

[Westminster Brew]

Newbie here; having difficulty with the yeast starter, expecting to see real activity but the best I have seen is very limited small bubbles in the air lock - not enough to giggle it anyway; question, what temp do you use for the starter and do you add anything to the boiled water ? I have tried making a starter by itself to determine if the dry yeast (Danstar) was the problem and noted that there is no foaming to my trial starter ( composed of 1 cup microwaved water, added 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, waited until 85F and added 1/4 teaspoon yeast ) . Made the starter late this past Friday and as of Sunday morning it had a small amount of bubbles in the center but little else. Should it not be more of foaming ?

thanks

 

[boo boo]

What difference do you notice, if any, when you make a starter out of dry yeast? I used to use Danstar Nottingham yeast all the time, with great results. We always had a quick fermentation that started within 12 hours and was over in about four days, and our ales came out nice and clean. Never tried making a starter from it, though.

No and you don't need a starter with dry yeast usually. Rehydration properly done is recommended though. See here...http://consumer.lallemand.com/danstar-lalvin/beerfaq.html#rehydrate . Good reading the whole page.

 

[boo boo]

Newbie here; having difficulty with the yeast starter, expecting to see real activity but the best I have seen is very limited small bubbles in the air lock - not enough to giggle it anyway; question, what temp do you use for the starter and do you add anything to the boiled water ? I have tried making a starter by itself to determine if the dry yeast (Danstar) was the problem and noted that there is no foaming to my trial starter ( composed of 1 cup microwaved water, added 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, waited until 85F and added 1/4 teaspoon yeast ) . Made the starter late this past Friday and as of Sunday morning it had a small amount of bubbles in the center but little else. Should it not be more of foaming ?

thanks

Well, for a start you should use extract, dry or liquid to use in your starter vs sugar. The sugar don't have any nutrients in it that yeast need to grow. Aerating the starter every chance you get also is effective in increasing your yeast population. See my above post for more info.