To stir or not to stir

[tattooeddude23]

I have a packet of dry yeast and the instructions on the back say to bring up to temperature and mix into 4oz water and then don't stir to much but once or twice if it clumps. Then I read on other forums and websites how I should stir it to multiply the cells before the pitch. What am I to believe?

 

[BigFloyd]

Rehydrate your dry yeast. The percentage of the yeast cells that survive the initial lag phase in a healthy condition to then begin multiplying is much higher than if you just sprinkle dry.

Here's how I do mine and it's worked well for me:

1) When you are about to start brewing, put a cup of water (not distilled) in a Pyrex cup in the microwave. Boil it a few minutes, down to about 1/2 cup.

2) Cover the cup with a piece of sanitized foil (sprayed with Star-San if you have some). Set it aside to cool to about 95-100*F.

3) Once the water has cooled, sanitize the yeast packet and cut open with sanitized scissors.

4) Sprinkle it on the water, cover and let sit 15 minutes.

5) Stir, cover, and let sit 5 more minutes.

6) Hopefully by now, you have an kettle full of wort chilled to about 65*F and ready for the yeast.

7) The yeast slurry needs to be "attemperated" before you pitch it in the wort. That means you have to add small amounts of the cooler wort into the yeast slurry, stir and let it sit a few minutes. You'll probably have to do this a few times to get it to within 10*F of the wort temperature. Once it's within 10*F, pitch away.

 

[Kaiser]

Dry yeast, when dehydrated, doesn't form large enough clumps that you have to worry about them. Just make sure you don't get yeast balls where dry yeast is enclosed in whet yeast. that doesn't take much stirring. once pitched into the wort you should stir or swirl the beer (wort+yeast is beer) to distribute the yeast.

Kai

 

[bovineblitz]

Dry yeast, when dehydrated, doesn't form large enough clumps that you have to worry about them. Just make sure you don't get yeast balls where dry yeast is enclosed in whet yeast. that doesn't take much stirring. once pitched into the wort you should stir or swirl the beer (wort+yeast is beer) to distribute the yeast.

Kai

It'll break apart eventually, I wouldn't even think twice about it.

 

[tattooeddude23]

Thanks so much! That cleared up some confusion I was having. The Pyrex glass is a great idea!

 

[ncbrewer]

Rehydrate your dry yeast. The percentage of the yeast cells that survive the initial lag phase in a healthy condition to then begin multiplying is much higher than if you just sprinkle dry.

Here's how I do mine and it's worked well for me:

1) When you are about to start brewing, put a cup of water (not distilled) in a Pyrex cup in the microwave. Boil it a few minutes, down to about 1/2 cup.

2) Cover the cup with a piece of sanitized foil (sprayed with Star-San if you have some). Set it aside to cool to about 95-100*F.

3) Once the water has cooled, sanitize the yeast packet and cut open with sanitized scissors.

4) Sprinkle it on the water, cover and let sit 15 minutes.

5) Stir, cover, and let sit 5 more minutes.

6) Hopefully by now, you have an kettle full of wort chilled to about 65*F and ready for the yeast.

7) The yeast slurry needs to be "attemperated" before you pitch it in the wort. That means you have to add small amounts of the cooler wort into the yeast slurry, stir and let it sit a few minutes. You'll probably have to do this a few times to get it to within 10*F of the wort temperature. Once it's within 10*F, pitch away.

Your method is pretty much what Danstar recommends, but the Fermentis instructions are different. Fermentis calls for stirring for 30 minutes. I don't plan to get a stirring plate, so I haven't been using Fermentis yeast. Do you find your method works well with Fermentis yeast?

 

[BigFloyd]

Your method is pretty much what Danstar recommends, but the Fermentis instructions are different. Fermentis calls for stirring for 30 minutes. I don't plan to get a stirring plate, so I haven't been using Fermentis yeast. Do you find your method works well with Fermentis yeast?

Yep. I rehydrated a pack of S-04 this way a few weeks ago for an ESB and it did fine.

I've got a DIY stir plate, but I certainly don't plan on using it to stir rehydrated dry yeast slurry for 30 minutes. The slurry tends to get stirred plenty when I'm attemperating it with small doses of wort.

 

[ncbrewer]

Yep. I rehydrated a pack of S-04 this way a few weeks ago for an ESB and it did fine.

I've got a DIY stir plate, but I certainly don't plan on using it to stir rehydrated dry yeast slurry for 30 minutes. The slurry tends to get stirred plenty when I'm attemperating it with small doses of wort.

Thanks - I'm glad to hear that. I've tried contacting Fermentis about it twice in the past but got no response. I'll try some Fermentis yeast next time around.