ocwo92
Well-Known Member
I've brewed beer since 2011 but I somehow consider this a beginner's question anyway. It's just that I didn't really think about it until today when I brewed a beer and realized that I had purchased a liquid yeast instead of dry yeast and so should have made a yeast starter.
When I first began to brew beer, I knew nothing about yeast starters. Back then, at the end of the fermentation, there would always be layer of a half-inch or an inch of yeast at the bottom of the fermenter. I then learned about yeast starters and have used them since then, also producing a layer of about a half to an inch of yeast at the bottom of the fermenter.
This made me think a bit: with properly aerated wort, the yeast will immediately go forth and multiply until there's no more oxygen around. Only then does it begin to convert the sugars into alcohol. So why is it that I need a healthy yeast starter if the yeast grows until the oxygen has depleted anyway?
When I first began to brew beer, I knew nothing about yeast starters. Back then, at the end of the fermentation, there would always be layer of a half-inch or an inch of yeast at the bottom of the fermenter. I then learned about yeast starters and have used them since then, also producing a layer of about a half to an inch of yeast at the bottom of the fermenter.
This made me think a bit: with properly aerated wort, the yeast will immediately go forth and multiply until there's no more oxygen around. Only then does it begin to convert the sugars into alcohol. So why is it that I need a healthy yeast starter if the yeast grows until the oxygen has depleted anyway?