Do I really need a starter?

I have do about 10 brews and I have never made a starter. I typically do not have an issue hitting my final gravity. Do I really need a starter? What is the benefit?

 

Less off flavors (cleaner profile, unless trying to get specific ester profile), shorter FG time (possible) and shorter lag time, better long term storage, similar ester profile when harvested.

 

This ^^

Plus, you may get a packet of yeast that's been sitting a while. Or if you are making a high gravity beer, etc. you don't "need" a starter to make beer, but are you trying to make beer or the best beer you can possibly make?

 

+ You don't make a starter with dry yeast, just liquid yeast.

 

^ still need to make sure your cell count is where it should be, that may require the use of more than one packet. 1, 1 1/2, ect. Check Mr.Malty for more info on cell pitching recommendations.

 

It's less expensive too. I can make a starter (DME, dry yeast, and yeast nutrient) for around 2$ a starter. You will pay at least double that for a WYEAST smack pack. I have had the smack packs fail to start. I have never had a starter not get going. So for me it's a better value to make a starter.

 

I make starters with dry yeast, they just require being rehydrated. It's just one more quick step. John palmers How to Brew covers it well.

 

I have brewed a few times in the last couple of weeks....been using starters and pitched on one yeast cake...the starters have all taken off within a couple of hours, the yeast cake within a few minutes...Pitched my first packet of dry yeast in a while last night. No activity yet this morning, I like the starters way better for that reason alone.

 

Do all of you use a stir plate to make a starter of can I use a flask and maunally "swirl" it from time to time.

 

You can swirl it, but you gotta be willing to put in the work. Honestly, I wouldn't think of hanging around all day swirling my flask every hour.

 

You can swirl. You'll get less yeast growth than with a stirplate, but that isn't an issue for most beers. You just need to select the size of your starter based on the swirl only.

The only issue comes up when you want to brew a really big beer and the calculator says you need gallons of starter. If you brew a lot of those, the 2 general routes are either pitching onto a yeast cake or investing in a good stir plate.

 

either way...set the flask somewhere that you can just grab it every time you walk by and shake it up.

 

There is plenty of info on the forum that will help you build a stir plate. You might even have most of the parts lying around the house collecting dust.

 

I made my first starter last week. i used the 'swirl technique' because I haven't completed building a homemade stirplate yet. Given how easy a starter is and the benefits, I'll be using starters from now on. Plus, for some reason, starters are fun. :fro:

For what its worth, after cold crashing my swirl starter for 3 or 4 hours, I had a nice think layer of yeast on the bottom.

 

As a stirplate build is on my very long "to do" list, I usually make my normal sized starter, and use multiple packs for my bigger beers. It works just as well, but a stir plate would be certainly cheaper in the long run (or in reality after a handful of batches ).

 

Is a starter just as beneficial for a dry yeast like S-04?

 

No. Unless it's really ancient, has been mishandled, or is otherwise suspected to be dead, it's not beneficial and possibly harmful. Even in those cases, usually at most you'd proof it to make sure it processes a small amount of sugar before pitching. Heck, even that is probably unnecessary---just pitch it and repitch later if it doesn't take.

Dry yeasts have enormous cell counts, far higher than liquid yeasts. They are designed for rehydrate and go.

 

I made my first batch of beer this weekend. It was the Highland Heavy Scottish Ale from Jaspers. It came with Safale s-04 and I rehydrated it about 45 min. About 2 hours after pitching it I started seeing bubbles in the air lock. About 6 hours after pitching I was getting krausen in the air lock and had to switch to a blow off tube because the fermentation was quite violent.

So next time I use dry I will rehydrate it first. YMMV

 

This! I always make 11 gallon double batches when I brew. To save cost I either use harvested yeast with a starter or one pack of dry yeast with a starter . Making a starter is quite fun as well, seeing your yeast come to life, ready to go to work on your wort. Great way to know that you have viable yeast as well!

 

I live for flask swirling!

 

Do you need a starter? No. Will your beer benefit from a starter? Probably. It's all about the cell count. If you under pitch or over pitch you're going to have a little more off flavors. although sometimes the style benefits from these flavors. Mr. Malty and northern brewer both have nice calculators that explain the different options.