Starter on washed yeast

First off, I get that making a starter is not that big of a hassle. What I have a little confusion on is if the only real benefit of them is to increase the amount of yeast pitched into the wort.

Let's say that you wash some yeast from a batch and get 5 mason jars, each of which could be used to make a starter. Instead of the starter, could you instead just let them warm up and then pitch the yeast from 2 or 3 (or all 5) into the wort?

 

I've experimented with it. Pitching one jar if it's fresh, pitching 3 if it's not so fresh, making a starter if it's not so fresh and it's all that's left. Also pitched right onto a yeast cake in "dirty" fermenter.

Best results: make the starter. Don't risk wrecking a batch with an underpitch like so many before have done.

 

"What I have a little confusion on is if the only real benefit of them is to increase the amount of yeast pitched into the wort."

Never underestimate the benefit of more healthy yeast!


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i would make a starter also.

 

Absolutely. That's all I've ever done. I've never made a starter from washed/harvested yeast. If it's less than 2 months old, I just let it warm up while I'm brewing, then dump it right in. If it's more than 2 months old, I dump it down the drain.

 

I'm not a yeast expert, but I believe part of the reason behind making a starter is to show that the yeast is still alive and healthy, and also, to prepare the yeast for the upcoming "feast" of sugars. Again, I don't know all the details but it has something to do with getting the yeast in the right phase to where they won't be shocked when you dump them into a large volume of wort with a higher concentration of sugars. This, in the end is supposed to lead to a healthier, cleaner fermentation. I'm sure having the correct pitch rate makes a bigger difference in the taste of the finished product, but how you get there (dumping in 3 mason jars of 3 week old yeast vs. making a fresh starter) probably has an impact, yet I don't know to what extent.