danstar yeast question

[darkstar79]

I am going to brew my second batch tomorrow and the kit I received this time has a little bit different instructions. The yeast says to open the packet and place the yeast in 4 oz of water first and let it sit for a bit before adding it to the wort. Last time I had dry yeat I just pitched it right into the cooled wort. Which is the better way?
The kit I purchased is for the goose island honkers clone listed on this page

http://undergrounddigital.com/perfectsignature.htm

 

[eriktlupus]

truthfully they both work. however if your beer is starting over 1.050 it's usually better to hydrate the yeast before pitching. the reason is the yeast has to hydrate before it works anyway and with higher gravity beers the water is locked up suspending the sugar in solution making it difficult for the yeast to absorb it.


happy brewing

 

[Funkenjaeger]

The only real reason not to hydrate your yeast before pitching is laziness, really. Rehydrating in plain water around 100F will maximize the amount of viable yeast you get out of the packet. If you pitch yeast directly into your wort at room temp, you can easily kill off half your yeast (or more) immediately.

Eriktlupus is right that they're both okay for lower-gravity beers, because even if you kill off a lot of the yeast in a packet, dry yeast has a lot of cells to begin with so it's usually still okay.

But, the reasoning given above is wrong. When dry yeast first hits liquid, it is not active and cannot regulate what passes through its cell membranes. If pitched into wort, compounds can enter the cells and kill them before they 'wake up' and start functioning normally. Thus the use of plain water for rehydration. The temperature is important as well - rehydrating at room temperature is not ideal, and reduces viability - use the temperature specified by the manufacturer, typically around 100F.

 

[eriktlupus]

this is palmer's quote

Chapter 6 - Yeast
6.5 Preparing Yeast and Yeast Starters
Preparing Dry Yeast
Dry yeast should be re-hydrated in water before pitching. Often the concentration of sugars in wort is high enough that the yeast can not draw enough water across the cell membranes to restart their metabolism. For best results, re-hydrate 2 packets of dry yeast in warm water (95-105°F) and then proof the yeast by adding some sugar to see if they are still alive after de-hydration and storage.

 

[david_42]

Direct pitching kills about 50% of the yeast and weakens the rest. Not a problem with small beers, but you're 'throwing away' half of what you paid for.

REHYDRATION AND USAGE TIPS

Pitching Rate: 1g/L
Windsor Ale Yeast

Step 1.

* Sprinkle the yeast on the surface of ten (10) times its weight of clean, sterilized (boiled) tap water at 30 - 35°C (86° - 95°F)
* DO NOT STIR !!!
* Leave undisturbed for 15 minutes at 30 - 35°C (86° - 95°F)
* Foam or no foam is not an indication of vitality

Step 2.

* After 15 minutes stir until all yeast is suspended
* Leave undisturbed for another 5 minutes.
* Adjust temperature of solution to that of the wort in 10°C (18°F) steps, by adding small amounts of wort at 5 minutes intervals and mixing gently (ATTEMPERATION)

Step 3.

* After attemperation inoculate without delay.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I began rehydrating my yeast about 5 batches ago and have noticed a cleaner flavor profile of my ales. Pretty much use the method listed above, minus the attemperation. I guess if I tried that a would I would actually be lowering the temp of my yeast since I pitch at 66-70F?

 

[elkdog]

Bobby_M did an experiment with Danstar yeast that indicated that hydrating the yeast reduces lag time before fermentation takes place. It's really easy to do, so I do it- I always just follow the directions on the yeast packet.

 

[darkstar79]

thanks for the respsonses I did hydrate it and follow the directions.

 

[cowgo]

I boil a pint of water at the start of my brew session. I take that pan of water and place it on a cooling rack with a cover. By the time I'm at the brewing process where the immersion chiller goes in (about 2 hours into the process) I put the sterilized water into a flask and pitch the dried yeast. (Nottingham)

It feels a bit warmer than room temperature, but is still cool. I then pitch it into the carboy. I have, each and every time, had a good result with this method (for ales).