How do you make your yeast starters

[sorefingers23]

I'm curios what ever ones yeast starter process is, I'm looking for a better easier way to make them, it's my least favorite part about brewing, but I don't always want to use dry yeast. I don't really have alot of time these days to boil the wort wait for it to cool and then pitch yeast, just looking for a way to speed things up. I'd love to mske a few gallons of wort and store it, but I don't have a pressure canner.

 

[petrolSpice]

Use online calculator to determine starter size and weight of DME
Add DME to 5L flask and then water
Place on stove and start heating, stir occasionally
Boil for 5-10 minutes uncovered
Remove from heat and into ice bath, covered
Cool to 75F then then pitch yeast
Place on stir plate for 2-3 days
Place in fridge for 12-24 hours
On morning of brew day, decant as much of the liquid as possible and leave it out to let it warm up to pitching temp

And of course, sanitize appropriately.

 

[Bensiff]

You don't need a pressure canner...add boiling wort to a ball jar and put the lid on, the heat will kill anything. Then put it in the freezer for storage.

I had a 5L flask crack on me doing the stove method so now I boil wort in a stainless pot, use an anti-foam so I can safely walk away, once done I pour into flask sitting in sink, put foil over top, fill sink, come back and swirl every now and then while getting other stuff done. When cool, put on stir plate, add yeast, and let it go. This takes me very little active time and I can easily do house chores, brewery prep, XBox, etc during process downtime.

 

[Gavin C]

Here's how.

No need to boil for any more than a minute or so. Cools as you do other stuff.

A simple 15 minute task 3-5 days before brewing.

Almost free never ending yeast is the added bonus.

 

[IslandLizard]

+1 on using a stainless pot with a good lid instead of direct-heating the glassware.

To chill I stick the pot in the sink or a plastic tub with enough cold water until it just starts to float.

 

[day_trippr]

+2 on the last two posts. A few minutes boil in a pot, pour into e-flask, chill to pitch temp in the kitchen sink.

As for time on the plate, you only get one growth phase, and unless the yeast was old and feeble 24 hours is plenty to hit terminal gravity.
After all, there's enough yeast to take a full batch of beer to FG in a handful of days...

Cheers!

 

[Oldskewl]

Not my favorite task either. I prefer using Northern Brewer's Fast Pitch. It costs a bit more but saves me a bunch of time. I still do DME starters when I run out or need odd size starters.

 

[A2HB]

Why are we boiling the wort at all though? Is that to sanitize it? I've sometimes wondered if I could just mix the DME up with some water and pitch the yeast. What would happen from doing that?

 

[CRZ]

^^^^^ I was thinking the same thing. If it's just to mix the DME in then some water out of the microwave will do that. If it's to sanitize the wort because of the water quality then bottled water should be fine. I'd like to hear from the people that didn't boil and hear what happened.

 

[catdaddy66]

I will save unboiled wort from a prior brew and will boil 1-2 qts for 15 minutes, then cool. Once cooled I pour it into a gallon container and cover with a vented stopper covered in foil (all sanitized in starsan). Once my refridgerated yeast comes to room temp I will swirl and dump into the cooled wort. 24 hours later I will repeat the process and can pitch 36-48 hours after beginning.

 

[CA_Mouse]

You don't need a pressure canner...add boiling wort to a ball jar and put the lid on, the heat will kill anything.

This is absolutely false. There are lots of bacteria that can survive boiling. The only way to kill them off it is pressure can them at 15psi which is over 250*F.

 

[Hanglow]

For normal strength beers I'll make a 1l -1.5l starter in a demi-john the evening before brewing, shake the crap out of it so it foams right up to aerate, and leave it somewhere warmish (22c or so) Then chuck the lot in once the brew has cooled. It should be at high krausen by then and in tip top shape.

I usually use frozen wort from previous brews, although not always

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Post 7

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=222898

wired247 says

One pasteurization unit ( PU ) = one minute at 140 degrees F . One minute at 165 is 100 PU and it will kill anything capable of living in beer. Hotter or faster and it doesnt make bacteria more deaderrer.

 

[JonM]

I swirl some starsan around in my flask, then reach for an appropriate combination of pressure-canned pint and half pint jars of wort. Pop open, dump, done.

ETA: Pressure canners go on sale around harvest time. It's a little late but you might be able to find a deal on a basic model.

 

[Bensiff]

This is absolutely false. There are lots of bacteria that can survive boiling. The only way to kill them off it is pressure can them at 15psi which is over 250*F.

Re-read what I wrote, yup...should have said a bit more, you are right boiling by itself doesn't kill everything bad just most, its the other conditions that help out for non-pressure canning. I did say go to freezer, that along with the sugar, plus low pH gets into food safe. If one wants to be super safe they can drop their wort pH to 4.6 or below which that alone stops botulism which I'm assuming is the big bad you are referring to.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Re-read what I wrote, yup...should have said a bit more, you are right boiling by itself doesn't kill everything bad just most, its the other conditions that help out for non-pressure canning. I did say go to freezer, that along with the sugar, plus low pH gets into food safe. If one wants to be super safe they can drop their wort pH to 4.6 or below which that alone stops botulism which I'm assuming is the big bad you are referring to.

Correct. Just boiling isn't always a sure fire solution. Low pH, boiling and freezing will keep *most* bacteria to a low enough level that they should not pose a threat. Again correct, botulism is the worst of them. I boil my DME starters to sterilize the water more than anything. I do can starter wort with remaining wort from my batches, but I boil that for 45 minutes to concentrate it to get close to 1.020 and then pressure can it. Nice to have 4 or 5 liters of wort ready to go immediately.

 

[specharka]

This is absolutely false. There are lots of bacteria that can survive boiling. The only way to kill them off it is pressure can them at 15psi which is over 250*F.

Haven't died yet. I guess I'm invincible.

 

[TheMadKing]

Correct. Just boiling isn't always a sure fire solution. Low pH, boiling and freezing will keep *most* bacteria to a low enough level that they should not pose a threat. Again correct, botulism is the worst of them. I boil my DME starters to sterilize the water more than anything. I do can starter wort with remaining wort from my batches, but I boil that for 45 minutes to concentrate it to get close to 1.020 and then pressure can it. Nice to have 4 or 5 liters of wort ready to go immediately.

Botulism can only grow in a completely anaerobic environment, and it also grows at room temp so heating above 180 will kill the bacteria, as will oxygen which is vital for the yeast in a starter.

The botulism bacteria cannot infect humans either, it produces a toxin called botulinum that causes illness. So if you have a botulism infection in your room temperature wort boiling will not help you.

The only common microorganism that survives boiling is cryptosporidium spores and those are rare in public drinking water, so just don't use creek water for brewing and you're good there.

Heating wort to near boiling for a minute or two is perfectly sufficient to render it safe for human consumption. Pressure canning is absolutely not necessary unless you desire long term (years) stability and complete sterilization.

 

[DurtyChemist]

Why are we boiling the wort at all though? Is that to sanitize it? I've sometimes wondered if I could just mix the DME up with some water and pitch the yeast. What would happen from doing that?

Yes it is to sanatize the wort. As stated above there are bacteria that can survive the 200F temps. When you boil it's just like boiling a batch of beer. If you didn't need to boil beer to pitch yeast you wouldn't need to boil your starter to pitch yeast.

I weigh 1 L of water, add 150 g of DME then bring it to a total weight of 1,500 mL. I've read lots of posts where people add 150 mL to 1.5L of water and call it a day but my inner science nerd won't allow me to do it for some reason. Place it on the stir plate and go. I sometimes decant, and probably should more often, since my batches are typically 5.5 gallons.

My brew shop owner told me he makes his starters from grain. Brew up a 5 gallon batch of wort, save in a keg, pour as needed. I tried it once and it turned into fermented beer without pitching anything. I learned the difference between sanatized and sterile that week. Good thing kegs hold pressure well.

 

[JonM]

The only common microorganism that survives boiling is cryptosporidium spores and those are rare in public drinking water.

Here in Milwaukee, I'm not taking my chances. [emoji6]


http://archive.jsonline.com/news/mi...yptosporidium-outbreak-099dio5-201783191.html

 

[danthebugman]

As with many topics related to home brewing, you're going to get a variety of answers. You're going to have to be the one that finds out what works for you. There are pluses and minuses to everything. I'm right there with you though, making starters has always felt like a hassle to me. What ended up working for me is canning starter wort. I spend a few hours one afternoon to make enough starter wort to last me about 1-2 months (depends on how much I'm brewing and doing other yeasty experiments). It's not difficult and doesn't take a lot of time. I often do it while I'm working on other stuff around the house. When I need to make a starter, I swish some Starsan around my flask, crack a jar or two and pour. Add stir bar, yeast, and away it goes. Takes me a few minutes. While I don't think it saves me much (if any) time in the long run doing it this way, I'm not hauling out all the stuff I need to make a starter every week or so. This is what works for me, YMMV.

 

[JonM]

I've figured out the maximum number of jars that fit in the canner and the exact amount DME/water to fill those jars. That makes it so easy to whip up a batch of three or four starters worth. It takes very little time or effort.

 

[sorefingers23]

I think I'm going to make the jump and buy a pressure canner, does anyone have any recommendations on what size i should get.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have an 8 quart, its perfect , it holds 7 pint jars or 5 big mouth pint jars, 4 quart jars

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-8-Quart-Aluminum-Pressure-Cooker/6371940

 

[suprchunk]

I boil the requisite amount of water in my wasserkocher and pour that into my warm flask that already has my DME dissolved in a bit of hot water. No problems as of yet. I'd credit the guy on reddit who taught me that, but forget who it was. Before that I was boiling the wort and haphazardly pouring into my flask. This saves me time.

I do this only for starters I will use immediately. I pressure can starters I will use at a later date. High pH wort and all...

 

[CRZ]

I do the DME with water in a pot boiling for 15 minutes. Ice bath the pot and add cool wart to flask and onto stir plate. I don't have an issue with this method but the smell from the boiling wart chokes my wife up.

I'm now looking into the pressure cooker method posted in this thread. Can you not just add the DME to some canning jars, add some hot water, shake to dissolve, put in a pressure cooker to kill bacteria?

 

[danthebugman]

I think I'm going to make the jump and buy a pressure canner, does anyone have any recommendations on what size i should get.

I bought a 23qt and love it, but I also use it for canning veggies and various other tasks. Was easier to appease the wife with another brewing item, lol. I got mine used on eBay for about half what they are new. Had to replace the seal, but still a great deal.

 

[psujeeperman02]

Im brewing a 10 gal batch this weekend. Bought two smack packs of London III yeast. OK to make a starter by combining both packs into one flask? then just measure half and put into each fermenter? I only have two 7.8 gal fermenters.

 

[IslandLizard]

Im brewing a 10 gal batch this weekend. Bought two smack packs of London III yeast. OK to make a starter by combining both packs into one flask? then just measure half and put into each fermenter? I only have two 7.8 gal fermenters.

How big is your flask? If it's 2 liters you won't get optimum growth if you pitch 2 packs into it. Best to use a 2nd container for the 2nd pack. Use a yeast calculator for reference, like BrewUnited's. If time is an issue, 12-16 hours each should give you the cell count you're looking for.

I have two 2 liter flasks and also use 1/2 gallon glass pickle jars if I need more.

 

[BeardedBrews]

I think I'm going to make the jump and buy a pressure canner, does anyone have any recommendations on what size i should get.

My advice is Don't Buy One.

Check out the Facebook groups in your area, the local library, the local senior center, the farmer's co-op. In Tacoma there is a food preservation group (I think it's just one guy, but who knows) who does how-to canning classes. They have a couple pressure canners that they will let me borrow whenever I need them for free. I can knock out 20 quarts in an afternoon and be set for 6-8 months.