How Do You Prepare your Yeast

[ms8miranda]

How do the rest of you prepare your yeast?

From what I've read, some people make it an all day affair by putting it in a cup of water and adding juice or must every 4 hours.

Some say to add sugar and let it sit for a while. (how much sugar and water? How long is a while?)

Others say to strictly follow the instructions on the yeast label.

Help!!!
(I won't be using yeast nutrient, if that makes a difference.)

 

[devaspawn]

I boil up a cup and a half of water with 4 oz of DME about 2 or 3 days before I brew and let it boil for about 5 minutes. I cool it and add it to a PET container and but an airlock and stopper in the top after pitching the yeast. Set it in a dark cool place like I do with my wort and then let it sit til I need to pitch in my wort on brew day. I occasionally walk by it and give it a gentle swirl.

There are far fancier ways of doing this whole process but this will suffice. Worked for me 100% of the time so far.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I use a wide mouth quart mason jar & mix up about 1.5 cups of about 3/4 must & 1/4 hot water, with a little pinch each of yeast nutrient & energizer. I put the lid on & shake it well to areate. when it's about 85 degrees F. I pour in the yeast, cover with a clean linen towel & secure it with the ring (minus the lid). I usually wait about an hour or two to make certain it's good, active yeast. If it's working, I then pour it into my fermenter; I've never had a yeast that didn't take off in the starter like it should. I've also followed the directions on the packet & had good results... The main thing a yeast starter does is to A: let you know before you pitch it into the must that it's live yeast. B: it increases the number of individual yeast cells, which means the fermentation has a much better chance at success right from the start, AND that there will usually be less lag time. You could just as easily follow the instructions on the packet, those enologists who make the stuff know their yeasts much better than most of us using it. It all boils down to how you want to do it. Hope this info is useful, GF.

 

[JWHooper]

I just open the packet and pour it in. Works fine.

 

[AnOldUR]

I smacked the pack on the tank of my HD before leaving the LHBS on Sunday. Got home. Mashed. Boiled. Pitched.

Edit: It was a 3 1/2 gallon starter batch. The full size brew will go on the slurry in a couple of weeks.

 

[AnOldUR]

I smacked the pack on the tank of my HD before leaving the LHBS on Sunday. Got home. Mashed. Boiled. Pitched.

This may be an alternative to a stir plate. The 45 minutes of vibration on the back of the bike had the smack pack fully swollen by the time it got home.