How to Make a yeast starter

[ObsidianChef]

Good Day,

Can someone please assist me on how to make a yeast starter and what the equipment requirements are.

Thank you very much.

 

[danielward56]

2 cups of water
1/2 a cup of DME

Boil for 10 minutes

Cool quickly and pitch your yeast.

Works best when you use a Erlenmeyer flask. If you don't have a stir plate you need to swirl the mini beer to oxygenate it. Hope this helps.


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[kenmcchord]

Stir plate is an excellent investment for this job but not completely necessary. Watch the video above, then google search making a yeast starter and you'll find another dozen or so videos and tutorials explaining the process. It's really easy to do and will be a noticable benefit to your fermentation.

I believe the ratio is 100g DME to 1 liter starter or 1/10, but I'm still relatively new and am going by memory.

Again equipment-wise I would recommend a stir plate and erlenmeyer flask. Easy stuff here, good luck.

 

[JonM]

Here ya go. And you don't NEED an erlenmeyer flask, stir plate, etc., (but they do work well) You can do this in a growler, a gallon glass jug, an old E&J Gallo wine jug, etc.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/how-make-yeast-starter-pictorial-76101/

 

[flars]

I use this calculator since Yeastcalc disappeared.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

A yeast starter can be made in any type of sanitized container. The starter wort does not need to be boiled in the starter container. It can be boiled in one of your cooking pots, cooled, and then poured into your starter container. A stir plate is not needed.

The method of making a starter without a stir plate is called 'Intermittent Shaking' or 'Shaking' in this calculator. Shaking and swirling the starter as often as possible will ferment out the starter sooner. The shaking and swirling aerates the wort like a stir plate does, except the stir plate is constant aeration.

A container like a pickle jar works very well because it has a shoulder which can prevent loss of wort when shaking. The shoulder also makes decanting the spent wort easier before pitching.

 

[ObsidianChef]

What DME must I use (Dark, Light) or can I use Dextrose?
Thank you very much for all your assistance.

 

[DrWill]

What DME must I use (Dark, Light) or can I use Dextrose?

Thank you very much for all your assistance.

You can use any DME, just get your starter wort into the 5-10°P range. I wouldn't use dextrose or other simple sugars. Some people have suggested that doing so encourages the yeast not to produce the enzyme that ferments maltose.


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