No more rehydrating. I sprinkle!

[Starderup]

I always used to mix up a few teaspoons of table sugar in a cup of water and boil/cool, and 'proof' my yeast. This is also rehydrating it, btw. I mainly did it because i liked seeing the blooming when they woke up.
Since then, I have learned that using table sugar is not a good idea, and pitching dry yeast directly is the preferred method. I use my brewing spoon to incorporate a lot of air into the wort, and pour any top off water in so it makes a nice splash.
I have to add my method of pitching because there were only 199 other ways to do it already mentioned here.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

ThreeTaps,
Per the dry yeast mfrs. you don't need to aerate when using dry yeast but it won't hurt anything. They explain why in their FAQs.

Regarding using tap water to rehydrate: my tap water has chloramines so I use bottled spring/drinking water. Not sure how much damage the chloramines would do but I've read yeast don't like it...and we're all slaves to the yeast (not the other way around imo ).

 

[EricT]

I have done this as well on my last 3 batches. I just sprinkle it and shake the crap out of it to airate. Been working great so far.

 

[mymbtheduke]

Rehydration is a pain.

1. Get mason jar and lid
2. Get pot
3. Get water
4. Boil water and jar together
5. Pour water into jar
6. Chill water
7. Test the water temp. Can't be too hot.
8. Sanitize the packet and scissors
9. Pour yeast in jar and let sit.

Or

1. Sanitize the packet and scissors
2. Sprinkle

 

[jjones17]

I cannot get Notty to work UNLESS I rehydrate it. I have tried 4 times, nothing. I rehydrated to try a fifth time, worked. I am a believer.

 

[Starderup]

I cannot get Notty to work UNLESS I rehydrate it. I have tried 4 times, nothing. I rehydrated to try a fifth time, worked. I am a believer.

I have used Nottingham so many times I can't count. I recently started bypassing the 'proofing' steps. No difference.
Something is wrong with your packets.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Proofing and rehydrating are not interchangable terms. Communication gets really hard when definitions aren't common and clear.

Here's the boomerang: Dry yeast doesn't benefit from, nor is it harmed by aeration. *Ducking*

 

[Whut]

From the Fermentis (Safale US-05) web site:

"Re-hydrate the dry yeast into yeast cream in a stirred vessel prior to pitching. Sprinkle the dry yeast in 10 times its own weight of sterile water or wort at 27C ± 3C (80F ± 6F). Once the expected weight of dry yeast is reconstituted into cream by this method (this takes about 15 to
30 minutes), maintain a gentle stirring for another 30 minutes. Then pitch the resultant cream into the fermentation vessel.

Alternatively, pitch dry yeast directly in the fermentation vessel providing the temperature of the wort is above 20C (68F). Progressively sprinkle the dry yeast into the wort ensuring the yeast covers all the surface of wort available in order to avoid clumps. Leave for 30 minutes and then mix the wort e.g. using aeration."

Interesting read but still though, I'll just keep sprinkling.

 

[Pilgarlic]

So, Fermentis says aerate. Lallemand, on the other hand: "Nottingham British Ale yeast has been conditioned to survive rehydration. The yeast contains an adequate reservoir of carbohydrates and unsaturated fatty acids to achieve active growth. It is unnecessary to aerate wort."

 

[Starderup]

Proofing and rehydrating are not interchangable terms. Communication gets really hard when definitions aren't common and clear.

Here's the boomerang: Dry yeast doesn't benefit from, nor is it harmed by aeration. *Ducking*

Proofing includes rehydrating. Rehydrating does not necessarily include proofing. I thought I made that point clear before, but I have now.

 

[mymbtheduke]

I follow this rule now. If the OG is 1.055 or lower (75% of my beers) then sprinkle. Above that, I would rehydrate to help the yeast. It is easy and it works. Saves time and hassle.

The owner at my LHBS told me that homebrewers can kill as many yeast cells by rehydrating outside the optimum water temp. I hadn't considered that one. Hmmmm.

 

[mithion]

I also sprinkle for any standard gravity beers. At high gravity, I would definitely rehydrate (or even make a starter) because the osmotic pressure is much greater and can damage cell walls. Think about why you can't just throw yeast in pure honey. That's an extreme example, but the idea is the same to a smaller degree with high gravity beers.

 

[munche]

I just did my first "sprinkle" batch with US-05 yesterday. Poured the yeast into the carboy, then dropped my aeration stone in and let it roll for an hour or so. It was showing life a few hours later, and as of this morning it was going ape****! Half of my 6' blowoff tube full, and I could see the trub swirling in there. Never seen such a crazy ferment.

 

[Bobby_M]

I always used to mix up a few teaspoons of table sugar in a cup of water and boil/cool, and 'proof' my yeast. This is also rehydrating it, btw. I mainly did it because i liked seeing the blooming when they woke up.
Since then, I have learned that using table sugar is not a good idea, and pitching dry yeast directly is the preferred method. I use my brewing spoon to incorporate a lot of air into the wort, and pour any top off water in so it makes a nice splash.
I have to add my method of pitching because there were only 199 other ways to do it already mentioned here.

The point of a plain water rehydration is the reduced stress as compared to a sugar laden liquid like wort or sugar water.

 

[passedpawn]

Rehydration is a pain.

1. Get mason jar and lid
2. Get pot
3. Get water
4. Boil water and jar together
5. Pour water into jar
6. Chill water
7. Test the water temp. Can't be too hot.
8. Sanitize the packet and scissors
9. Pour yeast in jar and let sit.

Or

1. Sanitize the packet and scissors
2. Sprinkle

I put a cup of water in a square tupperware sandwich container, loosely apply the top, and hit 3 minutes and walk away.

An hour later, I follow your second list and sprinkle my yeast into the container, then walk away again. When it's pitching time, it's ready. Not hard for me.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Homebrewing is a pain.

Fixed that for ya.

 

[mymbtheduke]

I put a cup of water in a square tupperware sandwich container, loosely apply the top, and hit 3 minutes and walk away.

An hour later, I follow your second list and sprinkle my yeast into the container, then walk away again. When it's pitching time, it's ready. Not hard for me.

If that works for you than that is good.

 

[Starderup]

I did another APA last night, and finished just about midnight. Sprinkled right on top of the foam. Buttoned it up and went to bed.
Got up at 6:00 AM and it was sending up a bubble about every 5 seconds. By tonight, I expect it will be percolating like a coffee pot.

 

[Bobby_M]

Really though. If you measure success by whether or not the beer ferments at all, this debate is not for you. This is a topic about ideals rather than good enoughs.

 

[Starderup]

I just can't imagine what it would be like if any steps increased the amount or rapidity of the fermentation I have gotten lately.
It's crazy good.

P.S. I never sterilized my yeast packets until recently, mostly because I hadn't thought about it. After I started doing that, I realized I could save myself a little trouble by making a small slit in the yeast package, just big enough so that I could tear it off. Saves me the time of sterilizing the scissors.

 

[EricT]

Wow, I dont think I have ever sterilized scissors to cut open a yeast packet. I just rip it open and dump it in. But to each is own I suppose. I'll continue to brew dangerously LOL

 

[Palefire]

I put a cup of water in a square tupperware sandwich container, loosely apply the top, and hit 3 minutes and walk away.

An hour later, I follow your second list and sprinkle my yeast into the container, then walk away again. When it's pitching time, it's ready. Not hard for me.

Damn, this is even easier than what I've been doing, which I thought was easy enough (boil water in tea kettle, pour in cup, cover with saran wrap, walk away, come back later and sprinkle). Nice.

 

[Starderup]

Wow, I dont think I have ever sterilized scissors to cut open a yeast packet. I just rip it open and dump it in. But to each is own I suppose. I'll continue to brew dangerously LOL

You firebrand, you.
Seriously, I saw this recommendation, and really think it is overkill, but making a little nick in the margin of the packet negates the need to sterilize anything else.
I do now dip the yeast packet in StarSan prior to opening it. I have invested hours in mashing, cooking, cooling, and pouring this beer. I ain't going to risk messing it up with wild yeast or other critters.

 

[Jawbox0]

I am not to the point in my brewing where I find that adding dry yeast directly to my wort imparts any off flavors or harms the fermentation. If it eventually comes down to that part of my process, I will refine it, but until then I find that my energy is better expended on other improvements to my brewing.

Obviously, the score sheet doesn't hold all the answers, but it does help me refine what I feel needs to be worked on.

 

[mymbtheduke]

I just can't imagine what it would be like if any steps increased the amount or rapidity of the fermentation I have gotten lately.
It's crazy good.

P.S. I never sterilized my yeast packets until recently, mostly because I hadn't thought about it. After I started doing that, I realized I could save myself a little trouble by making a small slit in the yeast package, just big enough so that I could tear it off. Saves me the time of sterilizing the scissors.

That is a great idea!!!! Thanks.

 

[mymbtheduke]

I am not to the point in my brewing where I find that adding dry yeast directly to my wort imparts any off flavors or harms the fermentation. If it eventually comes down to that part of my process, I will refine it, but until then I find that my energy is better expended on other improvements to my brewing.

Obviously, the score sheet doesn't hold all the answers, but it does help me refine what I feel needs to be worked on.

I am trying to refine my steps to get my time brewing down as far as possible. Since I leave my beers in the primary for 3 weeks, I do not care if the yeast lags by 4 or even 8 hours. Doesn't matter. I really wanted to see how many homebrewers are just tossing the yeast in and skipping the rehydration.

 

[artbrau]

I recently started using the dry Fermentis yeasts with dry pitch. For the last two batches I tried re-hydration and it "feels" good because I pitched this nice creamy slurry and lets me use an Erlenmeyer flask but I found no difference in lag times or, rather, the airlock activity when I first checked on them the next morning, so its back to sprinkle for me.

Now the aeration question. Bobby's aeration test video shows no diff between shaking and O2 but a decent diff between aeration and nothing but in the dry yeast experiment there seems to be no diff between O2 or nothing. Fermentis says "mix the wort e.g. using aeration." "e.g." means "for example" which, to me says "not mandatory." My process includes aeration at the late stage of the chill so I will continue to do it but I don't see a conclusive answer.

 

[Starderup]

This is purely anecdotal, but my current batch of Pale Ale (Notty yeast) was bubbling furiously after 19 hours by simply pitching on top of the foam. I also do not have a gasket on my pail, so I'm sure there is some pressure escaping from the rim.

 

[alcibiades]

i sprinkle too, but only after I shake the carboy which leaves a few inches of "foam" on the top. The dry yeast seem to love the foam (no basis for this statement)

 

[Starderup]

i sprinkle too, but only after I shake the carboy which leaves a few inches of "foam" on the top. The dry yeast seem to love the foam (no basis for this statement)

That is my experience as well.
It may slow the rehydrating process, which would lessen the shock. Since the foam is part liquid, part air bubbles, it makes sense. It would also provide plenty of oxygen. I don't really need to do anything past pouring the wort in the fermenter; the pouring action creates a thick layer of foam.
I have ordered the Yeast Hog from Rebel Brewer, and am trying yeast washing for the first time today, so it might not be too far into the future when dry yeast is only kept as an emergency backup.