Rehydrate and nutrients?

[IDNeon357]

Edit - perhaps another way to ask this question is "starter". I dont use starters. I'd like some pros for why starter at all?

I dont rehydrate. I throw my yeast into high gravities (1.150+) and I dont nutrient them during rehydration.

Why are these things mentioned? What benefits do they add? Better flavors? Etc?

Also...I intend to add a small amount of the rehydration nutrient to my batch at about 20hours to see what that does. Compared to maybe a rehydration method for another batch.

Shrugs....I have no baseline to know what is better or worse for flavor or fermentation results.

Any insight on rehydrating before pitching and on nutrients?

 

[North_of_60]

I have never used nutrients so I have nothing to offer on this topic.

I use S-04, US-05 and Nottingham for most of my beers. I have rehydrated, I have sprinkled the dry yeast on top of the wort and sealed the bucket, I have added dry yeast, sealed the lid and shook the daylights out of it. Every time I get beer.

There doesn’t seem to be much if any difference. The active fermentation starts in 12 hours or less and finishes in about 3 days. After another 8 or 10 days I check the final gravity and it’s right where it’s supposed to be.

The only liquid yeast I have used is a Wyyeast 3068 smack pak in a Wit Bier. I followed the instructions on the pak (no starter) poured it into the bucket and it worked just like the dry yeast described above.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I'd like some pros for why starter at all?

It sounds like you're only using dry yeast? In which case, starters are rarely used. The only pro is to get the ferment going faster and to get enough yeast if you only have one pack, when one pack isn't enough (especially for lagers, which need about double the yeast of ales). Dry yeast is so cheap in the US that few brewers seem to bother with starters. It's quite expensive in Australia (about $6 for a fermentis sachet) so lots of brewers make starters. Ignore the common myth that you shouldn't make starters with dry yeast - they work well.

For liquid yeasts, starters are vital for anything over 5gal, high gravity and older yeast.

I dont rehydrate. I throw my yeast into high gravities (1.150+) and I dont nutrient them during rehydration.

Good, there's no need to rehydrate. Some people do, which is fine.
Are you talking about beer when you say 1.150? That's crazy high.
If you don't rehydrate, then of course you aren't nutrient them during hydration. I'm a bit confused?

Also...I intend to add a small amount of the rehydration nutrient to my batch at about 20hours to see what that does. Compared to maybe a rehydration method for another batch.

I'm not sure what you're talking about here. What's 'rehydration nutrient'?

Any insight on rehydrating before pitching and on nutrients?

[/QUOTE]
A recent study be Fermentis has shown that with good quality dry yeast, there is very little benefit from rehydrating dry yeast. No need to do it.
All malt beer should have all of the nutrients it needs, so no need to add nutrients. Beer with all pils or pale malt, or with lots of sugar adjunct, could benefit from some. I normally just chuck in a teaspoon or two of bread yeast towards the end of the boil to provide nutrient. It can't hurt.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

The only liquid yeast I have used is a Wyyeast 3068 smack pak in a Wit Bier. I followed the instructions on the pak (no starter) poured it into the bucket and it worked just like the dry yeast described above.

This is one of the few liquid yeasts that doesn't really need a starter. It's a beast.