rehydrate dry yeast?

[RM-MN]

All of my last 6 or 7 brews have been with dry yeast, most of them US-05. Of those, the first couple were rehydrated in 80-90F tap water and fermentation started out fine within a day, maybe 36 hours tops. With the last 4 or 5 brews I added Go Ferm to the warm tap water for rehydration. All of those fermentations took off like a rocket, within 12 hours or so. Of course, this is just a few data points, and YMMV, but the change I've encountered keeps me using the Go Ferm.

Do you get noticeably better beer with the quicker starts?

 

[yourlastchance89]

That's definitely NOT a recommended procedure.
Pitch right after (properly) rehydrating, don't let the slurry sit without food (wort), all her sterol reserves will be depleted. That's probably worse than sprinkling directly onto the wort.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

 

[cooper]

This is a great thread to prove there are many ways that work great. I've pitched dry, I've boiled tap water and cooled to 95 and rehydrated the yeast, and I've also taken a water bottle and poured about half of it out and sprinkled the yeast directly onto the room-temperature water and pitched a half hour later. ALL have been successful.

 

[MaxStout]

Do you get noticeably better beer with the quicker starts?

I noticed that the beers were a little cleaner, with less off-flavors. No way for me to know for sure if that was attributable to the yeast boost or not. Too many other variables. But the fact that my yeast took off faster is reason enough for me to continue using it. I know that Go Ferm is generally used for wine yeasts, but I don't think beer yeasts mind.

 

[EagleScout]

After some suggestions I was given for my first lager I've started making a starter for every batch, even when using dry yeast, using this calculator to figure out how big it needs to be.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/
Sometimes it would take a few days to see activity without a starter but since I've started making starters for everything I usually see activity in a few hours.

 

[Miraculix]

All of my last 6 or 7 brews have been with dry yeast, most of them US-05. Of those, the first couple were rehydrated in 80-90F tap water and fermentation started out fine within a day, maybe 36 hours tops. With the last 4 or 5 brews I added Go Ferm to the warm tap water for rehydration. All of those fermentations took off like a rocket, within 12 hours or so. Of course, this is just a few data points, and YMMV, but the change I've encountered keeps me using the Go Ferm.

That sounds really interesting! Unfortunately, I did not find it reasonably priced in the uk... only really expensive for a one time dose or 1kg....

 

[nh_homebrew]

If I rehydrate dry yeast do I need to use it all or some? I know I can wash and reuse after its done fermentation.

 

[ancientmariner52]

The packets are sized for 5 gallon batches. Once you hydrate, it's awake and rarin' to go. If you don't intend to use it all, weigh out what you need dry, then hydrate.

 

[mabrungard]

I've summarized information on yeast rehydration studies from the past few years on the Bru'n Water Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/Brun-Water-464551136933908/?ref=bookmarks

 

[nh_homebrew]

Sorry I wasn't very precise. I should have worded it this way. If you hydrate a packet of dry yeast made for 5 gallons, can you use it for more than 5 gallons? Once the yeast cells populate doesn't it grow to be more yeast?

 

[thehaze]

By redydrating you are not growing the yeast cell count. You are simply preparing the yeast to be ready for fermentation.

 

[ancientmariner52]

I have made starters with dry yeast. It worked fine. It's just a lot easier to buy enough to pitch without that extra messin' about.

 

[brew703]

This really is a hot topic.

I've used tap water, spring water and distilled water with no effects that I can tell. I do think tap works better.

I also boil my water then cool it down to 92-94 then pitch and stir. let sit for 15 min, restir or shake and pitch. I also sometimes add 1/4t sugar to the water before boiling.

I've always had activity within 12 hrs, sometimes sooner.
This works for me and it's how I use dry yeast.

 

[ancientmariner52]

This mirrors my usual procedure, except for the sugar. I try all kinds of goofy stuff, but I come back to this.

As has been said many times, many places, the launch key is good aeration.

 

[eric19312]

I have made starters with dry yeast. It worked fine. It's just a lot easier to buy enough to pitch without that extra messin' about.

This

Starters aren’t free, aren’t without risk of contamination, and aren’t convenient. They are a necessary evil when working with liquid yeast due to the low cell count in liquid yeast packages compounded by the very high rate of viability loss of liquid yeast. Dry yeast is shelf stable for at least a couple years if kept refrigerated and relatively cheap. Just buy a bunch when you see a good price and use what you need.

 

[Horseflesh]

I recently found this article on the topic and this seems like a good place to share it. It's pretty old but presumably there hasn't been a revolution in the field.

https://koehlerbeer.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/rehydrating-dry-yeast-with-dr-clayton-cone/

 

[RM-MN]

This

Starters aren’t free, aren’t without risk of contamination, and aren’t convenient. They are a necessary evil when working with liquid yeast due to the low cell count in liquid yeast packages compounded by the very high rate of viability loss of liquid yeast. Dry yeast is shelf stable for at least a couple years if kept refrigerated and relatively cheap. Just buy a bunch when you see a good price and use what you need.

Not even this. Starters are used with liquid yeast to build up the cell count which then will reduce the lag time. There are plenty of yeast cells in liquid yeast to ferment a typical 5 gallon batch if the wort is aerated because the yeast will propagate in the fermenter. The viability loss is often overestimated too. Try experimenting with this. Make a batch of wort, mix it well for consistency, split it into two fermenters, pitching one with starter and the other with just liquid yeast. Ferment them in identical conditions and check the results. I'll bet that you cannot tell the difference in the beers if the bottles are unmarked and mixed up so you don't have a way to tell them apart.

 

[nh_homebrew]

I was thinking of making a one gallon batch and then a 5 gallon later on. I only have one packet of Safale us 05. If I use a little of it for the one gallon, and then the rest for the 5 gallon, plus the slurry/leftover from the one gallon that should be enough right?

 

[ancientmariner52]

In effect, you are making a one gallon starter, but drinking the liquid. [emoji2] The slurry alone ought to be plenty for a five gallon batch.

 

[nh_homebrew]

Awesome. I suppose I just weight the dry yeast and divide by 5 and use a fifth... for a one gallon batch

 

[ancientmariner52]

Sounds right to me.

 

[Pinhead]

To those who have been successfully dry pitching: Fermentis instructs to pitch into wort over 68F if dry pitching, which is a big part of the reason I've been rehydrating - I generally pitch at about 64F. Have you been pitching into warm (above 68F) or cool wort.

Normally about 70 degrees after cooling wort. I tried putting fermentation bucket in fermenter once and cooled down to 67 or so before pitching had a very long lag then to

 

[brewcat]

To those who have been successfully dry pitching: Fermentis instructs to pitch into wort over 68F if dry pitching, which is a big part of the reason I've been rehydrating - I generally pitch at about 64F. Have you been pitching into warm (above 68F) or cool wort.

I pitch around 70. Then after 30 minutes shake the yeast into the wort/aerate. Then move to the fermentation chamber to cool to fermentation temp. Seems to work.

 

[Steveruch]

Over the last four months I've brewed two imperial pilsners with dry yeast pitched directly into the wort. One was 1.087 and the other was 1.080. I had signs of fermentation in both in about 18 hours; both turned out pretty good.

 

[nh_homebrew]

In effect, you are making a one gallon starter, but drinking the liquid. [emoji2] The slurry alone ought to be plenty for a five gallon batch.

So does that mean if you put a full packet in a 5 gallon batch and saved the slurry you could divide it and use it for 5 more 5 gallon batches?

 

[ancientmariner52]

I believe that would work, yes. Compare 1/5 of the slurry to the 11 grams or so you started with. There's plenty of info on HBT about harvesting and storing yeast.

 

[RM-MN]

So does that mean if you put a full packet in a 5 gallon batch and saved the slurry you could divide it and use it for 5 more 5 gallon batches?

I believe the common practice is to divide the cake into 4 but I think 5 will be just fine too.