rehydrate or not??

[Mobrew1]

I just got my first Kit from northern brewer and it has a dry yeast. Every video I have seen shows pitching the yeast dry but on the package it shows to rehydrate before pitching. What should I do ? Thanks.

 

[schiersteinbrewing]

Re-hydrating is the preferred method. The few times I didn't re-hydrate the fermentation was slow to start.

 

[bestbuds]

You get more viability from rehydrating dry yeast properly (I forget where specifically, but I've seen research somewhere). Of course, you need to ensure you are doing this using at the very least semi-sterile (boiled and cooled) water in a sanitized vessel. More viable yeast means more yeast, which typically means a healthier fermentation.

 

[thefost]

Most experiments on here have shown that rehyrdrating leads to about 70-75% yeast viability, while direct pitching leads to about 40-50%. Your beer will probably fully ferment either way, so its probably not that big of a deal. It might ferment faster, and produce less off flavors if you rehydrate.

 

[sweetcell]

rehydrate.

 

[Mobrew1]

thanks everybody I will definitely rehydrate

 

[flars]

Look at the manufacturers web site for the instructions to rehydrate their yeast.

 

[DesignatedDrinker]

skip the rehydrate step. Its more of a hassle then its worth. Will you get more viability re-hydrating? Possibly, but yeast will multiply anyways during the first few hours. If you properly aerated and keep a good steady temp while fermenting, then yeast will multiple like crazy making viability not a big deal. re-hydrating yeast takes roughly 15-30 min depending on how you do it, the juice isnt worth the squeeze on this one in my opinion. I saw/smelled/tasted no difference when I split a batch once and did it both ways.

 

[dkevinb]

I've done both and I haven't noticed any difference in the final product. If you're using an adequate amount of good quality, fresh yeast I don't think it's crucial. OTOH, I can nuke a measuring cup with a little water in the microwave, let it cool, stir in the yeast and let it set for 15-30 minutes while I'm doing everything else that needs to be done on brew day. It's not like it adds to the total amount of time. I generally do it.

 

[boydster]

I rehydrate and I notice a difference. It takes off quicker generally and tastes cleaner. Probably one of the easiest steps of the brewing process, aside from sniffing the airlock.

 

[JDGator]

I've done both and I haven't noticed any difference in the final product. If you're using an adequate amount of good quality, fresh yeast I don't think it's crucial. OTOH, I can nuke a measuring cup with a little water in the microwave, let it cool, stir in the yeast and let it set for 15-30 minutes while I'm doing everything else that needs to be done on brew day. It's not like it adds to the total amount of time. I generally do it.

i have also never noticed any difference in beer quality or time it takes to see fermentation.

But i do know that there have been many studies that show healthier yeast when hydrated. so rehydrating is a quick and easy way to ensure healthy yeast.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, you can do what you want, but I've been rehydrating for a couple of years. The reason being that according to the experts on yeast, rehydrating can make a huge percentage of they yeast healthy and ready to do their thing, while pitching right into the wort can allow bad stuff into the yeast cells, making them unable to do their stuff. You can lose around 50% of the yeast cells depending on the gravity of the wort.

Also, it's not necessary to aerate your wort for dry yeast. Adding O2 helps build the sterols that they yeast need for reproduction. With dry yeast, they've already done that during the drying process. I still always aerate, personally, but it doesn't really add any benefit other than I *feel* I ought to after years of it being ingrained into me. Plus, I have a fancy new Oxygen Kit, so....

 

[DesignatedDrinker]

Aeration is not for just reproduction. Yes it is need for reproduction but it also increases the health of the yeast produced giving your fermentation that much more of an advantage. Aeration is always necessary, required no, necessary yes. Can you make beer either way? Yes. But better steps equal better beer.

 

[boydster]

Aeration is not for just reproduction. Yes it is need for reproduction but it also increases the health of the yeast produced giving your fermentation that much more of an advantage. Aeration is always necessary, required no, necessary yes. Can you make beer either way? Yes. But better steps equal better beer.

Clayton Cone disagrees, and his opinion is pretty well respected in the dry yeast community.

The yeast can take up all the oxygen needed for a fermentation prior to being pitched, assuming a healthy pitch rate. In the case of dry yeast, it is produced using O2, and then packaged with even more nutrients, so I think it is pretty safe for someone to skip aerating unless they are underpitching (which could easily be the case if one decides to pitch dry).

 

[DesignatedDrinker]

The problem with dry yeast tho is viability decreases everyday, especially if the lhbs doesnt store it correctly like mine(on a shelf).. So wouldnt you want more reproduction? Liquid yeast is low count to start, but a starter compensates.

 

[boydster]

The viability drops 4% per month at room temp, and 4% per year if refrigerated. My LHBS usually has a pretty fresh supply, but if you take viability into consideration and adjust the amount you pitch accordingly, there is still no need to aerate. It sure doesn't hurt anything, so no harm either way. I try to pitch a little high at around 1 million cells/ml/°P, and I have aerated some batches and not aerated others, I don't notice greater esters or other off-flavors from stressed yeast in the batches without aeration.

Most times, I will pour my wort pretty aggressively from kettle to bucket a couple times to introduce some O2, but if I'm feeling lazy or forget for some reason, I don't sweat it. It should be healthy once hydrated properly; just pitch enough so it only needs to increase the population about 4-fold and it should have sufficient nutrients for a healthy fermentation.

 

[flars]

Clayton Cone does say aeration is needed for starters and some brewing conditions.

 

[boydster]

Clayton Cone does say aeration is needed for starters and some brewing conditions.

Agreed, the OP wasn't asking about making a starter though, the question was about pitching into a kit beer.

 

[DesignatedDrinker]

To OP. Do what you want. Both ways will create the same beer. If one makes you feel better then go for it

 

[Spartangreen]

I've done 11g batches, spitting the wort between 2 carboys, then pitching hydrated yeast into 1 and just sprinkling a packet into the other. The carboys were stored together and then kegged.

Tasted EXACTLY the same. Hope this helps.

 

[Denny]

I just got my first Kit from northern brewer and it has a dry yeast. Every video I have seen shows pitching the yeast dry but on the package it shows to rehydrate before pitching. What should I do ? Thanks.

I haven't found much difference one way or the other. If you want to do everything by the book, rehydrate.

 

[flars]

Agreed, the OP wasn't asking about making a starter though, the question was about pitching into a kit beer.

Clayton Cone wrote:
When you produce 3-5% alcohol beer this is no problem. It is when you produce higher alcohol beer or inoculate at a lower rate, that you need to add O2 to produce more yeast and for alcohol tolerance near the end of fermentation.

 

[DesignatedDrinker]

Clayton Cone wrote:

When you produce 3-5% alcohol beer this is no problem. It is when you produce higher alcohol beer or inoculate at a lower rate, that you need to add O2 to produce more yeast and for alcohol tolerance near the end of fermentation.

Clayton cone is one man with his own experiences. No one is the all knowing, no one has all answers. This hobby is to diverse in factors that manipulate all aspects for anyone to believe everything one guy says. He knows alot, but your personal experiences with your personal gear will teach you more then anyone else can.

 

[big_len]

"I did x and got y" is the equivalent of "my grandfather smoked everyday of his life and lived to 100"** But no one will argue that smoking is good for your health.

The same goes for not rehydrating your yeast. You may have pitched it dry into the wort and your palate may not have decerned any change in flavour. But, similar to smoking, there are studies that show cell viability is reduced without a proper rehydration step.





(**yes, he turns 101 later this year with no signs of slowing down)

 

[Denny]

"I did x and got y" is the equivalent of "my grandfather smoked everyday of his life and lived to 100"** But no one will argue that smoking is good for your health.

The same goes for not rehydrating your yeast. You may have pitched it dry into the wort and your palate may not have decerned any change in flavour. But, similar to smoking, there are studies that show cell viability is reduced without a proper rehydration step.





(**yes, he turns 101 later this year with no signs of slowing down)

But if there's no difference in flavor, what does it matter what the numbers are? I don't know about you, but I brew beer to drink, not to measure!

 

[boydster]

Clayton Cone wrote:
When you produce 3-5% alcohol beer this is no problem. It is when you produce higher alcohol beer or inoculate at a lower rate, that you need to add O2 to produce more yeast and for alcohol tolerance near the end of fermentation.

Right. Again, not disagreeing. Higher OG should mean you pitch more yeast - that is what pitch rate is all about. Pitch rate plays a major factor in how much nutrient your yeast will need to scavenge from the wort for a healthy fermentation. If a brewer cares about pitch rate, they should be hydrating their yeast (or doubling up on suggested pitch amount from calcs) and paying attention to approximately how many yeast cells they are pitching. If you don't care about pitch rate, pitch dry and hit the FV with some oxygen. Or don't. But in most cases if you pitch properly hydrated dry yeast at a rate between .75 and 1 million cells per ml per °P, aerating is not really a big deal. But it also doesn't hurt. So do what you like.

 

[big_len]

But if there's no difference in flavor, what does it matter what the numbers are? I don't know about you, but I brew beer to drink, not to measure!

I would assume, given that we have all taken the time to register to a forum and to partake in a discussion of the finer points of brewing, that we are all interested in brewing the best possible beer. Not rehydrating your yeast is adequate, but not the best.

 

[Denny]

I would assume, given that we have all taken the time to register to a forum and to partake in a discussion of the finer points of brewing, that we are all interested in brewing the best possible beer. Not rehydrating your yeast is adequate, but not the best.

Again, if you can't taste the difference, what does it matter? I've tested it many times and found no difference. Now, I may not be the world's greatest taster, but I'm BJCP National and have judged MANY comps, including NHC Finals several times. I've done blind triangle tastings to test this theory. "Best practice" comes down to what makes the best beer, and if there's no detectable difference in the beer, then there's no "best practice".

 

[boydster]

Plain and simple, pitching dry and having half the cells die is no different than pitching a single fresh vial of liquid yeast without a starter, as far as cell count goes. People do that all the time and love the beer they make. If you go with that approach, it would probably be best aerate your wort so there is adequate O2 for the yeast. Do what works to make beer you like.