School me on a yeast starter

[lcbjr77]

Newbie here,

As soon as my kits arrives I will be attempting a beer with a OG of 1.078, I see a lot of people say that a beer over 1.060 requires more yeast or a yeast starter.

My questions:

How long do you start the yeast starter prior to you pitching into the wort... Is that something you would get ready the day before?

Whats the difference between using the foam stopper or the bung and airlock?

Thanks
Larry

 

[ThunderpantsBrewing]

The day before should be fine if you're pitching the whole starter. If you plan on refridgerating it and decanting the beer, it will have to be a few days before.

A foam stopper will allow the starter to breathe, releasing CO2 and taking in oxygen. Oxygen is needed for healthy yeast growth. Here's my favorite link for starter info:

http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.php

 

[BierGut]

I personally get mine ready 24 prior to pitch.

The foam stopper allows the transfer of air in and out where the bung/airlock only lets air out. A how to video from White Labs says the foam stopper is better FWIW

 

[histo320]

I usually make my yeast starters about 48 hours in advance of brewing. I don't use a stir plate I just give it a quick swirl whenever I get a chance. Also, I don't use an airlock, I just cover the growler/jar with tin foil. This allows the CO2 to escape and allows necessary oxygen in. I also don't refrigerate, I simply pitch the entire starter into the fermenter.

My fermentation usually starts in 5-7 hours and FG is usually reached in 7 days. Of course I let it sit the additional two weeks to allow it to clean itself up a bit.

 

[RmikeVT]

Here is my schedule, typically. I use a stir plate and 2L Erlenmeyer flask. Depending on the starter size I might or might not decant before pitching

If I have a big starter >= 1.5L ish, I decant. If its smaller, I don't.
t minus 48 hours - get starting going
t minus 24 hours - put starter in fridge to drop yeast out
t minus 2 hours - pull out starter and decant most of the starter wort off and let the starter warm up to room temp
t minus 0 hours - swirl yeast with remaining wort to get in suspension and pitch

If I'm not decanting, I'll just make the starter 24 hours in advance and pitch the whole thing.

 

[lcbjr77]

Thanks for all your input

I just ordered a kit from Northern Brewers... I see they have pretty good instructions included in all of their kits.

 

[lcbjr77]

Can you please go into the decanting process a little. Thanks

Here is my schedule, typically. I use a stir plate and 2L Erlenmeyer flask. Depending on the starter size I might or might not decant before pitching

If I have a big starter >= 1.5L ish, I decant. If its smaller, I don't.
t minus 48 hours - get starting going
t minus 24 hours - put starter in fridge to drop yeast out
t minus 2 hours - pull out starter and decant most of the starter wort off and let the starter warm up to room temp
t minus 0 hours - swirl yeast with remaining wort to get in suspension and pitch

If I'm not decanting, I'll just make the starter 24 hours in advance and pitch the whole thing.

 

[RmikeVT]

Can you please go into the decanting process a little. Thanks

Sure. Put the starter in the fridge for 24 hours and the yeast will flocculate (clump up and drop to bottom). Most yeast will form a compact layer in the bottom. Once I am satisfied with the amount of yeast that has dropped out, usually 24ish hours, I simply pour off 90% of the starter wort, leaving the yeast behind. I will then leave at room temperature, so the yeast doesn't go from fridge temp to pitch temp. When the starter is at room temp and I'm ready to pitch I simply swirl the remaining wort around to get the yeast in suspension and dump the whole mess into my batch of beer.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Is your kit coming with dry yeast? This seems to be the typical arrangement, and, if it does have dry yeast, you should have plenty of cells present to pitch it without creating a starter first. Rehydrating dry yeast in water of 80-90F for 30 minutes will make for stronger cell walls in the yeast, which will increase yeast survival at the pitch and reduce your lag time (leading to better beer).

If you have liquid yeast, you absolutely want to make a starter, especially with an OG that high. I still don't use a stir plate, and I prepare mine a minimum of 48hrs in advance, refrigerate, and decant so that I'm only pitching yeast into the wort. To calculate how large your starter should be, use a calculator like Mr.Malty. I often make my starters a few days further in advance of my brew day just for sanity's sake. I just want everything done and forgotten when my brew day comes around. If you post the volume of wort you expect to have, I can run your numbers on Mr.Malty to confirm for you.

You really don't need a foam stopper to make a starter and you definitely don't want to use an airlock for it. You want oxygen to get into your starter to maximize reproduction, and an airlock prevents that. The classic simple starter is made in a mason jar with sanitized foil on top, and I can vouch that this works perfectly fine. My own method isn't much more advanced than this at all. So, if you already invested in an Erlenmeyer flask (or something similar that has a spot for a foam stopper), go for it. Otherwise, you can do just fine taking a poor-man's approach.

 

[lcbjr77]

Thanks for the explaination

Sure. Put the starter in the fridge for 24 hours and the yeast will flocculate (clump up and drop to bottom). Most yeast will form a compact layer in the bottom. Once I am satisfied with the amount of yeast that has dropped out, usually 24ish hours, I simply pour off 90% of the starter wort, leaving the yeast behind. I will then leave at room temperature, so the yeast doesn't go from fridge temp to pitch temp. When the starter is at room temp and I'm ready to pitch I simply swirl the remaining wort around to get the yeast in suspension and dump the whole mess into my batch of beer.

 

[lcbjr77]

Hello Barley Bob,

I did go the MrMalty site at some point but was overwhelmed with info

Here is the beer specs I'll be attempting, and I going to use Wyeast1056

Recipe Size: 5 Gallons
ABV: 8.3%
Color: 7 SRM
IBU: 61
Original Gravity: 1.078
Final Gravity: 1.014
Ready In: 7 Weeks
Starter: Yes
2 Stage: Yes

Is your kit coming with dry yeast? This seems to be the typical arrangement, and, if it does have dry yeast, you should have plenty of cells present to pitch it without creating a starter first. Rehydrating dry yeast in water of 80-90F for 30 minutes will make for stronger cell walls in the yeast, which will increase yeast survival at the pitch and reduce your lag time (leading to better beer).

If you have liquid yeast, you absolutely want to make a starter, especially with an OG that high. I still don't use a stir plate, and I prepare mine a minimum of 48hrs in advance, refrigerate, and decant so that I'm only pitching yeast into the wort. To calculate how large your starter should be, use a calculator like Mr.Malty. I often make my starters a few days further in advance of my brew day just for sanity's sake. I just want everything done and forgotten when my brew day comes around. If you post the volume of wort you expect to have, I can run your numbers on Mr.Malty to confirm for you.

You really don't need a foam stopper to make a starter and you definitely don't want to use an airlock for it. You want oxygen to get into your starter to maximize reproduction, and an airlock prevents that. The classic simple starter is made in a mason jar with sanitized foil on top, and I can vouch that this works perfectly fine. My own method isn't much more advanced than this at all. So, if you already invested in an Erlenmeyer flask (or something similar that has a spot for a foam stopper), go for it. Otherwise, you can do just fine taking a poor-man's approach.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Hello Barley Bob,

I did go the MrMalty site at some point but was overwhelmed with info

Here is the beer specs I'll be attempting, and I going to use Wyeast1056

Recipe Size: 5 Gallons
ABV: 8.3%
Color: 7 SRM
IBU: 61
Original Gravity: 1.078
Final Gravity: 1.014
Ready In: 7 Weeks
Starter: Yes
2 Stage: Yes

Okay. What equipment are you planning to use to make the starter? Did you buy something specifically for the task or?

 

[lcbjr77]

I bought the 1 litre yeast starter kit from Northern Brewers

 

[Barley_Bob]

I bought the 1 litre yeast starter kit from Northern Brewers

Okay, gotcha.

So, your Mr. Malty should appear as below. Because you don't have a stir plate, you want to intermittently shake to maximize oxygen uptake. In practical terms, this means to swirl it vigorously every time you walk into your kitchen.

I'll offer the disclaimer that some starter is better than no starter, but Mr.Malty is recommending you use 2.22 liters of starter. If you can, pick up some more DME and grow more yeast. It's one of the best things you can do for your beer. You'll essentially just be repeating the process, either accumulating all the yeast you grow into a single container in your refrigerator or maybe even just adding extra wort on top of the yeast you've grown in your flask.

Another thing you can think about that is totally optional, is growing some extra yeast to save for the future. If you make an extra 1L starter, you can put this in a small sanitized mason jar in your refrigerator. It's a little extra work and forethought, but it will save you from having to buy this yeast again anytime soon. When you go to use this yeast again, just repeat the process of making a starter using this yeast as the base.

 

[lcbjr77]

So the kit comes with 1 lb of Golden Light DME, how much of that to use for one wyeast pack?

Okay, gotcha.

So, your Mr. Malty should appear as below. Because you don't have a stir plate, you want to intermittently shake to maximize oxygen uptake. In practical terms, this means to swirl it vigorously every time you walk into your kitchen.

I'll offer the disclaimer that some starter is better than no starter, but Mr.Malty is recommending you use 2.22 liters of starter. If you can, pick up some more DME and grow more yeast. It's one of the best things you can do for your beer. You'll essentially just be repeating the process, either accumulating all the yeast you grow into a single container in your refrigerator or maybe even just adding extra wort on top of the yeast you've grown in your flask.

Another thing you can think about that is totally optional, is growing some extra yeast to save for the future. If you make an extra 1L starter, you can put this in a small sanitized mason jar in your refrigerator. It's a little extra work and forethought, but it will save you from having to buy this yeast again anytime soon. When you go to use this yeast again, just repeat the process of making a starter using this yeast as the base.

 

[Barley_Bob]

So the kit comes with 1 lb of Golden Light DME, how much of that to use for one wyeast pack?

Ah, that's good news. Use 1/2c of DME per 1L of starter.

 

[lcbjr77]

Okay, so let me get this straight.

I can use 1/2 cup of the DME to make the first starter, then after the yeast is done and settles I then pour out the excess wort boil up another 1/2cup of DME it in a separate vessel let it cool and add it to my existing Yeast cake?

Or do i just use one full cup of DME from the start and use a larger vessel to keep it in?

Ah, that's good news. Use 1/2c of DME per 1L of starter.

 

[Barley_Bob]

Okay, so let me get this straight.

I can use 1/2 cup of the DME to make the first starter, then after the yeast is done and settles I then pour out the excess wort boil up another 1/2cup of DME it in a separate vessel let it cool and add it to my existing Yeast cake?

Or do i just use one full cup of DME from the start and use a larger vessel to keep it in?

The standard OG for a starter is 1.040. You want your starter wort to be that or less, which is 1/2c (or 4oz) of DME in exactly 1L of water. Yeast in higher gravity wort becomes stressed, and we want our starter yeast to be as healthy as possible. So no, you can't pack extra DME into 1L.

Another option is to use a larger vessel for a full cup. You can also use multiple vessels or re-use the same vessel for multiple iterations.

If you grow a 1L starter, and then re-use the same vessel, I personally would remove part of the yeast cake. If you don't, you're probably going to have the starter blow off.

 

[lcbjr77]

Thanks for all your help... Should I just go buy the 2litre vessel instead of using the 1litre? What other type of glass vessel can contain that amount of yeast and DME so I can do this in one shot?

 

[Barley_Bob]

Thanks for all your help... Should I just go buy the 2litre vessel instead of using the 1litre? What other type of glass vessel can contain that amount of yeast and DME so I can do this in one shot?

In truth, I haven't even upgraded to an Erlenmeyer flask yet. I use empty juice bottles (my kids go through a ton of them), and they each hold 1.75L. I just put 1L of starter in each, and then make as many as I need. I loosen the cap to let air in and out, and I tighten it to give it a good shake. You can honestly use any vessel you can safely sanitize and can get the wort and yeast in and out of. Mason jars are the classic start point. I've internally debated using milk jugs, but they're textured, and I worry I won't be able to get all the bugs out. If you're going to stick with an Erlenmeyer flask (which is by no means bad and easily upgrades to a stir plate), I would get the biggest one possible.

 

[MB331]

If you haven't seen it, NB has an excellent video on yeast starters. Just click LEARN, then RESOURCES. I bought my Pyrex Erlenmeyer flask off Amazon ----- $25 for a 2L. From the reviews on Amazon, a large number of Brewers prefer Pyrex.