starter or no starter for a lager

[Owly055]

I'm planning to brew a lager, and I'd like to do it more or less right. I'll be using a dry yeast, one of the two from Fermentis..... I have both. Dry yeasts from everything I've read have a higher cell count, and experience seems to bare this out. In my 2.5 gallon brews a single packet of US-05 makes a good fast strong start when sprinkled right on the surface. I normally harvest krausen during fermentation which makes a great starter for the next brew... I'm sure I over pitch.

I don't have a good way of making a starter at this point.... just the shake method, though perhaps by the next brew I will have a functional stir plate system. I'm thinking that a very strong active starter is what I want..........

Any thoughts on this?


H.W.

 

[kombat]

Don't make a starter with dry yeasts. Use a pitch rate calculator to ensure you're pitching enough yeast, and pitch the appropriate number of dry packets. Rehydrate in plain water according to the manufacturer's instructions.

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

If it's dry yeast you don't want to make a starter, just rehydrate with warm sterile water. Usually you would want to pitch multiple packets for a lager due to the lower fermentation temps but for a 2.5 gallon batch you may be fine with one.

 

[Owly055]

I repeatedly hear the statement "don't make a starter for dry yeast"........... I haven't really figured out the why of this....... other than a higher cell count. It appears to me that making a starter would be a positive thing for any type of yeast... as a way to increase pitch rate.

All I can figure is that the cell count obviously is higher than that of liquid yeasts, and thus at least in theory unnecessary......... but that's not to say that it would have a negative value. The big argument I can see for a starter is making sure the yeast is active.... You know what you are pitching.


H.W.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

Hbs say's one pack is plenty for 5 gallons. I just started one last week. It started right away no problem. Looks like it is all but done today.

 

[Natdavis777]

Def use a calculator and make sure you are pitching enough yeast for the lager. This was the main issue I ran into on my first few lagers. It was a tough lesson to learn. It sucks finding out that your Munich lager or Maibock finished @ 1.024 when they should have been a lot lower.

 

[wobdee]

I think your good to go with 1 pack for an average gravity lager but if your looking to brew a bigger lager like a Bock I'd probably pitch two.

I've never used dry lager yeast but don't have any problems pitching 1 tube or smack pack into my 2.5 gal lagers. They always take off within 12 hours. My lagers are mostly around 1.050.

 

[philosofool]

I repeatedly hear the statement "don't make a starter for dry yeast"........... I haven't really figured out the why of this....... other than a higher cell count. It appears to me that making a starter would be a positive thing for any type of yeast... as a way to increase pitch rate.

All I can figure is that the cell count obviously is higher than that of liquid yeasts, and thus at least in theory unnecessary......... but that's not to say that it would have a negative value. The big argument I can see for a starter is making sure the yeast is active.... You know what you are pitching.


H.W.

It's because the yeast use stored nutrients to make your starter instead of your beer. Also, this advice was more popular when dried yeast cost $2 a pack, but given the cost, even today, double pitch is pretty inexpensive.