Starter or not?

[tndave]

I am going to brew a wit using 4.5 lbs 2 row and 4.5 lbs flaked wheat for the fermentables (expected OG ~1.044) and for yeast White Labs WLP400. I have never used liquid yeast, so I am going back and forth as to weather I need to use a starter. On the yeast vial and their website they say it's not needed unless the yeast is past its use by date or you're brewing a high (70+) OG beer or you want the active fermentation to start sooner than 5-15 hours from pitching. But I see a lot of people making starter with all liquid yeast. I'm thinking about just doing like I always do with US-05...so I can brew tomorrow. Otherwise I'd have to make a starter tomorrow and then wait a day or two to brew.

 

[llazy_llama]

Either use a dry yeast (properly rehydrated) or use a liquid yeast with a starter. There really is no in-between.

 

[tndave]

Either use a dry yeast (properly rehydrated) or use a liquid yeast with a starter. There really is no in-between.

Why? I have brewed close to 20 batches so far and have always just aerated by pouring the wort vigorously into the ale pail and then using a wisk. Then pitching dry yeast and I always get bubbling within 24 hours, usually about 12. And all of my batches have been great so far. Am I just really lucky or is it really not necessary to rehydrate or in this case make a starter and wait on it for a day or two? Nobody else has an opinion? EVERYBODY uses a starter with WLP400 even though White Labs says it’s not necessary? …I’m not trying to be a smart azz, I’m just trying to understand the logic…I am going to go ahead and make a starter right now and wait until Monday to brew this particular batch, but I would still like some more feed back on this. In the mean time I will brew something different today and use US-05 pitched dry…

Try on this scenario…you go to work one day and your boss says you can have the day off and you think “cool, I’ll just go home and brew a batch” but then you realize that the only yeast you have is a fresh vial of WLP400. Do you brew anyway and pitch the vial or you say “aw shucks I can’t brew today after all?” And don’t say “I would just go to the store and buy some dry yeast, or I’m self employed (like me) and don’t get days off”

 

[llazy_llama]

With a vial of White Labs yeast fresh from the factory with 100% viability, and a 1.040 or smaller wort, you should get a pretty good fermentation. That is assuming perfect conditions, not what we have in the real world. Some of the yeast die in transport, and more in storage. If you get lucky, and aerate the hell out of your wort, and it's a small beer, 1 vial should work.

1 vial of WL in real world conditions really needs a starter. If you've been getting lucky so far, then good for you. On a long enough timeline, you're going to end up with off flavors at best, stuck fermentation at worst.

If you've been satisfied with your results so far, that's great. I'm all about making the best possible beer, not just good beer, so I'll make starters or rehydrate dry yeast.

Edited: Oh, and if I got a day off work and wanted to brew, I'd either use rehydrated dry yeast or just wait to brew another day.