Starter, Wyeast, Yeast nutrients?

[mykayel]

I'm about to make a starter for next weekends brew (a Mocktober fest using a Kolsch yeast), I'm going to build up the starter a few times so that I can save and freeze some of the yeast. This will be the first time that I've used Wyeast smack pack as my LHBS doesn't carry White Labs anymore (they said they just weren't selling??). What is actually in the smack pack? I assume there has to be some sugars and probably some yeast nutirent in the part that you break open. My question is, should I use some more yeast nutirents in my starter like I have in the past or is this not nessesary with the smack pack? (along the same lines, can you add to much yeast nutrients?)

 

[inhifistereo]

I just made a starter myself this past week so my experience and insight will be severely limited...

The smack pack consists of the liquid nutrients--which I would assume contains essential sugars and possibly a bit of malt--and a little inner packet of yeast. I haven't always been the biggest fan of smack packs for the sole reason that I find them somewhat hard to use in terms of actually breaking the inner pack.

When you do manage to break it, make sure that you shake it REALLY well because the hole in the yeast packet never seems to be very big for me and you want to make sure that you get as much yeast into the nutrients as possible.

As for making the actual starter, just follow "How to Brew" on the subject (i.e. 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup DME, boiled for ten minutes, cooled, then pitch the yeast). When I made my starter I broke the inner yeast packet and then let it rest about 3 hours before I pitched it, at least that's what the directions said on the Wyeast package.

You can't really add too much yeast nutrients I think. Make the starter as prescribed above and in a few days boil up another mini-wort, cool it down, and add it to your starter. At least that's how I interrupted Palmer. The experts here with more experience could refute or clarify my claims too.