Yeast starter for 8.8# LME?

[Koop]

Hi all; I am fairly new to home brewing (I just opened the first bottle of my first batch last weekend…an ale; drinkable, getting better with age). I just went to a homebrew shop yesterday looking for a simple summer beer; the guy hooked me up with 8.8# of Weyermann’s Hefeweisen LME, 1oz of whole-leaf tettanager hops for bittering, and a smack-pack of a Germanic yeast (I forget exactly what strain, sorry).

He said to just use the whole 8.8# of LME, that it will be stronger, which is just fine by me, but I was wondering:

1. is it a good idea to make a starter for the yeast? In “how to brew” they suggest making a starter for smack packs for higher gravity beers…

2. I dont have any DME for the starter, so should I use table sugar? LME?

3. finally, should I just add the hops after the hot-break? (Ive never used whole-leaf hops before)

I think that’s it for now; any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Kooper

 

[homebrewer_99]

1. Yes.
2. Yes, LME.
3. Add hops at the boil not the hot break. Be sure to use 10% more when using whole hops.

 

[Truble]

1. There is nothing wrong with doing starters. I use them all the time. I have never used a smackpack, but I thought the premis was that it contained yeast nutrient to get propagation going, in a sense, starting it off. Making some assumptions about your process, I think that comes out to an OG of around 1.060, which is not too big. You should be fine with the smackpack.

2. Use the LME if you make a starter. Just like making wort, boil it with water for 5-10 mins, cool, then pitch the yeast. (check out www.howtobrew.com)

3. Hops procedure is the same as w/ other forms, though quantity is a little different. Check out this at WilliamsBrewing.com

Good luck!!

 

[Koop]

Thanks a lot for the quick responses!
I'll hopefully be brewing in the next couple days

take it easy

 

[Exo]

I typically use 9# of LME and give my pack a whack 3-4hrs prior to pitching. You should be fine. A german ale yeast should be good to 10-11% ABV...and that's a pretty high gravity. You'll be fine at 1.060ish.

 

[Cheesefood]

I just went to a homebrew shop yesterday looking for a simple summer beer; the guy hooked me up with 8.8# of Weyermann’s Hefeweisen LME, 1oz of whole-leaf tettanager hops for bittering, and a smack-pack of a Germanic yeast (I forget exactly what strain, sorry).

8.8 pounds is a lot of sugar. Unless you live somewhere where it'll be summer in October, it might not be ready by the time it gets cold.

 

[the_bird]

How much alpha acid in tettanager hops? Nine pounds of extract to only 1 oz of hops doens't sound very balanced at all, certainly not for a "summer" beer.

I need to get ProMash...

 

[Truble]

4.5, I believe

 

[Exo]

If it's your bittering hop and you boil the bitterings for 50-60min you should be fine.

Sounds like your homebrew shop guy wrote you a recipe? If so, go by it to the letter and don't worry...he knows what he's doing...

 

[Trrance]

I cooked up a Belgian White kit from my LHBS last night, 8# of liquid wheat malt extract and 1 oz Tettang (6.2%), also a bit of coriander and bitter orange peel.

Smacked the Wyeast #3944 Belgian Witbier Yeast three hours before pitching. Had airlock activity within three hours. Twelve hours later it is bubbling away very merrily.

 

[sirsloop]

Keep in mind that this is LME, not DME... so suddently 8.8# doesnt really seem like all that much. I used 9# DME in my German Chocolate Stout!!! That was only 7.75% ABV using Nottinghams Dry yeast. OG was 1.074.

 

[Truble]

That is a good point. I would guess that would bring it in DME equiv. to just over 7lbs or so.