Yeast starter vs. dry yeast vs. liquid

[Ethan19993]

What are the differences, reasons to use one over the other? Are any better than the others, or just more about preference?

 

[Cyclman]

All are brewer's yeast. A starter is just brewing a mini-batch of beer, which increases the amount of yeast you have available. Most don't make starters with dry yeasts, though you could (dry yeasts are much cheaper). There are limited types of dry yeasts, liquid yeasts have much greater variety.

One other reason to use a starter is to re-start a stalled fermentation. Pitching a while starter at its most active is often the best shot you have.

Another option is to take yeast from a previous fermentation and pitch it into the next beer. With a huge belgian, some will make a lower gravity blonde, then pitch it into a trippel.

BTW Yeast is a fantastic book, if you're interested in the science of things.

 

[harebearva]

Cyclman is right on. Dry yeasts work fine and are simple to use, although I recommend rehydration. Liquid yeast does indeed have many more varieties and would be my choice if you want to brew to style.
Starters with liquid yeast are pretty much a must IMO especially with lagers. Starters are simple to do, like making a mini batch. Make your starter a few days before brew day. Let it ferment a couple of days then throw it in the fridge till your ready for it. The yeast will settle out and all you need to do is pour off most of the amber liquid (decant) and swirl up the yeast cake then pitch it once your wort is at the correct temperature. A lot of brewers pitch the yeast straight out of the fridge, I do it this way and have had great results.

Hope this helps

 

[butterpants]

Stirplate!

 

[harebearva]

Stirplate!

Definitely stir plate

I made my own. There are a lot of instructions online for how to make one. My best advice for making your own is to use harddrive magnets as some suggest. The little round rare earth magnets weren't strong enough and threw the bar often with mine. After switching to the bigger magnet, no prob. Check the online directions and this will make more sense.

Of course buying one works too.

 

[BigFloyd]

Until you're ready to jump into doing yeast starters (and all that goes with it), it's a good idea to stick with dry yeast (and learn how to rehydrate it) unless you are trying to focus on a particular style. The cell count in an 11g packet of dry is much higher than a vial or smackpack of liquid. One packet of dry will handle an ale up to 1.060 gravity just fine.

You can make some outstanding beers using dry yeast. The key is use enough yeast and to pitch/ferment at the right temps. I use liquid, have a stir plate, harvest, rinse, and do batches of "canned" starter wort in mason jars, but I still will use dry yeast. The beer currently in my fermenter fridge is with Nottingham dry yeast.

 

[Ethan19993]

Until you're ready to jump into doing yeast starters (and all that goes with it), it's a good idea to stick with dry yeast (and learn how to rehydrate it) unless you are trying to focus on a particular style. The cell count in an 11g packet of dry is much higher than a vial or smackpack of liquid. One packet of dry will handle an ale up to 1.060 gravity just fine.

You can make some outstanding beers using dry yeast. The key is use enough yeast and to pitch/ferment at the right temps. I use liquid, have a stir plate, harvest, rinse, and do batches of "canned" starter wort in mason jars, but I still will use dry yeast. The beer currently in my fermenter fridge is with Nottingham dry yeast.

I know there's a problem with pitching too little yeast, but is there Is there such a thing as using too much yeast?

 

[IL1kebeer]

I know there's a problem with pitching too little yeast, but is there Is there such a thing as using too much yeast?

It is possible but the consequences aren't as bas as underpitching. From what I've read, overpitched beers will lack that yeast character that makes beer what it is. I don't have any numbers but slightly over pitching won't really hurt. Not sure how much you would have to over pitch to see the effects. I usually overpitch by about 10billion cells just in case my original viability was compromised by improper handling of the yeast by the LHBS... I trust my LHBS but you never know, mistakes can happen and I'm a bit anal about underpitching

 

[BigFloyd]

I know there's a problem with pitching too little yeast, but is there Is there such a thing as using too much yeast?

About the only way most homebrewers can end up really over-pitching is to toss a batch of wort on an existing yeast cake w/o removing a portion of the cake. There are many hundreds of billions of cells in a typical yeast cake from a 5-gallon batch.

That, of course, can be used to your advantage if you want to have the extra cell count needed to ferment an ultra-high gravity batch like a RIS or a barleywine.