Yeast Starters (how much do you want to know?)

[ScottT]

Yeast starters, more than you ever wanted to know.

http://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/MB_Raines_Guide_to_Yeast_Culturing.php

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Awesome link.

 

[david_42]

I knew a dried yeast had more viable yeast than a liquid yeast. I'm surprised that the number of yeast in a dry packet is higher than even the stirred starter. This would explain why I've never had a stuck ferment with Nottingham.

Great link, even better in some ways than what WL or Wyeast is willing to put on their sites.

 

[gibfried]

I saw the "Maltose Falcons" on the beer show on the History channel. We need one of those around here.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I knew a dried yeast had more viable yeast than a liquid yeast. I'm surprised that the number of yeast in a dry packet is higher than even the stirred starter.

That surprised me, too. 56 here I come! I did feel pretty good that the 'value point' for homebrewers seems to be a 2L shaken starter of 1040 wort. That's exactly what I do except I've been doing 1035...I can just up the DME a bit.

 

[eolle]

All in all one of the best on the net.

The majority of the information seems to fit with standard microbiology text books. There are a few areas that are not correct but it doesn't matter that much. Basically I've never seen the some of the growth stages called what they are listed in the web site....beats me where they got the information for that. Another example is stating that in phase III fermentation begins. This is not so in an aerated starter. Oxygen causes the Pastuer effect....or prevention of fermentation. They talk about not to use laboratry medium but the two the reference as their optimized are very very similar to standard rich laboratory media that have been used for over 30 years (well before I started doing research). Also most scientist don't use the "accelerating growth phase." I haven't seen that used...maybe once in a really old intro to microbiology text. The yeast are either in exponential growth or not.

This like other resources should be a guide. If you are doing a starter between 1.030 and 1.040 you are fine.