Otto Von Blotto Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Yeah I've never had a problem with making starters from dry yeast if the yeast is re-hydrated first. I have heard or read things that it depletes their nutrient levels or whatever, but it doesn't seem to affect their performance in the main wort. It's not really any different anyway except the size of the wort is smaller. I mainly do it for re-use purposes though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swill Bill Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 So I rehydrated some US-05 and made a starter which has been on a stir plate in my Fermentation fridge at 21 degrees for 48 hrs. Stir plate on for 24hrs and was going to harvest some yeast when I noticed that when I put the starter on the plate 2 days ago I forgot to put the foil cap on the flask. Paranoid me says to start over was just wanting opinions on what to do. It has been in the fridge the whole time. Thanks Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 It's probably fine but if it was me I probably wouldn't risk it either. An easy way to remember the foil is to boil the flask on the stove then turn it off, put the foil over it and boil it again for 30 seconds or so to sanitise the inside of the foil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swill Bill Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Thanks Kelsey, I built another starter today and it's on the stir plate now with the foil in place. I put the foil on about a minute after I take it off the boil and only remove it to put the yeast and stir bar in. Kinda figure I'd rather lose a pack of yeast and some LDME than a whole brew as well. Cheers Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swill Bill Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 So I redid the US-05 and made a starter which I pitched yesterday at 11.00am. I checked on it at 2pm and there was already some activity via the air lock. Checked it today at 12.00pm and there is a small(10mm) krausen formed and the air lock is happily bubbling away. Seems very quick to me and was wondering if others have experienced this. Cheers Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Yes, pitching starters cold I often get lag times around the 8-12 hour mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark D Pirate Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Even without a stir plate i get similar results , happy hungry yeasties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swill Bill Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Thanks guys I was just a little concerned at the speed but glad it's nothing out of the ordinary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The bearded machinist Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Thanks for the education guy's. now all I need is a stir plate some flasks and a pack of us05 and I'll hopefully only rarely have to splash out on a $6 packet of yeast for a brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImaginativeName Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Thanks for the education guy's. now all I need is a stir plate some flasks and a pack of us05 and I'll hopefully only rarely have to splash out on a $6 packet of yeast for a brew. If you have the disposable income, by all means, otherwise, you can get away with just using plastic bottles, or, build one, there are a heap of build tutorials based on a PC fan and a couple of magnets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The bearded machinist Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 If you have the disposable income' date=' by all means, otherwise, you can get away with just using plastic bottles, or, build one, there are a heap of build tutorials based on a PC fan and a couple of magnets.[/quote'] Great idea, I'll machine myself an aluminium box to house it in and use an old laptop charger to power it. I'll just order one of the Spinny things online, unless brewmart has them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImaginativeName Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 If you have the disposable income' date=' by all means, otherwise, you can get away with just using plastic bottles, or, build one, there are a heap of build tutorials based on a PC fan and a couple of magnets.[/quote'] Great idea, I'll machine myself an aluminium box to house it in and use an old laptop charger to power it. I'll just order one of the Spinny things online, unless brewmart has them. Stir bar? Or the fan? eBay, I'm watching a few auctions for all the parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The bearded machinist Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 The stir bar, I have the other bits knocking about already. I take it the flatter the bottom of the container the better. May be able to use a clear tallie with an airlock in the cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Just use a piece of al-foil over the top, no need for airlocks and shit. The point of a stirred starter apart from more growth is also gas exchange, i.e. allowing oxygen in as well as CO2 out, which I imagine helps with the growth. As I understand it, yeast continue to multiply while there is oxygen present, so constantly stirring air in logically results in more cells being grown. I thought about building a stir plate, but in the end I bought a Yeast Forge from Digital Homebrew. These feature a heated (or heat-able) pad that the flask sits on, which is great in the cooler months for keeping the starter temp nice and warm in the low-mid 20s overnight. I'd get the stir bars from them too - some of the stir bars feature a "ring" around them in the middle which makes their operation very loud and annoying. The DH ones are smooth the whole length of the stir bar and are extremely quiet. Craftbrewer sells Erlenmeyer flasks reasonably cheap too; I paid about $90 for my 5 litre one but they sell them at about half that. The smaller sizes obviously are cheaper again. I find these the best things for making yeast starters because they can be boiled so you don't have to faff around with sanitising 2 or 3 different vessels. Cheers Kelsey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The bearded machinist Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Goof point re the oxygen, didn't think of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 Sorry to drag up an older thread, but was curious if a spoilage organism/wild yeast infection could occur in a starter before you pitch your yeast to enough of a level that could cause an infected brew once pitched into the main batch? Although with a starter you are usually pitching quite a large volume of yeast into a smallish wort, I was still wondering if there was a danger zone in terms of time from when the wort was at pitching temp where it could be truly compromised? All thoughts & views welcomed. Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 As with anything in brewing there's always a risk, so yes it could happen. I had an infected starter once around the time I began making them, but haven't had one since. The risk can be minimised obviously by taking the necessary steps to prevent such a thing happening. My starters get boiled up on my work breaks and are usually at or close to pitching temp by the time I get home again. Once they hit that point the yeast goes in. Haven't had any problems doing this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 I dragged out my stored slurry of WLP059 Melbourne Ale yeast that I portioned off on 15/12/19 yesterday & pitched it into a starter for a planned upcoming brew. After less than 2 hours pitched into the starter, I'm guessing viability & cell count is good. It's been in storage for just under 3 months & I did collect a shite load of slurry that was pitched into this starter. Still, I'm really impressed with the strain, its aroma, & its behaviour patterns. Cheers & good brewing, Lusty. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyinthewestofsydney Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Yep. Plenty of cells there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) Is this starter active? I didn't have any LDM and wanted to kick off a starter for whn I got my delivery. So I used raw sugar. I also only shook it up to start and it has looked like this almost 3 days now. I gave it a swirl twice to see if I could get anything happening but no Kraussen, no bubbles, just sitting there looking like this. It doesn't seem to be dropping any yeast to the bottom, it's all in suspension. It sat on the kitchen bench all yesterday, undisturbed. Could it be because I used sugar instead of malt? I'm thinking not because prior to trying to make and keep a starter I used to activate my yeast in water and sugar - not as much as in this (300 g - there's about 3 L in the bottle) but I'd get a nice creamy Kraussen on top. Should I pitch it in my brew or just pitch it out and start fresh? I'm thinking, pitch it and see if the brew kicks off - I can always add some yeast if it doesn't. Edited March 19, 2020 by Journeyman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 25 minutes ago, Journeyman said: just sitting there looking like this. Looking like what 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 Just now, Titan said: Looking like what Oops... Got distracted and forgot the pic This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Seems to be ok. Yeast stay in suspention while they do thier work. Good test, screw lid on tight leave for 30 mins and open it. If gas escapes its working. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 12 minutes ago, Titan said: Seems to be ok. Yeast stay in suspention while they do thier work. Good test, screw lid on tight leave for 30 mins and open it. If gas escapes its working. I thought that was the case which is why I checked to see if it was settling out - thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 ,Just be aware that brewing yeast is designed to eat maltose. Malt extract contains nutrients that help build happy yeast. Sucrose do not have any of this goodness and you may have a stressed culture. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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