# Rehydrate yeast?



## stehowardtlr (21/6/14)

Is it best to rehydrate the yeast before I start my brew kit?


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## stehowardtlr (21/6/14)

Is it worth using bottle water?


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## danestead (21/6/14)

Yes

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html

That link explains it all. Rehydrating in sterile water allows the dry yeast to rehydrate properly where if you rehydrate in wort or just sprinkle it in you fermenter you may lose half your yeast because the wort is too dense for the yeast to draw across its cell membrane.


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## Yob (21/6/14)

no..

get a 3lt milk bottle and fill it with sterile water, either pressure cook some water or boil tap water 3 times, once a day for 3 days.

Use this for all yeast activities, rinsing, re-hydrating etc..


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## Yob (21/6/14)

er..

bottled water is sterile?


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## ManVsBeer (21/6/14)

I was thinking about it today for my brew, but looking at all the posts on here, it apparently doesn't make a difference.


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## Florian (21/6/14)

MODERATION: 

Ducatiboy Stu has been blocked from posting in this thread.


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## Florian (21/6/14)

And how do you sterilise the milk bottle?


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## ManVsBeer (22/6/14)

Damn, sucked in on my first helpful comment. That'll teach me to post on brew day.......actually, no it won't :lol:


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## Yob (22/6/14)

Are you suggesting I require a stainless steel milk bottle?


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## ManVsBeer (22/6/14)

My old man always used SS milk bottles. He said, bless his heart, "if those little bastards can permeate this, then I'm giving up smoking." He then died of lung cancer. Since then I have put his ashes in one and sold the rest to unsuspecting board members for cash to buy more extract. I still haven't tipped that milk bottle into Port Victoria yet.


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## danestead (22/6/14)

Florian said:


> And how do you sterilise the milk bottle?


Spray starsan in it as you would sanitise your fermenter?


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## spryzie (22/6/14)

I simply place a small glass jar (and its lid or some foil) in a saucepan filled with water and bring to boil.

Boil for a minute or so (it's practically sterile once it reaches boiling but a few minutes can't hurt - it can help to remove chlorine to boil for a few minutes).

Yob is correct, but if you're rehyrdating immediately it's overkill.

I also place my thermometer in the boiling water for a minute. Boiling water sterilises everything well enough.

Remove jar with some tongs. Reserve enough water in jar for rehyrdation. Place thermometer into the water and cover with lid.

Put it in the fridge and cool to your rehyrdate temp (or leave it on the kitchen bench - but it takes a while to cool down to 25'ish degrees).


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

For years people have been re-hydrating yeast by using water straight from the tap..

Or even just sprinkling it straight on top of yhe wort...


The death rate from using those methods has remained extremly low.


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

Really.

Now why would that be....


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## stehowardtlr (22/6/14)

So when topping up my fermenter do I just use tap water or boil water and let it cool for hours?


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## pnorkle (22/6/14)

Just use tap water, it'll be fine.


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## lael (22/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> For years people have been re-hydrating yeast by using water straight from the tap..
> 
> Or even just sprinkling it straight on top of yhe wort...
> 
> ...


There's an awesome thread on this...  lol


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## verysupple (22/6/14)

It's probably best to rehydrate in sterile water. However it's up to each brewer to decide if the extra effort outweighs the risks. 

Whatever microbial contamination there is in tap water isn't going to attack and kill the yeast, so the yeast will be fine. The contaminants may multiply and there's a risk that they can contribute off flavours later. But I'm not too worried about the small amount of water used for yeast rehydration seeing as I top up my FV with litres of water straight from the tap.


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

lael said:


> There's an awesome thread on this...  lol


There is.

My point is that a newbie starting out gets bombarded with " you need an autoclave, pressure cooker scientific glass flaskes, your water needs to be sterilise andirradiated,..etc..etc.." I am suprised some brewers on here dont send their water to Lucas Heights to be fully irradiated then get it home and check ever ml under a microscope go check for any plausable sign of life

When all he really needs to do is grab a clean glass and some tap water.


Sure, there are those will disagree, and thats fine. But for someone just starting out and being bombarded with all this stuff about maximum sterilisation just to re-hydrate some dried yeast there just going to wonder is it really worth.


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## verysupple (22/6/14)

Yeah, I kind of agree with Ducatiboy stu. Start off simple and improve your practices as needed when you get a bit more experience. Even if you screw up the rehydration the first couple of times, you're probably only losing as much yeast as sprinkling straight into the FV, and you've gotten some practice with yeast handling so you'll do better the next time.


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## Rod (22/6/14)

lael said:


> There's an awesome thread on this...  lol


Where can I find this thread ,

I assume you mean sprinkle V's rehydrate


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

After therapy and considerable rehab time, I have heard that Stu now rehydrates his yeast.

There is a long thread on this somewhere. Rehydration is definitely the way to go.


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> There is.
> 
> My point is that a newbie starting out gets bombarded with " you need an autoclave, pressure cooker scientific glass flaskes, your water needs to be sterilise andirradiated,..etc..etc.." I am suprised some brewers on here dont send their water to Lucas Heights to be fully irradiated then get it home and check ever ml under a microscope go check for any plausable sign of life
> 
> ...



It does'nt hurt to preboil some tapwater in a microwave a vial of water covered with gladwrap. When cool, sprinkle in the yeast and stir it with a sanitised spoon.After 10-20 minutes, pitch.


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## dicko (22/6/14)

Moderation:

I have merged the two topics "Rehydrating Yeasts" and moved them from "Kits and extracts" to "Yeasts"


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## Yob (22/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> The death rate from using those methods has remained extremly low.


Based on cell counts or anecdotal evidence Stu?

Can you 'get away' with less than fully sterilized water? Sure you can... I agree anecdotally there is little issue, doesnt mean it's best practice though...


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## Bribie G (22/6/14)

Best practice is to buy 50 Ha of greenfields land in New South Wales. Build a brewery and employ 5 chemists for the yeast department.....


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## stehowardtlr (22/6/14)

dicko said:


> Moderation:
> 
> I have merged the two topics "Rehydrating Yeasts" and moved them from "Kits and extracts" to "Yeasts"


Wondered where it went to.????


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## Yob (22/6/14)

Bribie G said:


> Best practice is to buy 50 Ha of greenfields land in New South Wales. Build a brewery and employ 5 *buxom Sweedish* chemists for the yeast department.....


FTFY

h34r:


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

Yob said:


> Based on cell counts or anecdotal evidence Stu?
> 
> Can you 'get away' with less than fully sterilized water? Sure you can... I agree anecdotally there is little issue, doesnt mean it's best practice though...


Homo Sapiens...

For Joe the K & K brewer, there little point in going to the last degree when he uses tap water to fill his fermenter......kind defeating the purpose.

Sure, full sterilization is the aim for doing slants etc ( and I am with you.on.that ), but if your just going to use tap water in your fermenter...whats the point.


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Homo Sapiens...
> 
> For Joe the K & K brewer, there little point in going to the last degree when he uses tap water to fill his fermenter......kind defeating the purpose.
> 
> Sure, full sterilization is the aim for doing slants etc ( and I am with you.on.that ), but if your just going to use tap water in your fermenter...whats the point.


why's it so hard to boil a few mls of water ?


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

Gosling said:


> why's it so hard to boil a few mls of water ?


You can if you want. But you will have to boil it 3 times over 3 days....


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## manticle (22/6/14)

I tend to agree with Stu in this regard. There's a lot of factors to improve for noobs (eg temp control) before worrying about yeast rehydration, boiled water, etc. Get the basics right, then look at the tweaks.


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## Spiesy (22/6/14)

manticle said:


> I tend to agree with Stu in this regard. There's a lot of factors to improve for noobs (eg temp control) before worrying about yeast rehydration, boiled water, etc. Get the basics right, then look at the tweaks.


So if someone fairly new to brewing asks a question, we should give them the easiest method over the recommended method?

My advice: do things right, as much as you can.


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## lael (22/6/14)

I actually agree with Stu. I've rehydrated and I haven't. A few hours lag difference. Was the same batch, two fermenters. Not sure I noticed any taste difference. 

When I started I topped up with tap water. Now use boiled and cooled because its easy with an erlenmeyer. Not sure I can see much / any difference...

Just do it and change when you feel like you should.


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

Do you advise that he needs to go buy an auto clave just to sterilise his equipment and water on his very first kit brew......

Or do you advise on a simple, workable method that just works and not confuse him with tecniques & science hat ultimatly wont really give him any advantage

Teach them the basics then let them move onto more advanced techniques

If you want to split hairs, you could advocate the use of sterilised water to fill the ferm....etc...etc..


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## manticle (22/6/14)

Spiesy said:


> So if someone fairly new to brewing asks a question, we should give them the easiest method over the recommended method?
> My advice: do things right, as much as you can.


Not really my perspective. However some things make a bigger difference than others and you can overcomplicate very easily. If a new brewer wanted to know if they should dick around with water additions for example, my response would be similar.


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## Yob (22/6/14)

preach best practice, people often slide from there, but at least they know it.

My opinion only of course


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## manticle (22/6/14)

Stu also has a good point about using tap water in the fermenter.
As home brewers we make an awful lot of compromises - I'm not sure there really is such a thing as 'best practice', only processes that make a difference to the outcome. Getting bogged down in too much detail too early can negatively affect brewing outcomes.
Additionally people like Dr Clayton Cone recommend tap water with no mention of boiling.


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## Yob (22/6/14)

I'm sure you aren't suggesting that when handling yeast, best practices shouldn't be employed 

For me, (YMMV) it's using as close to sterile water as possible, have I used tap water for brewing kits? Sure, noticed a difference? Nope, 

Makes me happy to know that for the yeast component of brewing I'm being as good to them as I can be..

When I use dry yeast, I follow most manufacturers instructions, none that I know of suggest tap water for rehydrating yeast, may have something to do with the fact that they can't regulate what passes the cell wall initially?

Anyway... What I call best practice is not always in keeping with others points of view, it's best practice for me and a process I'm happy both with and to keep doing. 

I do a lot of yeast cultivation though so process is a bit more important to me I guess
..


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## manticle (22/6/14)

Best practice for me is to use liquid.
Clayton Cone recommends tap water as distilled or RO will be too soft and damage the cells.
Look I boil every solution that comes near my brew but if you are topping up to 23 L with tap water and a kit, how is using unboiled tap water to rehydrate your 7g of kit yeast going to make a beesdick's worth of difference?


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## Bribie G (22/6/14)

Surprised to see on my first packet of Mangrove Jacks yeast (I'm trying the Newcastle variety) they recommend sprinkling. I've emailed them with a quote from Chris White's Yeast book, be interesting to see what their response is.


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> You can if you want. But you will have to boil it 3 times over 3 days....


I am just talking about the water you need to prepare to rehydrate yeast, that is all.


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## SnakeDoctor (22/6/14)

Bribie G said:


> Surprised to see on my first packet of Mangrove Jacks yeast (I'm trying the Newcastle variety) they recommend sprinkling. I've emailed them with a quote from Chris White's Yeast book, be interesting to see what their response is.


It's responsible.

For anyone who doesn't already know that rehydration _might_ make a difference, sprinkling vs rehydration will make no difference to them but one is a lot simpler.


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

SnakeDoctor said:


> It's responsible.
> 
> For anyone who doesn't already know that rehydration _might_ make a difference, sprinkling vs rehydration will make no difference to them but one is a lot simpler.


based on ?


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## SnakeDoctor (22/6/14)

Gosling said:


> based on ?


Which of the two points are you questioning? That one is simpler? or that one might make a difference?

One is simpler, not sure I can elaborate on that.

One might make a difference: In theory you get more / better quality live cells, but there has been numerous experiments, group surveys etc that suggest it doesn't. Hence - "might".

To any punter who isn't aware of the above, i.e a very new brewer, they would be FAR better served just keeping it simple.


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

SnakeDoctor said:


> Which of the two points are you questioning? That one is simpler? or that one might make a difference?
> 
> One is simpler, not sure I can elaborate on that.
> 
> ...



Your statement " sprinkling vs rehydration will make no difference to them"

please advise the basis


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## Steve (22/6/14)

FFS - Just advise a new brewer of the two practices (the sprinklers or the re-hydrators), explain what the manufacturers recommend, what you're experiences are of BOTH methods, what your results are with both methods and close with "try both methods and see how you go and then YOU choose your preferred method that suits YOU".


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## shaunous (22/6/14)

I''ve dehydrated yeast twice ever, pain in the arse when your worrying about other things and i couldnt taste any difference in a repeated recipe. Half th3 yeast wants to stick to the side of the jar when u pour it into the fermenter, more gear to clean and sanitise, etc. 

I just sprinkle and let her go. 

I think there is far more things be worrying about for a new to intermediate brewer then letting his dried yeast go for a swim. 

My half educated 2c


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

Gosling said:


> Your statement " sprinkling vs rehydration will make no difference to them"
> 
> please advise the basis


There was 13 pages dedicated to just that...


If you want an awsome head explosion......


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## SnakeDoctor (22/6/14)

Gosling said:


> Your statement " sprinkling vs rehydration will make no difference to them"
> 
> please advise the basis



If you don't know enough to have an opinion on which way you want to do it, the chances of you being able to taste the difference, if there is indeed one, is 0%.


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

SnakeDoctor said:


> If you don't know enough to have an opinion on which way you want to do it, the chances of you being able to taste the difference, if there is indeed one, is 0%.


.

fair. However I interpreted this as meaning that the two methods were indifferent and you had a basis to state it.

Actually the famous ducatiboy thread is a good read, if you can filter out the crap in there. It does appear there are some merits to yeast rehydration, but clearly not rehydrating works too.

In my case I have to pitch wet because I pitch into a stainless closed system The only way is to pour the yeast in through a funnel through a gas exit valve at the top.


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## Yob (22/6/14)

well this just got a whole lot more interesting..

photo's


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

Yob said:


> well this just got a whole lot more interesting..
> 
> photo's


Hell yeah...


Only the 3rd person in Australia to own a WW...


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## dicko (22/6/14)

Settle guys, it is a long way from a full moon...


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## StalkingWilbur (22/6/14)

I can't believe this thread is happening all over again.


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/6/14)

12 months is an eternity on AHB


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## Gosling (22/6/14)

Yob said:


> well this just got a whole lot more interesting..
> 
> photo's


Yes. Closed system all the way from boiler to dispenser.

And err.... no it is NOT a WW thing...


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## manticle (22/6/14)

Very interested in the closed system. Worth another topic.


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## Gosling (23/6/14)

manticle said:


> Very interested in the closed system. Worth another topic.


can, but its not so exciting Mants. 

Basically nothing is open to air after boiler flameout. However after reading in this place for a long time, I will be shot down no doubt because I have to crack a ball valve to add yeast...  

The amenity of liquid It is however a very good reason to rehydrate dry yeast.


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## Yob (23/6/14)

Result!!!

Still like to see some pics mate


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## rbtmc (23/6/14)

quit teasing us and show us your closed bling.


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