How to transform good wort into shit beer. Rehydrate pitch dried yeast

[Ducatiboy stu]

I might just use this post as a typical post regarding pitching yeast.


Given that your advice is not in line with the manufacturer's advice that you quoted in evidence that dry pitching can be best practice it seems a disingenuous contention.

A "I get good results doing this"...... Sure, everyone does things differently. But your recommendations are not what the manufacturer suggests.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I always just sprinkle dry yeast or direct pitch liquid yeast. If its a bigger beer i use more yeast. If i need a big pitch i will use some yeast cake. Its not best practice but it works for me and has never been the cause of infection. I have had a couple of infections over the years but they were from doing stupid shit.

Funny how that works B)

 

[rockeye84]

The great debate. Sprinkle vs rehydrate vs starter.

Who would have thought my lil angry rant at my beer turning to shit would have caused such a blow out of opinion & experience.

Thanks for all of your input. It's good to hear of other people's success and as in my case misfortune, at least I'm not alone.

Have to say I'm on the "starter" apex of the triangle & will probably go to my grave believing that pitching a starter of heathy yeast that was actively fermenting wort days earlier shits all over pitching dry or rehydrating..

All stated is on my own personal experience. Countless great beers using starters based on dry and liquid strains, a very memorable few beers where I've pitched dry or rehydrated to end up with beer full of yeasty esters due to yeast stress, under pitch or my own process/sanitation issues.

Which brings me to another point in regards to under pitching, not sure who it was someone mentioned on this post that I may have under pitched, I had 60l of wort @ 1.049 and pitched 3.5pks of fresh/new us05, pkt states "sufficient for 23l of wort" so 3.5pks should be sufficient for 80.5L of wort, do they just lie on the packet? If that's the case, and I need to pitch double what the packet suggests, 6 packs of us05 would cost me $30 at my lhbs, vs 1 pack plus $8 of ldme to make a 5L starter, plus the reassurance of knowing your pitching healthy active yeast, the starter route although extra work and a little more work and stuffing around is a no brainer in my opinion.

 

[Mattrox]

The great debate. Sprinkle vs rehydrate vs starter.

Who would have thought my lil angry rant at my beer turning to shit would have caused such a blow out of opinion & experience.

Thanks for all of your input. It's good to hear of other people's success and as in my case misfortune, at least I'm not alone.

Have to say I'm on the "starter" apex of the triangle & will probably go to my grave believing that pitching a starter of heathy yeast that was actively fermenting wort days earlier shits all over pitching dry or rehydrating..

All stated is on my own personal experience. Countless great beers using starters based on dry and liquid strains, a very memorable few beers where I've pitched dry or rehydrated to end up with beer full of yeasty esters due to yeast stress, under pitch or my own process/sanitation issues.

Which brings me to another point in regards to under pitching, not sure who it was someone mentioned on this post that I may have under pitched, I had 60l of wort @ 1.049 and pitched 3.5pks of fresh/new us05, pkt states "sufficient for 23l of wort" so 3.5pks should be sufficient for 80.5L of wort, do they just lie on the packet? If that's the case, and I need to pitch double what the packet suggests, 6 packs of us05 would cost me $30 at my lhbs, vs 1 pack plus $8 of ldme to make a 5L starter, plus the reassurance of knowing your pitching healthy active yeast, the starter route although extra work and a little more work and stuffing around is a no brainer in my opinion.

I think you pitched sufficient.

Don't do a starter with dry yeast it's counter productive. If you want to do a starter choose a liquid yeast.

I recently heard that the guys at Feral decided to pitch dry instead of rehydrate for fear of contamination. Now, this is only 2nd hand and I don't know if they changed pitching rate or if the report is accurate (though I don't have reason to disbelieve it). But plenty of people pitch dry and don't get what you seem to be exxperiencing. This is why lots of people are saying look at something other than the yeast in your methodology.

 

[Nizmoose]

It's so weird I have sprinkled and rehydrated and every time this weird sort of 'beer' product which tasted great was bottled every time. It's almost as if, and wait for it, it doesn't ******* matter. ☺

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

It's so weird I have sprinkled and rehydrated and every time this weird sort of 'beer' product which tasted great was bottled every time. It's almost as if, and wait for it, it doesn't ******* matter. ☺

Funny that.

 

[indica86]

Don't do a starter with dry yeast it's counter productive.

Why?

 

[warra48]

Why?

Dry yeast is optimised for rehydration and then to pitch into a brew.

Liquid yeast is not optimised the same, and is designed to be pitched as is into a brew of the correct size and gravity, or otherwise to be built up into a starter.

The yeast laboratories do not lie. My experience is that it pays to take their advice from their websites.

I know the advice on the packets of dry yeast occasionally conflicts with the much more detailed advice on the laboratories' websites. The advice on the packet will work after a fashion, but is designed for the lazy brewer who can't be arsed doing things properly.

It's not rocket science folks. If there are problems even after following the producers' advice, then look elsewhere for a solution.

 

[Feldon]

.


"All I am saying, is give yeast a chance..."

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

So..... who has done a side by side re-hydrate v sprinkle in the same beer....

Science is a wonderfull think, but if sprinkling gives the same result as re-hydrating, whats the point in re-hydrating if sprinkling does the same job

 

[goid]

Well, science worries about the yeast health. We as brewers are more concerned with the resulting beer. Science side would be concerned over a couple million of dead yeast. Home brewers not so much when the resulting beer tastes ok. But to what level does it taste ok. How closely are we brewers tasting our resulting beers?

 

[Feldon]

How closely are we brewers tasting our resulting beers?

About arms length last time I looked.

 

[TwoCrows]

I have only used de-hydrated yeasts, US 05 and the coopers kit yeasts.
They are de-hydrated and they work well just sprinkled on top of the wort at the correct temp.

Allow the yeast 20 minutes to re-hydrate and stir in well aerating the crap out of the wort until a huge foam is evident then relax until dry hoping or FG.

I have made starters the night before and has made no difference for me making beer.
I have had no infections, the less you do you will limit contact with bacteria. Keep it simple , add quality, enjoy.

 

[goid]

About arms length last time I looked.

Exactly. If it passes the tongue and we go back for more. Success! :chug:

 

[Tropico]

So who sprinkles, and then stirs in? Or do you just sprinkle and seal the fermenter?

 

[bradsbrew]

The only benefit you are going to get from stirring the sprinkled yeast in after 20 minutes is the extra oxygen/aeration.

 

[indica86]

Science side would be concerned over a couple million of dead yeast.

Where is the PROOF?

Not what I read, what is here, what he said, but actual proof?

 

[Mr B]

I generally use liquid yeasts, and use a starter. Due to the fact that I am an efficient brewer (tightarse) and like to grow my own.

However, I am about to make a saison, and I think that I will use belle saison yeast, and grow approx 2g of dry yeast to a liquid starter.

Have done a test run, and the dry yeast appears to have made a quantity of liquid yeast in excess of the initial pitch. It was a week ago, but due to delays in my holiday which have meant that I havent actually got around to doing what I actually want to do, I'm not sure if I will use it or go again.

Really, it doesnt matter, keep your sanitisation and pitching rates correct, and its all good to go.

And 5 batches for $5 - its all good eh

 

[Mattrox]

Where is the PROOF?

Not what I read, what is here, what he said, but actual proof?

Have a read of the dry yeast FAQ on HBT complete with references. It's a good read.

 

[Mattrox]

http://seanterrill.com/2011/04/01/dry-yeast-viability/


http://seanterrill.com/2011/07/29/dry-yeast-viability-take-two/

A blind tasting revealed that while similar, there were distinct differences between the three samples. All exhibited some degree of “musty” yeast off-aroma, with the smell being strongest in 2U and least prominent in U. 2U also had the highest degree of esters (particularly peach/apricot), and was the only sample to exhibit an acetaldehyde flavor. R was the cleanest overall, with the lowest level of “hot” alcohol character.