Measuring Yeast For 5l Batches

[milkman]

Sorry if this has been covered already, but google searching didn't find it for me:

Want to try my first basic apple juice cider brew, but would prefer to make a 5L batch first up.
I usully use packet yeast and 23L brews, so how do I know I haven't added too much/ too little to a 5L?
For a cider can you add the whole pack?
I was going to rehydrate and try spliiting it up that way.

thanks for your help

Steven

 

[pdilley]

Hey milkman welcome to the non beer group


If you pitch a packet, say 10 grams for a normal 23 litre batch and you want to make 5L that is close to 1/4th the size so you pitch 1/4th of 10 grams or about 2.5 grams to get the same volume of yeast cells to volume of liquid ratio.


Now if you can not measure such small grams (get a cheap $15 digital scale shipped to you from China) then simply guess about 1/4th the packet and use only that. Put the rest unused tightly rolled up in the fridge and use it up sooner than later.



Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[Rodolphe01]

If it were me, i'd just pitch the whole pack and then salvage the yeast cake for future brews if you want to make it stretch further. I think trying to split up a dry yeast in a sanitary fashion would be pain in the arse. I don't think the extra yeast would go astray in a cider, from my experience (1 all juice cider haha) it doesn't exactly take off like a rocket - I used 12g for 12 litres.

Edit: I guess you could get sterile sample jars from the chemist for ~$1 each and tap out the rough amount you want (or weigh it), not so much of a pain I guess. I use the sample jars to store liquid yeasts I split up (split wyeast 4 ways) so you could use the jars for other yeast related purposes. I'd still pitch the whole pack though

 

[pdilley]

I have used split packs / repacks from the LHBS without issues. Others have issues. I have done partial packs as well but I use the remaining yeast within a month or two and don't let it sit very long after the pack has been opened.

But the yeast cake idea is great for beer when brewing every 2 or 3 weeks. Problem with ciders is they brew and take a long time to age before drinking and deciding what to do/change for the next batch compared to beer. The yeast cake will be well past expiry unfortunately.

Could do a starter and then culture slant tubes, but dealing with a beginning brewer so making life easy for people starting out. They can easily separate out a split amount visually - didn't even suggest measuring it

It is $5 though so its not a terrible biggie to use it all up from a money stand point. Ciders have less nutrients than beer worts and are not as nice of an environment to grow in so the temptation on one hand is to say just pitch the whole pack the other is to just pitch volumetric equivalent (partial pack).

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[manticle]

If it were me, i'd just pitch the whole pack and then salvage the yeast cake for future brews if you want to make it stretch further. I think trying to split up a dry yeast in a sanitary fashion would be pain in the arse. I don't think the extra yeast would go astray in a cider, from my experience (1 all juice cider haha) it doesn't exactly take off like a rocket - I used 12g for 12 litres.

Edit: I guess you could get sterile sample jars from the chemist for ~$1 each and tap out the rough amount you want (or weigh it), not so much of a pain I guess. I use the sample jars to store liquid yeasts I split up (split wyeast 4 ways) so you could use the jars for other yeast related purposes. I'd still pitch the whole pack though

Dried yeasts don't tend to take on a whole lot of microbes. This is my experience only, not based on an article for a peer reviewed journal but I have used what I need from larger packs of dried yeast (usually wine yeast for ciders) and simply wrapped the rest of the pack in glad wrap and placed in the fridge. The pack is obviously a light proof aluminium type bag.

Have used more to brew again even months later with no issue.

 

[brettprevans]

milkman (AHB members keep thier wives out of sight now), just make either a half batch (11L) or a full batch. if your making cider from juice you'll enjoy it (if you like cider). 5L is just so small for a standard non-experiment batch.

just my 2c.

in regrads to yeast...BP pretty much gave as good an answer as any you'll get. if it was just kit yeast then yeah i'd chuck the whole lot in. its only kit yeast

 

[Screwtop]

And yet again: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html one of many pitching rate calculators.

Screwy

 

[milkman]

Thanks fellas
I got my answers even though i dont think i phrased my intended question quite right :lol:
I could figure out how to split it up, but was wondering if a packet yeast should just be thrown in whole - reason I ask is i have a yeast from a Coopers Lager, and a yeast from a Thomas Coopers Heritage Lager, and was planning on using one on a cider and one on a hard lemonade (because I have a lemon tree with 60 lemons on, i've been using one or two a day and am not making a dent on it).

I agree too, that 5L is hardly worth the effort, but I'm running out of bottles (no kegs) and am drinking as much beer as I can, then brewing more, then drinking to have bottles, to brew more, to drink more........circle of life. My family are worried I'm a drunk.
I just dont want to lock up 23L worth of bottles for longer - maybe I'll put cider in PET?

Ok - so here's the really basic plan - 20L of preservative free apple juice, my old sachet of coopers yeast, and let it ride (how long?)......until i read more on this forum, and then feel inadequate and start planing more!!!

Appreciate everyones advice

 

[Melon]

I wouldn't use PET for cider, PET bottles are more suitable for Beer and things drunk quickly. If you're going to brew cider you'll need to age it for a few weeks, and for that glass is the best bet.

I can't recommend the 5L brews enough - it's a much more manageable size to do 6 champagne bottles at a time. Easier to experiment with recipes too!

If you're keen to drink it quickly I'd recommend the Safale S-04 yeast - it seems to carbonate in the bottle quite fast.
However if you've got the patience give the Lavlin EC-1118 a go. I've found it leaves more of the flavours in the brew but takes a little longer to carbonate. Also the higher the ABV the longer you'll have to leave them age to get rid of that "green" taste.

My recent brews have all been around 7-9% ABV and take about 12-14 weeks to reach a drinkable taste, and from then on just get better and better.

 

[brettprevans]

PET is fine for cider. ive got beer etc in PET for about a year now and its fine. but i dont want to start yet another PET v bottle debate.

 

[Katherine]

I wouldn't use PET for cider, PET bottles are more suitable for Beer and things drunk quickly. If you're going to brew cider you'll need to age it for a few weeks, and for that glass is the best bet.

Takes a few weeks for beer to be bottle conditiioned so not sure what you mean by that statement. As CM2 Pets are fine.

 

[Melon]

Takes a few weeks for beer to be bottle conditiioned so not sure what you mean by that statement. As CM2 Pets are fine.

As mentioned in the Wiki

Plastic is not the best material for long term storage (over 6 months?) for two reasons. Firstly, plastic is porous. This means oxygen will get in and the beer will eventually oxidise, it will also lose carbonation and go flat. This means that your strong dark ale which you had planned to consume in a year may actually taste better when young. Secondly, when you have reused your bottles a number of times or if you are making beers with high alcoholic content you will start to leach plasticizers from the plastic that may give your beer a "plastic" tang.

Its my understanding that the Coopers style PET bottles have an extra plastic lining to help prevent oxidisation. Are they CM2 PET?

Personally I prefer to brew and bottle in glass, but to each their own... :lol:

 

[milkman]

As mentioned in the Wiki

Its my understanding that the Coopers style PET bottles have an extra plastic lining to help prevent oxidisation. Are they CM2 PET?

Personally I prefer to brew and bottle in glass, but to each their own... :lol:

I haven't used PET before, i prefer glass to be traditional, but i can't drink any faster, the family has honestly questioned me about my drinking! :huh:

Anyway, on topic, I dug out two old 10L water containers today, so I'll brew 20L, just split the goods in half and bottle them in what comes to hand - have 46L of beer to bottle and 20L hard lemonade to do first