Quick Question

[JimmyJazz]

hi

im fairly new to brewing and i was just wondering if it was worth while making a starter from dry yeast (coopers indian pale ale) or is rehydrating and proofing it enough, and how would i go about making the starter

also i plan to do two brews on the go acoording to this schedule

1. Start brew 1
2. Ferment 1 week and rack to secondary and start brew 2 after sanatising first fermenter
3. Wait another week
4. Bottle brew 1 and rack brew 2 to secondary

the brews are Cascade Pale Ale and a Coopers Indian Pale Ale for those intrested, the problem is i only have 2 fermenters and was wondering if its alright to bulk prime straight into the secondary? will stiring in the sugar stir up to much yeast to be practicle? also is 160grams enough for pale ales (23L volumes)

cheers in advance,
james

 

[Ross]

hi

im fairly new to brewing and i was just wondering if it was worth while making a starter from dry yeast (coopers indian pale ale) or is rehydrating and proofing it enough, and how would i go about making the starter

james

[post="100552"][/post]​

james, dried yeast should just be rehydrated....

 

[nonicman]

Here is a good thread on starters:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...1434&hl=starter

the search function is your friend

With Ross on this one, rehydrating dried yeast works well, making a starter for dried yeast is not generally necessary as the cell numbers are suffient for a standard sized brew.

I would assume that you are racking the beer to help clear it and bulk age it, bulk priming the racked beer and stirring the sediment would be a little self defeating. Maybe you could prime the bottles for the first batch and bulk prime the second batch with the now spare fermenter.

Do you have a hydrometer? Using one will greatly assist in determining when to rack and bottle, though a week is generally long enough for primary fermentation given the right conditions (e.g an ale yeast at 16C may take longer, around 20C is ideal). I'd suggest the hydrometer would help to prevent you from creating bottle bombs.

There are a number of threads that go into great detail regarding the questions you have asked, happy brewing.

 

[Mr Bond]

Rehydrating dry yeast is the go as others have said.What is also important is the quantity! 1 sachet (under the lid) is only 6 gms and not really enough.
2x sachets is the better option,or better still an 11.5 gms sachet of a safbrew(fermentis) yeast available for less than $4 at a HB store.

 

[NRB]

So in other words Brauluver, you're recommending that a starter be made to increase cell population prior to pitching a smaller packet?

 

[Darren]

I have always wondered why you would make a starter from dry yeast. Why not pitch it then give the fermenter a shake or swirl 12 hours later?

darren

 

[Mr Bond]

So in other words Brauluver, you're recommending that a starter be made to increase cell population prior to pitching a smaller packet?

[post="100587"][/post]​

No not really. :blink:
Just rehydrate and pitch a more suitable amount,as Darren says there is no point with a starter,but the important part is to have a suitable cell rate to ensure a good ferment.

 

[Ross]

Yep, shake swirl call it what you like. If your fermenter is properly sanitised it shouldn't matter (FWIW I have removed all the rubber seals from my lids). Haven't used an airlock for years. My message is if it doesn't start or finish give it a swirl.

cheers
Darren

[post="100617"][/post]​

If you shake a fermenter with no rubber seals or airlocks (especially a screwtop) then you will most likely have wort leaking out your lid (try it sometime )...

Anyway, back to the thread...
If you pitch a live yeast at the correct temp into it will always fire - no need, for swirling or shaking to get it going - For the best chances of a good ferment it is important to pitch the right quantity of yeast (brewing basics) & rehydrating your yeast can improve cell count considerably & gets your ferment off to a quicker start, protecting it from bacteria etc...
Darren, how can someone as educated in this field as you, consider this bad advice? i'll leave you to the last word (if you want it) as I see little point in commenting further...

Jimmyjazz, sorry this thread detracted a bit from your original question - hope you have the answers you sought? Happy brewing

cheers Ross

 

[JimmyJazz]

yep it did, thanks guys

in the end ive started the Coopers IPA with rehydrated and proofed kit yeast with 1kg light DME and 0.5kg dextrose and about ~10grams fuggles boiled for 10 minutes with some light DME.

pitched at 26degrees but managed to cool it to 19degrees overnight and its bubbling along like all buggery. going to follow the advice given and just carbo drop this brew and bulk prime the 2nd.

cheers again,
jimmyjazz (james)

 

[Martin]

I'm still newish to all this but I've heard that it's easier to cool it before pitching (because the fermentation reactions in the yeast generate warmth), so maybe you could have cooled it more easily first and then pitched once it was down to 20 degrees. Apparently a lower starting temperature will give better flavours in the end. If I'm wrong, I hope someone will stand up and say so!

 

[tangent]

there's mention that a higher temp when pitching dry yeast is a good idea
also
what Martin pointed out

make 2 brews: 1 brew with each technique and tell us which one's better

all i know about dry yeasts is :the Saf range of dry yeasts is good
however, liquid yeasts really seem to be where your flavour fine tuning is at (especially for Belgian freaks).

 

[JaCk_SpArRoW]

Good to see more people from Canberra are jumping into the world of Brewing Martin

Are you a member of the Canberra Brewers Club?

What side of town are you on Martin?

 

[Mr Bond]

pitched at 26degrees but managed to cool it to 19degrees overnight and its bubbling along like all buggery. going to follow the advice given and just carbo drop this brew and bulk prime the 2nd.

[post="100683"][/post]​

Thats the s*#t my man keep it @ that temp and you will be rewarded with a nice crispier finish.