Starting Wyeast

[Batz]

I notice a lot of new brewers ask about starting liquid yeasts

I have set out my way of doing this thinking it may help some of you , I am not stating that this is the only or correct way , but this is how I do it myself with success.

First of course you have to score the wyeast , now where I live (and big d) that means mail order , you maybe able to drop into your nearest HBS.
If not email me for a tip

Take it out of the fridge (this is where you should store it until ready to use it )

Allow to return to room temperture

Now you will feel a lump in the pack , instructions on the pack are clear , but you have to "smack" or pop this lump
Of course this is an inner bag , it contains all the stuff to get the yeast and the nutrients feeding together.

Pic shows "smacked" pack

 

[Batz]

Now this is the trap !

Your looking at it right ? Why has'nt anything happened?
Doh !! I killed it ! It's a sleep !

Now after a lot of worry , nothing is changed.....well...

I have come to believe that...you remember the tooth fairy, put the tooth in a glass of water , but the tooth fairy will not come till your as asleep , no good looking !

Well the wyeast fairy is just the same , look a it and nothing will happen , go on shake it , no change ...but go to bed and don't think about it,AND when you awake, you find this !


Took 3 days !
I looked :unsure:

 

[Batz]

OK
Now we have a yeast ready to pitch , now you know about sterilizers , well this is more important than ever.

First boil 1.5 lt of water with 1/3 cup dry malt extract , place in freezer and allow to cool

I use one shot to sterilize my bottle , funnel , cap , my hands , I have a spray bottle with metho in it , I spray the wyeast pack , and the scissors.

Place the cool wort into your bottle , a 2-3lt coke bottle will do , add the wyeast
( everthing has had the sterilizer treatment! )

put on a cap and shake like shit, this is to add oxygen to the wort

I then add a airlock , you may not want to do this , you can release pressure if you wish , I find this easier , yep the cap and airlock got the sterilzer

 

[Batz]

Once this starts working , and I am sure you know by now how brew works .

You can "Step up" this means find a bigger container if the one you using is too small and "feed" the yeast with cooled wort made as before

I do this 3-4 times and finish with around 3 - 4 litres , you could continue and make more I suppose

I also now keep the starters in a temp. control so it is the same as they would be come brew day , this is up to you.

Pic shows my starter stepped up 3 times and ready to bottle

 

[Batz]

OK
After this, and before the activity has stopped completely , prepare again with the sterilizer and have bottles ready , you can use subbies here

Bottle this living yeast culture

Each of these bottles you store in a cold fridge , when ready to pitch, return them to room temperture , again feed with cooled DME , once working add to your brew as nomally you would add yeast

Oh.. allow a couple of days to get the yeast off before doing a brew , this will ensure it's well alive and ready

I get several bottles , works out at around $2 per brew , then you can use yeast cakes , I don't do this but I am sure someone will explane how.

I hope this is of some help to brewers new to liquid yeasts

Cheers batz

 

[Batz]

I have to finish with this
Try liquid yeasts , really they make an incredable difference to your brews , go to the wyeast website to get an idea which one would suit your brew.

The cost is offset by the amount of cultures that you can produce , as I stated , I am no expert and quite new to liquid yeasts , I am sure there will be alot of brewers who may have better ways to culture these yeasts , this will give you an idea anyway.

Cheers
Batz

 

[RobW]

Well done Batz - good info & pics. Looking at the post times you obviously couldn't sleep last night

 

[BarneyG]

Batz your a legend, I have been waiting for some good info like this

I'll give wyeast 440 (begian wit) a crack on my next brew!

 

[Batz]

Day off today KenEasy

Was a bit late but I have been meaning to post this thread and decieded to finish it off

 

[Jeff]

Thankyou batz
easy to understand with the help of the photos
A great help

 

[johnno]

Excellent Batz,
As I'm going to use liquid yeast next brew this is very informative.
I'll make as many starters as I can from it.
Thanks for this post.

cheers

 

[wedge]

how many times do your guys use you wyeast, i have used them now up to 6 times, i haven't really noticed any difference. <_<

 

[johnno]

Got one of these yesterday and i smacked it at 7 last night thinking it will take a couple of days to take off.
Well this morning its puffed right up.
Hope it can wait till tonite when i get home to start it up.

cheers

 

[Gout]

Guys in melb, we should start a Yeast Exchange

if you split your pack into 5 starters then there is a heap of yeast to use.
i have 3 lagers, 2 ales, 1 wheat, i want a kolsh and a few more but i just dont use them enough esp ones like wheat.

ohhh a pils would be good also, curently i use my danish lager yeast.
Might make a munich with my munich yeast next!

so many beers to brew, not enought time!

 

[johnno]

Ben
I'll be in that.
It will be a while for me though. I just got my first liquid now. Next one im getting will be the london ale 1028.
cheers

 

[Jovial_Monk]

That was an excellent description of making and splitting starters, Batz.

I would offer just a minor twist on it.

I like to have the starter bottle be fermented out a day or two b4 brewday, so by the time brewday arrives there is a clear liquid over the yeast and a solid yeast cake. Now, after the mash has been going about half an hour I draw off a pint of wort, boil this for 15 mins, cool then pour off the liquid from above the yeast cake and add the pint of wort. Shake like shit etc.

By the time the sparge/boil/chill has been done, the yeast in the starter bottle is going great guns, and I can pitch an active starter of the same wort as the main wort.

I never put the starter bottle in the fridge to settle out the yeast--never ever check the yeast.

White Labs also makes excellent yeast, in the form of "pitchable tubes" and I always make a starter first.

Jovial Monk

 

[Bigfella]

Do you think it would matter if I used dextrose instead of DME for propagating only because I have some dextrose laying about.

 

[Jovial_Monk]

of course it does!


Sheeit! Yeast needs nutrients

Shugah ain't got none


sheeit!


If you have dextrose laying about there is always the sink. . .


Jovial Monk

 

[Bigfella]

So I'm guessing that was a stupid question then.

My problem is that I wanted to do some propagating tomorrow but I forgot to get some DME.

Would it work if I got a cheap kit from the supermarket and boil up a bit of this.

I also have some Brewiser liquid sugar but I guess this is the same problem it amazing what you find from the kit days.

I need a HBS open on Sundays.

 

[JasonY]

Better to use all malt if you want to preseve the 'pureness' of your strain of yeast. My undersstanding is that the yeasties mutate when fed stuff other than malt (and they still do even then).

The cheap kit would do the trick.