Yeast starter

[jc64]

Then that would be pitching yeast. Not a starter!

Remember yeast cells bud/multiply depending upon how much food/sugar and oxygen is available to the cell walls (cell walls take in sugar so the more cells per ml of wort = less budding) So.... pitching a vial (if fresh 100 billion cells) of yeast (enough for 19L) to 1 litre of wort is not going to result in much reproduction.

Benefits of using a starter made from something foreign (ie: not the wort you made)?? Meeeeh!!!

Much better to remove two or three litres of your wort post boil, chill to room temp, pitch your yeast and then once the starter is active (about 8 hrs) pitch this "starter wort" to the remainder of the wort in your fermenter.

The method of pitching yeast to 1 litre and letting it ferment out, pouring off the wort and adding the remaining yeast is a good method of conditioning the yeast if it's not really fresh.

Yeast makes beer! So pitch as fresh as you can get and pitch plenty of it!!

Screwy

Sounds fair.I was responding to what Goodbeer had already done though and in that scenario I would decant and pitch. If it was me I would just use dry yeast h34r:

 

[danestead]

I add wyeast nutrient to my starters when I can be bothered/remember. According to wyeast (i emailed them) you use 0.1g per litre of starter. That is easy to remember as it is the same rate at which you add it to your boil. I add it prior to boiling the starter to sterilise it. Don't add it once the starter is boiling as you might get a boil over!

 

[slcmorro]

I add wyeast nutrient to my starters when I can be bothered/remember. According to wyeast (i emailed them) you use 0.1g per litre of starter. That is easy to remember as it is the same rate at which you add it to your boil. I add it prior to boiling the starter to sterilise it. Don't add it once the starter is boiling as you might get a boil over!

0.1 gm of nutrient per litre will cause a boilover? Surely not...? Unless you've got 1.9L in a 2L flask, which would surely boilover anyways

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Beer has enough vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The less additives and more organic the better as with many of good consumption.

 

[manticle]

Actually it is lacking in some sufficient minerals like zinc. Yeast nutrient is mostly zinc and some other natural products. Nothing nasty getting added unless you think like the food babe (in which all chemicals are bad).

 

[Judanero]

0.1 gm of nutrient per litre will cause a boilover? Surely not...? Unless you've got 1.9L in a 2L flask, which would surely boilover anyways

I think he means while it's boiling don't add nutrient... I have done it and can confirm there is indeed a boil-over!

 

[jc64]

Actually it is lacking in some sufficient minerals like zinc. Yeast nutrient is mostly zinc and some other natural products. Nothing nasty getting added unless you think like the food babe (in which all chemicals are bad).

Could use a copper immersion chiller to get the zinc

 

[Tropico]

I looked on Wyeast site:

https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_makingastarter.cfm

Recipe 0.5 cup DME (100g, 3.5oz) ½ tsp Wyeast Nutrient 1qt.(1L) H2O

1/2 a tsp seems a lot for 1 litre starter

 

[Rocker1986]

It does going by the 0.1g per litre dosage mentioned earlier.

One thing I hate is measuring weights in volume measurements like teaspoons. 1/2 a tsp will weigh different depending on what is in it.. It's like saying add 100mL of dry malt to every kg of water. I know it's old fashioned and largely due to the Yanks clinging onto an outdated system but seriously how hard is it to measure weights with weight measurements?

 

[slcmorro]

I think he means while it's boiling don't add nutrient... I have done it and can confirm there is indeed a boil-over!

I still don't get it. Even adding 0.5gms to a massive 5L starter while boiling it (if for some reason you didn't step to 5L in the first place) I can't see how it'd cause a boil over. Not a big deal, just can't fathom it.

 

[mofox1]

I still don't get it. Even adding 0.5gms to a massive 5L starter while boiling it (if for some reason you didn't step to 5L in the first place) I can't see how it'd cause a boil over. Not a big deal, just can't fathom it.

Quick experiment for you... boil some water in a mug in a microwave. Take it out and throw a teaspoon of sugar in it. Boom!

Same thing happens with boiling up your malt extract - plenty of nucleation points for bubbles to form.

I unintentionally did it the other day. Forgot the nutrient, so took it off the boil and left it for a couple of minutes (okay, maybe just one minute). Dropped my tiny 1/10 teaspoon measure of nutrient in and it *still* gushed over the top. Just not as bad as the first (and only other) time I did it while it was still actively boiling. Thank god the missus wasn't home for that one.

 

[danestead]

I looked on Wyeast site:

https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_makingastarter.cfm

Recipe 0.5 cup DME (100g, 3.5oz) ½ tsp Wyeast Nutrient 1qt.(1L) H2O

1/2 a tsp seems a lot for 1 litre starter

That's really interesting. Maybe worth emailing wyeast again.

I can 100% confirm they told me 0.1g/L of nutrient for your starter. Zinc toxicity would probably be pretty up there if you were adding 10x that, as said in an earlier post.

 

[danestead]

I still don't get it. Even adding 0.5gms to a massive 5L starter while boiling it (if for some reason you didn't step to 5L in the first place) I can't see how it'd cause a boil over. Not a big deal, just can't fathom it.

K. Try it.

 

[Tropico]

That's really interesting. Maybe worth emailing wyeast again.

I can 100% confirm they told me 0.1g/L of nutrient for your starter. Zinc toxicity would probably be pretty up there if you were adding 10x that, as said in an earlier post.

Its sounds like a mistake, they also say 1/2 tsp (2.2gm) per 5 gallons of wort (19 litres).

So 0.1gm would be the same ratio.

 

[slcmorro]

K. Try it.

Mofox1 already suggested this. I'll take your words for it - didn't mean to come across pompous, I was just in disbelief. Didn't think that tiny amount could cause a volume (mass?) so much larger to react in that way.

 

[Screwtop]

Anyone know of any craft brewery using yeast nutrient?


Screwy

 

[Vini2ton]

I've started using a pressure-cooker and 500ml preserving jars to make starter wort. I put the very slightest pinch of nutrient in each jar. I don't know if I need to. I have the odd berocca myself at times and **** knows if they do me any good. My starters boom though.