Yeast Tips...

[Noxious]

Hi all,

Just wondering how you guys would/do go about rehydrating your dried yeasts such as Safale/Saflagers....

I have been using the US-05 (56) and S-04 recently and would like to know if anyone has experienced any great difference in the final product between just pitching into the wort (As the packet says) or rehydrating prior to pitching?


If rehydration is necessary, how should i go about it? (eg; temps, in water or wort?, etc.)
Thanks fellow brewers...

P.S - I have only been using the kits with cans of liquid malt extract, cant afford mashing!

 

[Jye]

Ive found hydrating gives a slightly better/faster ferment and can only put this down to more healthy yeast making it into the wort.

Fermentis give full instruction on how to hydrate on their site, heres the pdf for us-05. I use a small pyrex jar that I nuke in the microwave for 5 min and then allow to cool while brewing. When the wort is being chilled I tip my yeast in the jar and simple follow the instructions from fermentis.

Simple as

 

[Noxious]

I thought a slow ferment (at lower section of the temp range) was better for flavour and clarity.
Have brewed a few at high temps and scored a very fruity beer (which i dont like!)...

With my boiling of the wort....I dont boil my wort as i use the kit cans, i didnt know this was necessary.
I have been using 2L of boiling water to mix it through though.
As it seems I am using the easiest method to make this beer should i even bother rehydrating the yeast?
More curious as to whether anyone has noted the taste differences or clarity change between rehydrating and just pitching?

 

[Jye]

I alway ferment at the lower end of the recommended range (17C) and is the reason a large cell count of healthy yeast is important. Hydrating yeast isnt hard it just requires a bit of preparation.

If your after a clean yeast then the healthier the better. As for clarity I dont think there will be any difference.

No need to boil the kits, I was just talking about my brew day. Try hydrating for the next brew and see if there is a difference for yourself, if not then dont bother with it.

 

[///]

Just wondering how you guys would/do go about rehydrating your dried yeasts such as Safale/Saflagers....

I have been using the US-05 (56) and S-04 recently and would like to know if anyone has experienced any great difference in the final product between just pitching into the wort (As the packet says) or rehydrating prior to pitching?

Dave Logsdon recently gave a presentation to the brewers guild, and the reason for the fast start of dried yeasts is the fatty acid layer in the cell wall being desaturated. Yeast when they go into a period of nonactivity or at the end of ferment solidify the hard fatty acid layer in the cell wall, cocooning the yeast to an effect for the long wait between the next ferment. When the yeast is fermenting this layer is dessaturated and allows the exchange of glucose and alcohol which is fermentation.

Dried yeast is hit with a heap of O2 prior to the end of ferment which prevents fatty acids solidifying - hence not requiring yeast to go thru the desaturated phase in the next ferment.

Dave made no mention the rehydration issue, but the quicker ferment would be down to the early stages of fermentation being passed and cell numbers I guess...

 

[tangent]

cant afford mashing!

I think we've disproved that myth enough times!

I'm lazy and just sprinkle 2 packets over the wort if using dry yeasts. I figure bulk malt and hop buys saves me enough $ that I can indulge with 2 packets without breaking the bank.