How do I make a starter for harvested yeast?

The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
492
Reaction score
5
Location
Near Manchester
I am getting prepared for my brew day Thursday next week, which will be my Christmas brew. I'll be using liquid yeast yeast for the first time :wha: courtesy of graysalchemy, so I really don't want to mess it up!
I've been reading through John Palmer's How to Brew about doing starters, but I'm still scarred! :shock:
How long does the starter need to grow for? Do I need to take the yeast out of the fridge to get to room temperature before adding it to the DME solution? I forgot to order any yeast nutrients - do I need them?
I was going to pour off the water that covers the yeast, add a bit of DME solution, swill and add to a DJ with more DME solution, fit airlock, shake DJ on a regular basis. I would then chill the starter to settle out the yeast, pour off most if the liquid and pitch slurry. Is that right, or have I missed something? Or is it better to not chill and add the whole starter at room temperature?

Someone, please help me! :pray: I'm such a noob! :oops: Oh, and it might make a good "How To..." :grin:

Dennis
 
With the quantity of yeast I gave you 250ml you couild pitch it directly into your wort. But in order to prove that the yeast is viable and wake it up a bit I would make a starter from spray malt to 1020. I don't know the quantities but you need some a DJ of boiled water which has cooled, then add your spray malt until you get the right gravity, then tip in the yeast and shake it up. Leave it somewhere at fermentation temp and then give it a shake when ever you go past it. I usually put an air lock on it.

If you keep the gravity low the yeast won't get shocked and will waken up and be ready for the wort on brew day.

I would get it going about 2-3 days before brewday.

:thumb:
 
Hi Dennis
It's best if the yeast and starter is the same (couple of degrees C won't matter that much) temperature when you pitch. If there is too much of a difference the some of the yeast cells might die due to shock.

Another handy hint (from a book called Brewing Classic Styles) - a ration of 10 to 1 (Water to DME) will give you a SG of between 1.030 and 1.040. So, if you want to make a 1 liter starter then add 100 grams of DME to 1 liter of water. Reduce the DME accordingly to achieve the 1.020 starter as per Alistair's guidelines.

Good luck!
 
i would make your 1l starter then save half for next brew , then keep doing the same for a good 5 or so times . I make an 8 pint starter with 500g then split them into 10 then when i get down to my last 2 i make another 10 .
 
A quick question regarding doing a starter:

I haven't received the DME from the brew shop yet, hoping it will arrive tomorrow (Wednesday) early-ish. I was planning on brewing on Thursday - is that enough time for the starter? Or will I have to wait until Friday? I think I have enough yeast as is for the two 1 gallon brews I intend to do, but as I understand it, I should do the starter anyway to check viability. What do you think? All input much appreciated! Thanks!

Dennis
 
it could do with a little longer but it will work just fine , in a perfect world you would use the yeast at around 2 to 3 days when the head is at its largest , at this stage the yeast is in ferment beer mode , while using the yeast after it has fermented starter is in fact not as good (although i tend to do this ) but its splitting hairs the yeast will work fine at any stage
 
Thanks pittsy, although the point is now moot as my stuff still hasn't arrived. Brewday will be Friday at best, but next Thursday is looking more likely. However, at least I've learnt a bit more about our little yeast friends!

Dennis
 
I recently made a starter with a White Labs English Dry Ale Yeast. On their website is a start FAQ:

How do I make a "starter"?

White Labs Pitchable yeast is packaged with 70 to 140 billion yeast cells, which corresponds approximately to a 1-2 liter size starter. Lag times are typically between 12-24 hours for a normal strength brew.
A yeast starter is a small volume of wort that you add to your yeast to initiate cell activity or to increase the cell count before using it to make your beer. The yeast will grow in this smaller volume, usually for 1-2 days, which then can be added to 5 gallons of wort.
While a starter is not always necessary, White Labs recommends making a starter if the Original Gravity is over 1.060, if the yeast is past its "Best Before" date, if you are pitching lager yeast at temperatures below 65F, or if a faster start is desired.
Procedure:
In a medium sauce pan, add 2 pints of water and 1/2 cup Dried Malt Extract (DME). Mix well and boil the solution for about 10 minutes to sterilize. Cover and cool the pan to room temperature in an ice bath. This will give you a wort of approximately 1.040 OG. Keeping the Original Gravity low is important because you want to keep the yeast in its growth phase, rather than its fermentation phase. The fermentation phase will create alcohol which can be toxic to yeast in high concentrations.
Pour the wort into a sanitized glass container (flask, growler, etc.) and pitch the vial of yeast. Cover the top of the container with a sanitized piece of aluminum foil so that it is flush with the container, but will still allow CO2 to escape. Vigorously shake or swirl the container to get as much oxygen dissolved in the solution as possible. Allow the starter to sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours, occasionally shaking it to keep the solution aerated.
You probably won’t see any visible activity, but the yeast is busy taking up the oxygen and sugars in the solution and growing new cells. After the yeast has consumed all of the nutrients and oxygen, it will form a milky white layer on the bottom of the container. If you are not planning on pitching the yeast right away, you can store it in the refrigerator with the foil still in place. When you are ready to brew, decant off most of the clear liquid from the top, being careful not to disturb the yeast layer below. Once the yeast and your wort are at approximately the same (room) temperature, rouse the starter yeast into suspension and pitch the entire quantity into your fermenter.
Typical Starter Volumes for 5 gallons:
To activate the yeast: 1 pint (with 1/4 cup DME)
To revitalize yeast past its Best Before Date: 2 pints (with 1/2 cup DME)
To brew a high gravity beer: 2 pints (with 1/2 cup DME)
To brew a lager beer, starting fermentation 50-55F: 4 pints (with 1 cup DME)
 
If you search "strongandco" on YouTube there is a good video showing you what to do
 
Back
Top