I've had a disaster!

[Drunkula]

I know Brulosophy and others have done experiments to show there is no difference. The chap from homebrew network admitted he just sprinkles on the top. Even Lallamend say rehydration is recommended but not essential.

In the brulosophy experiment he can pick out the difference every time. So Lallemand say rehydrating is recommended. Cool. Gash says he doesn't bother but doesn't say it's as good or better.

Getting the same result doesn't mean things are different. I can drive home with my seatbelt on or off. I get home and the results are the same. So seatbelts aren't necessary. Neither is temperature control or rehydration or sanitisation.

The plural of anecdote isn't data. No matter how many times somebody says they don't rehydrate their yeast and their beer's fine that provides no infomation on whether rehydration has benefits.

When you give advice start with optimum information, especially if it's pertinent to their current predicament, then they can start slacking off on their own.

Jamil Zainisheff has said make starters and rehydrate dried yeast, so have those great lads at Genus Brewing. I go with data, not what some miserable old sod on a website says because they're too damned lazy to change.

How about David Heath? Will you write him off too?

He's a protected species so I'm not allowed to.

Drunkula.

 

[Drunkula]

If it is true I wonder why, does the yeast get stunned in wort?

Osmotic stress. There's plenty of stuff out there on it but as I've said before - it's like waking someone up by stuffing doughnuts down their throat. Sometimes they're going to choke and die.

 

[strange-steve]

A large, multinational company lying in order to increase profits?? Ridiculous.

 

[An Ankoù]

He's a protected species so I'm not allowed to.

Puts the willies up me to be frank. Never got more than a couple of minutes into a video without losing the will to live. But each to his own, I'm not a great TV watcher, either.

 

[prog99]

I wonder if Fermentis just want to make their product sound easier to use a loss in viability of 3-6% is so far below all other estimates. As I stated earlier I never use dried yeast but can't believe anyone would want to skip such a very simple step that will help start the fermentation of your wort.

I did a day with a commercial brewer. They used fermentis yeasts (a rather bigger 'sachet' than we get) pitched dry straight into the fermenter with no apparent issues.

 

[Drunkula]

hey used fermentis yeasts (a rather bigger 'sachet' than we get) pitched dry straight into the fermenter with no apparent issues.

They're probably pitching the right amount or more of dried yeast. Harrybrew just dry pitches, just thinks sod it, I'll put a load in.

If a kit came with a huge pack of yeast like the crazy amounts you get with Winebuddy kits then you can sod rehydrating, there's no way I'd bother. With the amounts you're given I want it to work as best it can. I'm not killing half my work force for the sake of microwaving a glass of water and waiting 15 minutes.

 

[strange-steve]

How about David Heath? Will you write him off too?

"It has long been known in commercial brewing that pitching yeast directly into wort obtains great results and that rehydration into water is an unnecessary step."



buddsy

This is the bloke who said that adding dry hops direct from the freezer can drop the temperature of the wort enough to shock the yeast

 

[foxy]

Most of the dry yeast producers state there is no need to rehydrate or aerate. Its funny its only on brewing forums arguments against the advice given by the dry yeast producers that there is no need for rehydration, while the bread baking forums accept the fact there is no need to rehydrate the yeast used nowadays.

 

[strange-steve]

No need to ≠ best practice

 

[DavidDetroit]

I do dry yeast only. I do two packs. I stir it into the wort and do a bit of aerating with a slotted spoon even though I've read from the yeast sites that it's not necessary. I've never made a starter or put the dry yeast in water to hydrate it into a cream though I don't see any negative to it.
I've brewed all of my batches the same way; the last seven or eight batches, because they are the same recipe, have the same FG each time, to the point I'm almost tempted not to check (still do). The two packs take down a really high OG to 1.004. I assume the 20°C pitching temp keeps the off-flavors away.
My experience is still anecdotal, I guess, since I'm not measuring each compound in the beer to see if there's an upside or a downside to my process.
I was never keen on just leaving the yeast sit on top without mixing it in.

 

[trueblue]

Thanks for all the replies, regarding yeast I can only use what I've got in. I'm kinda hoping it's bubbling when I get home from work, if not I will pitch some more yeast and take my chances

Pleased it has taken off. This is a cracking yeast unfortunately it's one I've seem to have "forgotten" for some reason, just looked back on my notes and last used it 16 years ago. Time to revisit I think.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Ok, I want a turn now.

I've done both, about 10 'sprinkles' and 50 re-hydrates. What I have found is that I get less lag time with a re-hydrate and whilst I am CDO (see what I did there) with sanitation I want the yeasties to out-compete any stray nasties that dare to approach my FV. So I hydrate. I would imagine if brewing something weaker the differences between hydrate and not are minimal. But I've brewed 20 litres of (apologies to those who've heard this for the 1,000,000th time) 12.86% beer with a single re-hydrated packet of MJ yeast. If I sprinkled it on instead I bet the beer would have been sweeter! - but a single 11g sachet of yeast for 23l of 4% beer - its not going to be overtaxed.

And therein is my theory, if you're on the limits re: pitch rate then re-hydrate will make more of an impact. The same applies if you are a filthy minger - re-hydrated yeast get to work quickest IME and there's less chance of your beer being tainted.

 

[strange-steve]

The same applies if you are a filthy minger - re-hydrated yeast get to work quickest IME and there's less chance of your beer being tainted.

Unless of course you introduce introduce the nasties during rehydration

 

[Drunkula]

Its funny its only on brewing forums arguments against the advice given by the dry yeast producers that there is no need for rehydration, while the bread baking forums accept the fact there is no need to rehydrate the yeast used nowadays.

I've seen arguments about rehydrating yeast on baking sites, and about if you should add sugar while rehydrating it.

The most disapponting thing about this is that it's a false-equivalence fallacy.

 

[trueblue]

This is the bloke who said that adding dry hops direct from the freezer can drop the temperature of the wort enough to shock the yeast

I have watched a couple of his videos and wasn't that impressed but that seems a very radical statement.

 

[Michael Burnley]

Pleased it has taken off. This is a cracking yeast unfortunately it's one I've seem to have "forgotten" for some reason, just looked back on my notes and last used it 16 years ago. Time to revisit I think.

Pendle Witch is brewed in Burnley by Moorhouses so I had to make it at some point

 

[trueblue]

Pendle Witch is brewed in Burnley by Moorhouses so I had to make it at some point

I take it you are brewing the Graham Wheeler recipe? I have never tried the real thing but have brewed Wheelers recipe several times, one of my favorites.

 

[strange-steve]

I have watched a couple of his videos and wasn't that impressed but that seems a very radical statement.

I wanted to make sure I wasn't misrepresenting him so went back to check. He said that using dry hops straight from the freezer "will cause a temperature shift in your fermenter that your yeast may not thank you for" which is utter nonsense. This video at 5:00:

 

[trueblue]

Pendle Witch is brewed in Burnley by Moorhouses so I had to make it at some point

Have you thought about asking Moorhouses for some yeast? All the breweries I have approached have been helpful and live brewers yeast is the dogs danglies.

 

[JohnB]

Can I have a little go, please? If that is the only disaster then I'd say well done that chap! My brew days are controlled disasters from start to finish.