Homebrewing Stack Exchange
Homebrewing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [yeast-starters]

Yeast starters are small worts of 1L or more that contain no hops. The primary purpose is to awaken and grown the yeast supplied in a vial or smack-pack. Typical starter wort is around or under 1.040 in gravity.

127 questions
17
votes
1 answer

How long can a yeast starter survive in the fridge?

I've made a 2L yeast starter (Wyeast 2633 Octoberfest) and placed in the fridge this morning. My original goal was to brew tonight but I may not be able to. Will the yeast colony still be good for a few days if it remains in fridge?
Bob Banks
  • 513
  • 6
  • 12
8
votes
5 answers

Should I always use a starter?

I like using a starter because it seems like it cuts down on the fermentation time, but do I really need to do it for beers that are under 1.070 OG?
CLJ
  • 1,724
  • 4
  • 18
  • 22
6
votes
2 answers

are sub-litre starters viable?

So I was having a discussion about starters with someone, after reading NB's Yeast Pitching Rates document. In which, I read that, with a stir plate, and considering a two stage propogation, I could get 453B cells with two .5 litre stages. However,…
reidLinden
  • 275
  • 1
  • 7
6
votes
4 answers

Storing mason jars of wort, for yeast starters, at room temperature

I hate making yeast starters. I want to make 5 gallons of wort and fill up a bunch of mason jars, and use these mason jars to make my yeast starters in the future. I also want to store the mason jars at room temperature. I was thinking of heating a…
Matthew Moisen
  • 3,847
  • 6
  • 42
  • 83
6
votes
4 answers

yeast starter, always a good addition?

If a recipe does not call for a yeast starter, would it help or be harmful for me to add a yeast starter? The current brew I have going has a O.G. of 1.070.
user6684
  • 81
  • 1
5
votes
2 answers

Ballpark yeast count of starter from harvested commercial yeast

I've harvested some yeast from a commercial bottle (Maine Beer Company's Mo Pale Ale) and stepped it up to a 1L size. I'll be making a pale ale at ~1.055 OG and everything I read indicates I'll want roughly 180-200 billion cells and that about 1L of…
Ryan Silva
  • 213
  • 2
  • 7
4
votes
1 answer

Can you use dextrose in a yeast starter?

If you don't have ay DME on hand is it ok to use dextrose as the sugar in a yeast starter?
Adam B
  • 185
  • 5
4
votes
1 answer

Why is a yeast starter necessary? How is it different than standard fermentation?

How is a starter different than what's going on in my 5gal fermentation vessel? From what I understand, a starter is you just making a mini beer, allowing yeast cells to multiply... But, why doesn't the same thing happen (yeast multiplying) if you…
James Boutcher
  • 143
  • 4
4
votes
1 answer

Saving a yeast starter

I made a beer 2 weeks ago and had 2 liters of yeast starter I made for it. I used about 1.5 liters and saved the rest for later in a sanitized jar in the fridge. Is the starter still fine? Is there anything I need to do before using it again?
anton2g
  • 695
  • 2
  • 10
  • 17
3
votes
3 answers

Yeast Starter blew out!

I made a 2L starter with 2 Wyeast 1056 smack packs, yeast nutrient, a shot of O2 at the beginning and intermittent shaking. Last night it was going strong and this morning it had a nice high krausen. Then I went to work and came home to find that…
HopHead73
  • 489
  • 3
  • 9
3
votes
1 answer

Using sourdough starter to brew beer

I have no yeast in the house, but I do have a sourdough starter (for bread). I was wondering if it is possible to use sourdough starter in place of yeast? Googling just found me lots of bread recipes, and this question is the opposite of this…
BreadBeerBread
  • 31
  • 1
3
votes
1 answer

Why does Northern Brewer's Fast Pitch Canned Wort not require any boiling?

Northern Brewer has a product called Fast Pitch Canned Wort. The instructions say that you can just mix it with water out of the tap and then pitch yeast to make a yeast starter. Why does this not requiring any boiling? Presumably the canned wort…
Matthew Moisen
  • 3,847
  • 6
  • 42
  • 83
3
votes
1 answer

Are starter sizes meant to be actual volumes or container sizes?

I've seen a lot of references to 1L/1000mL starters being made with anywhere from 2 cups (~473mL) to 650mL of water and half a cup of DME. The 1L size seems to refer to the expected container (a 1L Erlenmeyer flask) rather than the actual volume of…
thesquaregroot
  • 1,900
  • 2
  • 13
  • 29
2
votes
1 answer

Alcotec VS Still Spirits

I've just recently started up home brewing and wanted to know what is better to use in terms of yeast? my local supplier has Alcotec, does this suffice?
Max Jonasen
  • 21
  • 2
2
votes
4 answers

What's the minimum amount of active dry yeast to start a ferment?

So I've been experimenting with sugar washes and Fleishmann's active dry yeast which comes in little square packages. When you open the package and look in, the yeast is in the form of a powder of nearly spherical nodules. I'm sure since yeast are…
user273872
  • 193
  • 4
1
2