• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

Yeast Starter

Slobrew

Master Brewer
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
82
Reaction score
0
Location
Beverly Hills, Florida
I should know the answer to this, but I'd like your opinion.

How early do you start your yeast starter? Lets say I'm brewing on Tuesday. Should I get the starter going on Sunday or Monday or???. I use a stir plate and in this case I'm making a 1L starter from harvested yeast.
 
I like to try to time it so that they yeast is towards the end of the high krausen stage in the starter, if I can.  I've found that when I pitch at this stage, I get the shortest lag times and cleanest fermentations.  If you use a yeast alot, then you know what that amount of time is, if you don't then you are kinda of hit and miss.  I travel a lot for work, so I rarely get to do this though.

What you can do is make sure you start it early, so that you're at your peak cell count, which is what I end up doing when I'm traveling.

So, when I am traveling, I'll make the starter a week in advance and let it go all the way out.  I usually have my wife then put a sanitized airlock on it after three days.  It will sit there safe and secure until I get home and can brew.  I've even had stuff come up and had to wait another week to brew and didn't have any problems pitching a starter that sat under the airlock for 11 days.  When it sits under an airlock like that and settles out, I'll pour off the clearest liquid just before pitching, retaining just enough to aid in swirling the yeast slurry up prior to pitching.
 
I usually brew on Saturday, and usually get the starter done either Tuesday or Wednesday.  I like to chill it to settle, so I can decant. 

One new thing I've done a few times, and I think it shortens lag time, is after wort chilling and a whirlpool stir, I go ahead and decant from the flask, and while the wort is settling I drain some new wort into the flask.  I put that on the stir plate and let it spin while the wort settles and then transfers to the carboy.  I don't put much in there, so it's very splashy and likely brings in some O2.  I think this serves to awaken the yeast and get them aerated and used to the new wort profile a bit before pitching. 
 
Usually 4-5 days in advance.  My process is to build starter, cold crash/decant and then feed it a 1/4-/1/2 cup of DME a day before brew day.  I then pitch the whole thing while it's still feeding on the dme.  I use a stir plate for both steps.

Mark
 
I'm still working on my standard procedure, but here it is for a Saturday brew:
-Smack Pack(s) Thurs morning
-Pitch Thurs evening, stir plate, room temp
-Take off stir plate and refrigerate Friday night (so that's 24 hrs on the stir plate, which I may end up lengthening for lagers... my last brew this was a couple hrs after high krausen - German Ale yeast)
-Remove from fridge, decant during brew Saturday
-Pitch Saturday evening
 
Scott Ickes said:
I'll make the starter a week in advance and let it go all the way out.  I usually have my wife then put a sanitized airlock on it after three days.  It will sit there safe and secure until I get home and can brew.  I've even had stuff come up and had to wait another week to brew and didn't have any problems pitching a starter that sat under the airlock for 11 days.  When it sits under an airlock like that and settles out, I'll pour off the clearest liquid just before pitching, retaining just enough to aid in swirling the yeast slurry up prior to pitching.

Hey Scott, this is great to know... all this at room temp?
 
Science Impaired Poor Boy with no stir plate method: For Ale's, make an 1 quart, 1/2 cup extra light DME starter, boil ten minutes, cool to 70 degrees F, pitch yeast, pour into sanitized 1/2 gallon bottle and shake the heck out of it to aerate it, cover with sanitized piece of aluminum foil. Let sit at room temp for 24 - 36 hours, refridgerate. On brew day, take it out of the fridge, decant 80% of the beer on top, let it come to room temp, and it is ready to pitch. I have let yeast sit refridgerated like this for up to a month after making my starter with no lag or attenuation problems. Sometimes when working with re-harvested yeast and not sure about the cell count, I will use this method x 2.
My 2 cents!
 
Back
Top