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Yeast Starter

jasonk

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I am going to make my first attempt at using a yeast starter this weekend. I will be brewing an all grain roboust porter using white labs British ale yeast. I am using the beersmith yeast starter for guidance on how big a batch of starter to make. Just looking for some input on the process, ie: boil time, amount of extract to use , time to let it get started, and temp to keep it at until I'm ready to use it.
 
I lightly boil the starter wort for 15 minutes, add yeast nutrient the last 5 minutes and use a stir plate.  Fermentation is fast....usually finished in 1-2 days.  I then cold crash for 1-2 days and then decant before pitching to the wort.

Mark
 
I do my starter the afternoon before brew day, 1.040 SG boil for 15 minutes adding yeast nutrient at some point.  Cool and add the yeast, it is ready to pitch the next day.  The stir plate makes the difference.  After pitching in the fermenter I have activity within 2 hours and by the next morning it is a solid bubbling from the blow tube.  I can not use a fermentation trap since the CO2 just blows them off.
 
Yeast starters are essential for lagers, they're good for ales, and they aren't difficult to make.

1. Build a stirplate. It's easy and cheap. Read/watch all of the following: http://www.donosborn.com/homebrew/stir_plate.htm, http://onebeer.net/sp_howto.shtml, http://www.byo.com/stories/projects-and-equipment/article/indices/20-build-it-yourself/401-build-your-own-stir-plate, http://www.thebitterbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJr0TB_OFjg, http://davidtrumbell.com/Beer/Setup/StirPlate/StirPlate.html, and http://www.thescrewybrewer.com/2010/11/screwys-do-it-yourself-stir-plate.html.

2. Order a stirbar from Amazon.

3: Use the following to calculate the size starter you need: http://yeastcalc.summitwoodwork.com/

4. Don't be intimidated. Keep it simple.

Dan
 
jasonk said:
I am going to make my first attempt at using a yeast starter this weekend. I will be brewing an all grain roboust porter using white labs British ale yeast. I am using the beersmith yeast starter for guidance on how big a batch of starter to make. Just looking for some input on the process, ie: boil time, amount of extract to use , time to let it get started, and temp to keep it at until I'm ready to use it.

These are the instructions that our brew store provides (see attached)
 

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  • Yeast Starter instructions.pdf
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I usually make a one liter starter for a 5 gallon batch and two liter starter for 10 gallons.  I make my starter a couple days before I brew and leave it on the stir plate at room temp until I'm ready to pitch.  I have always followed Palmer's suggestion on making a starter.  From his book, How to Brew Ch 6:

"Boil a pint (1/2 quart) of water and stir in 1/2 cup of DME. This will produce a starter of about 1.040 OG. Boil this for 10 minutes, adding a little bit of hops if you want to. Put the lid on the pan for the last couple minutes, turn off the stove and let it sit while you prepare for the next step. Adding a quarter teaspoon of yeast nutrient (vitamins, biotin, and dead yeast cells) to the starter wort is always advisable to ensure good growth..........Fill the kitchen sink with a couple inches of cold water. Take the covered pot and set it in the water, moving it around to speed the cooling. When the pot feels cool, about 80°F or less, pour the wort into a sanitized glass mason jar or something similar. Pour all of the wort in, even the sediment. This sediment consists of proteins and lipids which are actually beneficial for yeast growth at this stage.  Ideally, the starter's temperature should be the same as what you plan the fermentation temperature to be. This allows the yeast to get acclimated to working at that temperature. If the yeast is started warmer and then pitched to a cooler fermentation environment, it may be shocked or stunned by the change in temperature and may take a couple days to regain normal activity."

 
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