Hey there. I am brewing again in the next couple days. (My 5th All-grain batch...this is fun!) Anyhow, I'm told that making a starter for yeast is a good thing to do, but I'm not sure what that process is. Can anyone tell me how this works and what I should do? If I make a starter on Sunday, will it be ready on Monday or is that just a waste of time?
Thanks!
-g
Help with starters
Moderator: slothrob
Help with starters
"Beer, the cause of and solution to all the world's problems..."
-Homer Simpson
-Homer Simpson
starter
what I do for starters is to boil 1 cup of water and cool it to around 95, then add the yeast, put it in a sanitized jar (I use a grolwer). Let it sit for about 15 mins. While it's sitting you should be boiling 1/2 teaspoon of DME in about a 1/2 cup of water. Boil for at least 10 minutes then cool and add to yeast jar. Cover it. It should start bubbling within an hour although that has never worked for me but I have always had very vigorous fermentations using these starters. I should note that when doing this I have always used dry yeast packets. Good luck.
It's a good thing to do because it helps you determine the viability of the liquid yeast you have and because you can pitch a higher cell count which leads to quicker onset of fermentation. Here's a link for you with pictures.
http://www.beerdude.com/yeast_starter.shtml
Here's another link that'll help you determine the correct pitching rate for your brews:
http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php
http://www.beerdude.com/yeast_starter.shtml
Here's another link that'll help you determine the correct pitching rate for your brews:
http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php