Waking dry yeast

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

Moderator: slothrob

Post Reply
zeno
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2003 11:44 am
Location: Cary, NC, US

Waking dry yeast

Post by zeno »

I brewed up what I feel is going to be a great brown this weekend, but I am concerned about the yeast. I was out of corn sugar, so i used table sugar as my starter..

Just to clairify, this was my first time using dry yeast but as the liquid yeast was not in yet, and I wasn't willing to wait a week, I got dry... I put some water in a glass, tew in table sugar, then dumped in the yeast and adgitated it.. waited 15 minuts, saw the yeast was having a ball, and threw it in..

Now, the beer is swerling like mad (as it always seems to do ONLY when I make an american brown), but I'm curious as to weather or not I will be recieving odd tones from the fermented table sugar.. Any ideas?
Brewer2001
Double IPA
Double IPA
Posts: 170
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2001 1:56 am

Here's the scoop

Post by Brewer2001 »

Z,

Dry yeast has everything it needs to get started, except the water. You do not need to add sugar or malt to 'start' dry yeast. You could make a slurry but that would be a waste of money. Dry yeast is ment for one pitching.

Now on to the sugar. Both are bad, light DME or dilute wort is yeast food. Glucose and frucose are the yeasts primary foods. Sucrose must first be broken down by the invertase enzyme before the yeast cell will intake it (this is done outside the yeast cell in the wort). Also 'straight' sugars lack other neutrents that the yeast require (nitrogen, zinc and copper to name a few)that are found in malt.

With the amount you added, no harm was done but stick with malt for yeast food. I would also stick with liquid yeast, it takes a little more preperation but works better and it is repitchable.

Have to go, off to the brewery.

Good brewing,

Tom F.
Post Reply