Help with starters

flavaham · Post by **flavaham** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:23 pm

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

Radler · Post by **Radler** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:47 pm

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.

BillyBock · Post by **BillyBock** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:41 am

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

flavaham · Post by **flavaham** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 2:34 pm

Thanks guys! I'm going to try one this weekend for my Saison that'll be brewed a few days later.
HOPE IT WORKS!!
-g