Should I bother re-hydrating Yeast?

[cwiseman77]

Brewing my 4th extract brew today and was maybe going to re-hydrate the yeast. Been reading John Palmer's book and he recommends it. Never had a problem with sluggish fermentation before so not sure what the point is.

Thought?

 

[beermaker]

I tend to make up a yeast starter using a 1 litre solution of boiled water with DME in it to get the yeast actively fermenting, just to ensure high pitching rates and a rapid start to the fermentation, as I brew and ferment in a shed shared with motorbikes and other dirty cack that comes with having a family! Not essential and there is a slightly increased chance of an infection with making a starter but my feeling is that the potential benefits outweigh the risks, and as long as proper sanitation procedures are used in making and handling the starter there should be no problems.

 

[PD]

I'm a sprinkler...... if using dried yeasts I just sprinkle them on top of the wort, not had any problems as yet. Fermentation always seems to kick in within 12 hours.

 

[LeedsBrewer]

My first kit i tried re-hydrating the yeast according to Palmers book. Forgot the bit about letting the boiled water cool down... Pitching yeast into boiling water... not a good idea

I'm guna give rehydrating another go on my next batch though and hope i don't mess it up this time!

 

[Hawks]

I tend to sprinkle dried yeast, but it is best practice and best for the yeast to re-hydrate with water ( not a starter for dried yeasts ). When I am bothered to do it the ferment does seem to start quicker, which makes sense as the yeast will be at its most viable

 

[Dunfie]

By rehydrating dried yeast you end up with double the number of viable yeast cells compared to simply sprinkling.

I'm not a stickler but if I remember during the brewday then I will rehydrate.

 

[PD]

I agree, best practise but I always forget the yeast till last minute.
I think I'll add a line at the top of my idiots brew day guide !

 

[Hawks]

I agree, best practise but I always forget the yeast till last minute.
I think I'll add a line at the top of my idiots brew day guide !

Yep thats the reason I forget - I have done well if it is back up to room temp.. :whistle:

 

[cwiseman77]

seems pretty straight forward, will give it a go

 

[Russ146]

Every unnecessary action risks contamination and spoiling the beer

Rehydrating the yeast? don't bother!

Its about to rehydrate when its hits the brew that should be at the right temperature so it dosn't matter if the dried yeast is cold. Just get it in with minimum fuss, get the lid on with an airlock asap so dust and airborne bacteria don't get blown in and then leave it well alone for 14 days at a constant temp.

Warmth = Active yeast and fermentation
Cold = Inactive yeast and no fermentation

 

[Hawks]

Every unnecessary action risks contamination and spoiling the beer

Rehydrating the yeast? don't bother!

Its about to rehydrate when its hits the brew that should be at the right temperature so it dosn't matter if the dried yeast is cold. Just get it in with minimum fuss, get the lid on with an airlock asap so dust and airborne bacteria don't get blown in and then leave it well alone for 14 days at a constant temp.

Warmth = Active yeast and fermentation
Cold = Inactive yeast and no fermentation

Although I forget to do it, I disagree with the above - I would say it is without any doubt best practice to re-hydrate as simply sprinkling to pitch will not pitch as much viable yeast as re-hydrating first. It does also matter if the yeast is cold - as if the difference in temp is more than a few degrees when you pitch you will shock the yeast even further making it even less viable.

 

[Aleman]

Rehydrating the yeast? don't bother!

Although I forget to do it, I disagree with the above

Hawks, I have tried not to respond to this thread, but I knew it would be a futile attempt. There is a large amount of threads on this subject . . . both here and on Jim's as well as in several excellent brewing books (and Palmers ) . . . That provide tons of information and data as to why it is best practice to rehydrate, and yet you still get replies like that from Russ.

I direct you to my sig

 

[Hawks]

Hawks, I have tried not to respond to this thread, but I knew it would be a futile attempt.

You held out longer than I suspected you would.. . :whistle:

I have been reading Yeast by White & Zainasheff and it is making me revisit a few of my yeast handling assumptions.. Great book though, very informative and not too hard to get into :thumb:

You also get to feel a bit more of a beer geek :geek:

 

[Russ146]

Well i'm sorry

I like to keep it simple as it works far better for me than actions that could contaminate a brew when the purpose of makes no real difference to the end result.

The more you faff about with brewing the more you risk ruining it as many do ruin brew after brew because they get bad advice that in not really necessary. In laboratory controlled sterile conditions then faff all you like but in a kitchen/garden shed and the like situation its not worth the risk.

Every second the lid is off the FV the brew is exposed to airborne bacteria, dust and such like can get blown in.

I use R/O water to ensure no chlorine and whatever else is in tap water is in my beer, I then get told by some experts that that is wrong?????????????????????? Whatever. And then somebody else is moaning about the taste of chlorine in the beer

I will stick to making perfect beer time after time by my simple methods and leave all the heath robinsons to wonder why their beer has a strange "Twang" to it or has gone wrong! Again!

Just because some geezer writes a book doesn't make them an expert

:hat:

 

[Hawks]

Just because some geezer writes a book doesn't make them an expert :hat:

But as he is also the founder of Whitelabs I think that counts...

 

[alanywiseman.]

I rehydrate my yeast. Quicker start, more viable yeast and i like watching it bubble before pitching

 

[cwiseman77]

I rehydrate my yeast. Quicker start, more viable yeast and i like watching it bubble before pitching

Hey cuz! Yeah went for the re-hydration, seems ok so far.

I tend not to be too paranoid about contamination. I'd prefer to follow the best brewing practices I can to hopefully achieve the most consistent results, and not skip steps due to being worried about contamination. if you're careful with sanitisation etc... how likely is it really to get an infected brew? Anyway I had my yeast all ready to go and rehydrated to drop in as soon as it was needed so brew was left exposed any longer than it would if I had used dried.

 

[cwiseman77]

I kinda see both sides of this argument. As Rus is basically saying, "If it ain't broke, dont't fix it". If you are achieving results you're happy with then why change. But I'm kinda of the opinion of if your not getting better, you're getting worse.

Each to his own :

 

[Hawks]

I tend not to be too paranoid about contamination. I'd prefer to follow the best brewing practices I can to hopefully achieve the most consistent results, and not skip steps due to being worried about contamination. if you're careful with sanitisation etc... how likely is it really to get an infected brew? Anyway I had my yeast all ready to go and rehydrated to drop in as soon as it was needed so brew was left exposed any longer than it would if I had used dried.

You're also starting the ferment off quicker, and thereby reducing the chance of infection. :thumb:

As I said earlier, I am guilty of not always re-hydrating dried yeast myself but I know I should in order to get the best possible fermentation and the most consistent results

 

[beermaker]

Definately with the rehydrate camp - get the buggers working before so that when you pitch them they're ready to go. Much reduced lag times and more reliable results. As long as proper sanitation protocols are followed then infection is very unlikely - in 14 years i've lost four brews to infection. I'm no expert on microbiology but experience leadsme to believe that rehydration is a good plan. Personally I always make an active starter with sterile wort in a conical flask on a mag stirrer - again not essential but it means I always pitch a very active and healthy yeast starter into the fermenter and as a result, my lag times are minimal and the window for infection is reduced.