Yeast Starter - any point?

[JimSY]

I'm hoping to an IPA next Saturday with an OG of 1.051. I have enough dry-yeast to do the job but I wondered whether there is any advantage to making a yeast starter simply from the perspective of better beer?

Thanks in advance - Jim

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Do not make a starter from dried yeast!
Dried yeast is produced to have sufficient yeast cells to brew a full batch of beer.
You could re-hydrate the yeast in cooled, boiled water - this simply gets the fermentation going a little more quickly.
Pitch two packets if you are brewing at the cool end of the yeast's range or aiming for a high ABV.

 

[JimSY]

I also have WYEAST for any starter! :-)

I would normally re-hydrate the yeast and have never had any major problems with dried yeast but wondered if there was any benefit beer-wise from a starter.

 

[strange-steve]

As Bigcol says, don't make a starter with dry yeast, it'll probably do more harm than good. You can hydrate the yeast and then step it up in a starter but it's easier just to pitch two packets I'd say. With liquid yeast however, I always make a starter using this calculator.

 

[Ghillie]

Personally I don't see the need for re-hydrating dried yeast at all.

Have made identical batches of beer with dried yeast sprinkled on and dried yeast re-hydrated and there were zero differences that I could perceive.

I feel that re-hydrating is just another step on brew day that I don't want to be concerned about. The process is straightforward, quick and simple - but unnecessary as far as I can tell.

 

[MickDundee]

Personally I don't see the need for re-hydrating dried yeast at all.

Have made identical batches of beer with dried yeast sprinkled on and dried yeast re-hydrated and there were zero differences that I could perceive.

I feel that re-hydrating is just another step on brew day that I don't want to be concerned about. The process is straightforward, quick and simple - but unnecessary as far as I can tell.

I’m not sure about this. I used to rarely rehydrate yeast but I entered a couple of beers in the Welsh Homebrew comp and both had feedback that they could taste that the yeast had been stressed and that I should “pitch plenty of healthy yeast”. Since both brews were 19L batches with a sachet of dried yeast in each, I can only think that it was due to not rehydrating.

 

[Ghillie]

I’m not sure about this. I used to rarely rehydrate yeast but I entered a couple of beers in the Welsh Homebrew comp and both had feedback that they could taste that the yeast had been stressed and that I should “pitch plenty of healthy yeast”. Since both brews were 19L batches with a sachet of dried yeast in each, I can only think that it was due to not rehydrating.

That's interesting. I've never had feedback like that with dried yeast... Fermenting temps, etc will all be sound in your case of course?

Would be willing to re-do my experiment again, maybe even send you a couple of bottles for your personal judgement too :)

 

[Drunkula]

If you do make a starter with dried yeast rehydrate it first. Close to 35c. But if you have enough yeast then there's no point. The only time I've made yeast starters with dried yeast is to build it because I had a partial heat sealed 1/5th of a pack I'd been using for 1 gallon batches and I wanted to make a full one, and when I had a series of S-04 beers stick and made 3 litre starters in a demijohn to see if I could restart the damned things. Yeah, a demijohn works on a stir plate.

 

[Brianbrewed]

I did a brew day with a professional brewer a year ago and asked him should you rehydrate dry yeast.

He said ALWAYS rehydrate dry yeast. It's best practice and really doesn't take too long.

 

[Drunkula]

He said ALWAYS rehydrate dry yeast. It's best practice and really doesn't take too long.

I agree but I've also seen brewers just pour in a 500g bag of S-05 and think sod the rehydrate, just add tons of yeast.

 

[Brianbrewed]

I agree but I've also seen brewers just pour in a 500g bag of S-05 and think sod the rehydrate, just add tons of yeast.

Brilliant :)