Hey Don, great video. I did my first starter last night with 1 quart of water and 1 cup of sugar. I took a gravity reading and it was 1.060. I know you recommend between 1.030-1.040. I went ahead and pitched my yeast. Am I going to have any problems with such a high gravity on my starter? Also, I plan to brew in a day and a half (36 hours). Is this going to be long enough for my starter? Thanks and cheers!
@LongDogBrew Don't know for sure about the gravity. Do you mean 1 cup of DME? Or just plain sugar? I have not used only sugar before. Not sure if that is a good idea or not. With your short time frame, you will probably not be able to put it in the fridge for 24 hours or so to let the yeast settle to the bottom. You will probably just pitch the whole thing. And that should work ok. I do that sometimes. Othertimes I let it sit in fridge for a couple days then decant the wort off.
@donosborn Oops, I meant DME and not sugar! Maybe I'll postpone my brewing until this Sunday instead of this Friday afternoon. How long do you usually keep your starter on your stir plate before moving it into your fridge? Thanks again for the help. I really enjoy all your video. Keep 'em coming!
@LongDogBrew OK, DME. Good. :) I usually leave them at least 24 hours, and I was leaving them 48 hours. But I have heard that you don't want to leave them too long. I have found that if I make it at night, I will leave it a day and a half (around 36 hours or just under) and then put in the fridge in the am. If I am brewing the following day, then it has over 24 hours to settle out. And really, even a couple days of settling might be better IF you plan on decanting the wort off.
Since I beagan using this technique, I have had to use only a blow-off tube for the first few days of fermentation. The yeast works so violently for the first few days that with a conventional airlock, the lid will always blow off the bucket!!!!! Much better tasting beer when using a starter.
I've used yeast starters 5 or 6 times (I use a 1/2 gallon jug and airlock) and will now use less dme. You mentioned decanting, the few brewers I have brewed with dont aside from raising gravity are there any drawbacks in pitching the whole thing?
@kennapop3 It is up to each brewer to figure out what they want to do. As I mention, you might affect the color (i.e. if you are making a really light beer, but your yeast starter is "darker" than the beer you are making), or you might also LOWER the overall gravity, most likely. That is, a yeast starter should be around 1.030 to 1.040 in gravity. If you are making a 1.050 beer and you pitch a yeast starter that only had a lower gravity, you will be lowering it overall. Not a huge deal.
@TakeSomeAdvice You just need the wort to be moving. It does not have to be going super crazy. And you want air to be able to be drawn in so the wort can get as much oxygen as the yeast can possibly use (but the foil keeps out bugs or dust or any other substantial thing that you don't want in). cheers.
@donosborn Thanks! I'm ordering the supplies off ebay to make one now. I was listening to the Brewers Network podcast and Niegel was saying 95% of people under pitch yeast. He explained how much active yeast cells is really needed for 5 gallons of beer. I didn't realize this. The stir plate will increase the cell count as well as making the starter of course. I was just going to pitch Nottingham dry. I didn''t know yeast was so important.
Is there a reason you decant, instead of pitching the slurry? Also, have you tried Iodophor for sanitizing? I switched from StarSan to Iodophor because I can use less Iodophor, and it doesn't foam. You can also use Iodophor multiple times in an 8 hour period as well. Prost!
I do pitch the slurry. I decant the water off the top. The reason you would decant is 1) you don't affect the color of your new wort one way or the other 2) you don't decrease the alc content of your new beer by pitching water, and possibly 3) you don't affect the flavor (ex: make it less bitter) by pitching the water. You can pitch the whole thing if you want. I have never used Iodophor. Star San bubbles are fine by me. ha I can use Star San multiple times over weeks, not just hours. :)
I'm pretty new to brewing, but I've gained a passion for it pretty quickly. Your videos are extremely helpful. I've just been using pre-packaged ale yeast to ferment the beer I've made so far, and I'm curious exactly what the difference is between using a yeast starter and just pitching a packet of ale yeast. Also how exactly do you decant off the wort you're ready to pitch your starter? thanks!
Joe, most people say the varieties of flavors available in liquid yeast give you more choices than you have with dry. Also, some prefer the taste of the beer fermented with liquid yeast as opposed to dry. However, it is more expensive, and dry yeast will give you decent beer for cheaper, so some stick with dry. For decanting, you will see the liquid on top. Look in "more info" for this video and click on some links. You pour off the liquid, and then pour the yeast into your wort. cheers
Some do it just a day before brewing, but I normally do it two days before. And if you want to decant off the wort before pitching the yeast, you might (for example) make a starter Wed night, and on Fri night put it in the fridge. This helps the yeast settle to the bottom. Then on Saturday you can decant off the wort before pitching the yeast. cheers.
Thanks, that's very helpful. Is it necessary to decant or does it even make a difference? Also, one more thing, if I were to do so would it be advised to take it out of the fridge and get it to around room temp before then pitching it? thanks!
It is not necessary. But, it will dilute your wort very slightly if you do not. Example, if you made a 1.060 beer but the gravity of your starters was say 1.035, it would lower the overall gravity very slightly. Also, it would lower the bitterness and perhaps change the color. Again, all of these changes are very very slight so many people do not care. But, some do decant. You can bring to room temps before pitching but I don't find it to be necessary.
Some bubbles from Star San are normal and they will not affect the taste. I know it seems weird, but you have to just not worry about it and you will find that they don't pose a problem at all. cheers.
Good question. While I can't say for certain, I'm sure you can. I bet the reason people use DME is it is easy to have some on hand, measure out what you need, and then save the rest. DME can be saved for a long time whereas LME is more perhisable, and probably harder to measure out a certain amt.
I think also DME will not change the flavor of your recipe when you put it in it is more or less neutral, but depending on the liquid malt, you could definitely change the flavor which is not necessarily bad, just remember what liquid malt you used in your yeast starter and how large it was..
So I have the NB 60 shilling kit in the fermenter right now and it is ready to go to secondary. My plan is to rack the 60 into secondary and then brew the 80 shill that just came in the mail and put in on top of that yeast cake. So here is my question, do I just pour that 80 wort on top and mix it up well or do I rack it on slowly? Thanks for any info you have.
You can use even less star san by putting it into a spray bottle. Things like your scissors, the smack pack, funnel etc and just be spritzed. You only need to wet the surface. Soaking isn't necessary. For the flask you can pour just an ounce or two in and swirl it around.
So, can I just put an undrilled rubber stopper in the flask, shake it up really good, pitch the yeast, shake it up again and just put some foil on top and let it go?
That sounds about right. You might want the stopper to be sanitized. I just sanitize my (already clean) hand and use that to cover, but your stopper should work too. You would not have to shake again after pitching yeast if you have already aerated. good luck.
Hey Don I just noticed that you use foil to cover up your flask. I've been using an airlock for the past year but I keep noticing more and more people going with foil. Does it matter or is there a benefit to foil?
You want it to be fully swollen. I think they say it can take up to 24 hours for this to happen but realistically it is more like 6-10 hours. I will smack it in the morning before work and make the yeast starter at night, typically.
I can't get my head around putting glass that has been boiling into ice water. I've seen glass break and I'm not comfortable doing that even if it should be ok. About the wiping of the water, that is not a concern of mine. I've made yeast starters for 8 years and never had a single contamination, so you know, different strokes. cheers.
Hey Don, great video. I did my first starter last night with 1 quart of water and 1 cup of sugar. I took a gravity reading and it was 1.060. I know you recommend between 1.030-1.040. I went ahead and pitched my yeast. Am I going to have any problems with such a high gravity on my starter? Also, I plan to brew in a day and a half (36 hours). Is this going to be long enough for my starter? Thanks and cheers!
LongDogBrew 5 months ago
@LongDogBrew Don't know for sure about the gravity. Do you mean 1 cup of DME? Or just plain sugar? I have not used only sugar before. Not sure if that is a good idea or not. With your short time frame, you will probably not be able to put it in the fridge for 24 hours or so to let the yeast settle to the bottom. You will probably just pitch the whole thing. And that should work ok. I do that sometimes. Othertimes I let it sit in fridge for a couple days then decant the wort off.
donosborn 5 months ago
@donosborn Oops, I meant DME and not sugar! Maybe I'll postpone my brewing until this Sunday instead of this Friday afternoon. How long do you usually keep your starter on your stir plate before moving it into your fridge? Thanks again for the help. I really enjoy all your video. Keep 'em coming!
LongDogBrew 5 months ago
@LongDogBrew OK, DME. Good. :) I usually leave them at least 24 hours, and I was leaving them 48 hours. But I have heard that you don't want to leave them too long. I have found that if I make it at night, I will leave it a day and a half (around 36 hours or just under) and then put in the fridge in the am. If I am brewing the following day, then it has over 24 hours to settle out. And really, even a couple days of settling might be better IF you plan on decanting the wort off.
donosborn 5 months ago
Since I beagan using this technique, I have had to use only a blow-off tube for the first few days of fermentation. The yeast works so violently for the first few days that with a conventional airlock, the lid will always blow off the bucket!!!!! Much better tasting beer when using a starter.
curtisgoat 6 months ago
CAN I DO IT IN A GROWLER
awsczxfr 10 months ago
@awsczxfr yes you sure can.
donosborn 10 months ago
You are cute! I would love to taste some of your beer.
tubebitch12 1 year ago
nice shirt! cheers fromm LaCrosse, WI!
rdaines1 1 year ago
I've used yeast starters 5 or 6 times (I use a 1/2 gallon jug and airlock) and will now use less dme. You mentioned decanting, the few brewers I have brewed with dont aside from raising gravity are there any drawbacks in pitching the whole thing?
kennapop3 1 year ago
@kennapop3 It is up to each brewer to figure out what they want to do. As I mention, you might affect the color (i.e. if you are making a really light beer, but your yeast starter is "darker" than the beer you are making), or you might also LOWER the overall gravity, most likely. That is, a yeast starter should be around 1.030 to 1.040 in gravity. If you are making a 1.050 beer and you pitch a yeast starter that only had a lower gravity, you will be lowering it overall. Not a huge deal.
donosborn 1 year ago
Thanks for the Video.How long will a yeast starter like that last for in the fridge ?.
MrMinMinMan 1 year ago
@MrMinMinMan I suppose one to two weeks, but the less time, the better (I'd think). cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago
Won't the moving wort draw in air from the outside?
Some people also have crazy powered stirrirs where it looks like a tornado. Is that necessary?
TakeSomeAdvice 1 year ago
@TakeSomeAdvice You just need the wort to be moving. It does not have to be going super crazy. And you want air to be able to be drawn in so the wort can get as much oxygen as the yeast can possibly use (but the foil keeps out bugs or dust or any other substantial thing that you don't want in). cheers.
donosborn 1 year ago
@donosborn Thanks! I'm ordering the supplies off ebay to make one now. I was listening to the Brewers Network podcast and Niegel was saying 95% of people under pitch yeast. He explained how much active yeast cells is really needed for 5 gallons of beer. I didn't realize this. The stir plate will increase the cell count as well as making the starter of course. I was just going to pitch Nottingham dry. I didn''t know yeast was so important.
TakeSomeAdvice 1 year ago
Is there a reason you decant, instead of pitching the slurry? Also, have you tried Iodophor for sanitizing? I switched from StarSan to Iodophor because I can use less Iodophor, and it doesn't foam. You can also use Iodophor multiple times in an 8 hour period as well. Prost!
ethans83 2 years ago
I do pitch the slurry. I decant the water off the top. The reason you would decant is 1) you don't affect the color of your new wort one way or the other 2) you don't decrease the alc content of your new beer by pitching water, and possibly 3) you don't affect the flavor (ex: make it less bitter) by pitching the water. You can pitch the whole thing if you want. I have never used Iodophor. Star San bubbles are fine by me. ha I can use Star San multiple times over weeks, not just hours. :)
donosborn 2 years ago
Don't fear the foam!!
nowuries 1 year ago
I'm pretty new to brewing, but I've gained a passion for it pretty quickly. Your videos are extremely helpful. I've just been using pre-packaged ale yeast to ferment the beer I've made so far, and I'm curious exactly what the difference is between using a yeast starter and just pitching a packet of ale yeast. Also how exactly do you decant off the wort you're ready to pitch your starter? thanks!
Joemackus 2 years ago
Joe, most people say the varieties of flavors available in liquid yeast give you more choices than you have with dry. Also, some prefer the taste of the beer fermented with liquid yeast as opposed to dry. However, it is more expensive, and dry yeast will give you decent beer for cheaper, so some stick with dry. For decanting, you will see the liquid on top. Look in "more info" for this video and click on some links. You pour off the liquid, and then pour the yeast into your wort. cheers
donosborn 2 years ago
Thanks so much! That's very helpful. I'll probably try the liquid yeast for my next batch and see how it turns out.
Joemackus 2 years ago
Really helpful again! Is there a specific time you leave the starter to ferment? Maybe 3 or so days before brewday?
graemeislord 2 years ago
Some do it just a day before brewing, but I normally do it two days before. And if you want to decant off the wort before pitching the yeast, you might (for example) make a starter Wed night, and on Fri night put it in the fridge. This helps the yeast settle to the bottom. Then on Saturday you can decant off the wort before pitching the yeast. cheers.
donosborn 2 years ago
Thanks, that's very helpful. Is it necessary to decant or does it even make a difference? Also, one more thing, if I were to do so would it be advised to take it out of the fridge and get it to around room temp before then pitching it? thanks!
graemeislord 2 years ago
It is not necessary. But, it will dilute your wort very slightly if you do not. Example, if you made a 1.060 beer but the gravity of your starters was say 1.035, it would lower the overall gravity very slightly. Also, it would lower the bitterness and perhaps change the color. Again, all of these changes are very very slight so many people do not care. But, some do decant. You can bring to room temps before pitching but I don't find it to be necessary.
donosborn 2 years ago
Used the LME that came with the kit and mixed 3/4 of a cup of it and 2 quarts water and ended up with a OG of 1.48 worked pretty good i must say
iversonsnow2003 2 years ago
Don when I have used Star san in the past it leaves a bunch of bubbles in the bottles, will that effect the taste?
or is there a way to prevent it?
dinkydao 2 years ago
Some bubbles from Star San are normal and they will not affect the taste. I know it seems weird, but you have to just not worry about it and you will find that they don't pose a problem at all. cheers.
donosborn 2 years ago
Can you use liquid malt extract to make a starter or only DME?
iversonsnow2003 2 years ago
Good question. While I can't say for certain, I'm sure you can. I bet the reason people use DME is it is easy to have some on hand, measure out what you need, and then save the rest. DME can be saved for a long time whereas LME is more perhisable, and probably harder to measure out a certain amt.
donosborn 2 years ago
I think also DME will not change the flavor of your recipe when you put it in it is more or less neutral, but depending on the liquid malt, you could definitely change the flavor which is not necessarily bad, just remember what liquid malt you used in your yeast starter and how large it was..
dinkydao 2 years ago
don,
So I have the NB 60 shilling kit in the fermenter right now and it is ready to go to secondary. My plan is to rack the 60 into secondary and then brew the 80 shill that just came in the mail and put in on top of that yeast cake. So here is my question, do I just pour that 80 wort on top and mix it up well or do I rack it on slowly? Thanks for any info you have.
bigfatkeeper 2 years ago
Thanks, Don! Your beer-log and videos have been very helpful for my home brewing.
alanmarcero 2 years ago
You can use even less star san by putting it into a spray bottle. Things like your scissors, the smack pack, funnel etc and just be spritzed. You only need to wet the surface. Soaking isn't necessary. For the flask you can pour just an ounce or two in and swirl it around.
Homebrew58 2 years ago
So, can I just put an undrilled rubber stopper in the flask, shake it up really good, pitch the yeast, shake it up again and just put some foil on top and let it go?
charvelgtrs 3 years ago
That sounds about right. You might want the stopper to be sanitized. I just sanitize my (already clean) hand and use that to cover, but your stopper should work too. You would not have to shake again after pitching yeast if you have already aerated. good luck.
donosborn 3 years ago
Hey Don I just noticed that you use foil to cover up your flask. I've been using an airlock for the past year but I keep noticing more and more people going with foil. Does it matter or is there a benefit to foil?
cpudoktr 3 years ago
how far in advance do you "smack" the yeast before making the starter?
elchico05 3 years ago
You want it to be fully swollen. I think they say it can take up to 24 hours for this to happen but realistically it is more like 6-10 hours. I will smack it in the morning before work and make the yeast starter at night, typically.
donosborn 3 years ago
Great as usual Don. I love the fact that your camera guy is waving to himself and you didn't see it.
bigfatkeeper 3 years ago
I know, right after I'm giving him some credit too. Geesh!
donosborn 3 years ago
STAR-SAN RULES, HELL YA
brewyourown4life 3 years ago
Now that's a REAL American family right there. Sippy cup on one side, yeast starter on the other. You rock Don!
cpudoktr 3 years ago
I can't get my head around putting glass that has been boiling into ice water. I've seen glass break and I'm not comfortable doing that even if it should be ok. About the wiping of the water, that is not a concern of mine. I've made yeast starters for 8 years and never had a single contamination, so you know, different strokes. cheers.
donosborn 3 years ago
great video. You should do a how to make a stir plate video next :)
unfun72 3 years ago
That stirplate is really uptown, man.
kc7fys 3 years ago
Thanks for making all your videos they are very helpful.
mdpanczak 3 years ago
No prob. Thanks for thanking. cheers.
donosborn 3 years ago