White Labs - the starter or no starter question

[Matt]

I'm using a White Labs vial this week, my first. The general advice at JHBF is to make starters for any liquid yeast, so I just wondered what that means in ref of WL's advice that their vials are pitchable.

Quote from White Labs FAQ …

What is "Pitchable"?

After testing for purity, we package each vial with 30 to 50 billion yeast cells, which is between 2 to 10 times more yeast than most other liquid yeast products on the market. This corresponds to a pint size starter. This is a common yeast starter size used in homebrewing for the last 15 years. Most of the liquid yeast on the market is packaged in small quantities, and should not be used directly in 5 gallons. We have gone extra step here at White Labs and made the pint starter for you. What we make is actually superior to a pint starter made at home because we produce our yeast in a sterile laboratory environment with maximum cell health and viability. Lag times are typically between 5-15 hours.

Will making a starter just guarantee that it goes off like a rocket after pitching into 5 gallons, and thus improve the quality of the beer?

Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Cheers,
Matt

[steve_flack]

If your vial is brand spanking new (and hasn't been sat at your homebrew shop for a while) and your beer is less than 1.050 then you can probably pitch it directly. In other situations you could probably get away with it but especially if the yeast isn't brand new I'd recommend a starter as it will reduce lag times, reduce the risk of infection and reduce off-flavours.

[Matt]

Thanks Steve. Mine has a use before May 07 date – so I would guess it isn't a brand new sample.

Cheers,
Matt

[steve_flack]

Thanks Steve. Mine has a use before May 07 date – so I would guess it isn't a brand new sample.

It was made on the 7th January as the best before is 4 months after the production date. Half the cells in it are already dead (47% viable. They are >90% viable when fresh) Make a starter.

[Matt]

OK.

Can I check this is the correct method to make a starter (not a bigger splitter batch like Jim's method):

- Half a litre of water + 50g Light DME. Boil for 5 mins.
- Cool to 70F.
- Pour into a sanitised 1 pint milk bottle.
- Sanitise lip of vial bottle and pitch yeast.
- Wrap top with sanitised foil and shakey shakey.
- Stick on bung and airlock.
- Ready to use 24hrs later ???

Thanks.

[steve_flack]

Sounds about right. A bigger starter is obviously better but so long as you're doing a 'normal' beer you should be fine.

[Matt]

Thanks chaps. I do have some Grolsch bottles, so I'll use yr tip DaaB