How to make a yeast starter (request for a guide)

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TheSumOfAllBeers
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How to make a yeast starter (request for a guide)

Post by TheSumOfAllBeers » Tue Nov 01, 2016 12:16 pm

Hi,
Can anyone share a thorough tutorial on how to make a yeast starter.

I know the basics of it, but I want to be sure I have all the kit sourced before committing to a pitch.

I ferment largish batches, 55L+ and my first brew is likely to be WLP565 for a 55 gravity saison. So any special advice for larger starters would be appreciated.

Unlikely to go down the Erlenmeyer flask for now, but I am curious about sterile O2 aeration kit.

But my first attempt will likely be shaken not stirred in a 5L vessel.

AnthonyUK

Re: How to make a yeast starter (request for a guide)

Post by AnthonyUK » Tue Nov 01, 2016 12:55 pm

There is quite a useful guide on Mr Malty - http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.php

The basics are to work out your required cell count, there is a calculator also on the above site.
Sanitation is important which is why erlenmeyers are popular as you can boil your starter wort which is usually 1.040 DME based.

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Jocky
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Re: How to make a yeast starter (request for a guide)

Post by Jocky » Tue Nov 01, 2016 1:15 pm

In the yeast forum: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=7091

A basic guide to the process:

1. Work out using a calculator how much yeast you need.
Here's a good calculator: http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitc ... alculator/
And another: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

2. Make your starter by boiling the required volume of water in ml with 1/10th the weight of dry malt extract in grams.
e.g. If you need a 2000 ml starter then use 200 grams of DME.

3. Boil for 10 minutes, ideally lightly covered for the last few minutes.

4. Leave your starter wort to cool down to around 27C +/- 5C.

5. Sanitise (or ideally sterilise in a pressure cooker/autoclave) your starter vessel.

6. Put cooled wort into starter vessel and aerate before pitching yeast.

7. Leave in a warm room, with the top of the starter vessel covered with foil. Optionally you can use an airlock but there's really no need. DON'T SEAL UP THE STARTER!

At this point you can stick it on a stir plate to provide whatever the benefits are there that cause a greater yeast mass growth.

In terms of when to pitch your starter - you can either:

A. Pitch it at high krausen (12-24 hours).
This will give you a very low lag and quick fermentation, but you will need to swirl around the starter and pitch the whole lot into your batch of wort. For stronger beers you might need a lot of starter, so this can become impractical. Or you might just net get around to brewing, in which case you can:

B. Leave it to ferment out and then stick it in the fridge to crash out the yeast.
It'll take a couple of days for the yeast cells to all drop out.
Before use you will want to decant off most of the liquid, leaving enough to swirl your yeast up into suspension for pitching.
If it's been in the fridge more than a few days you probably want to put it into another small starter to help wake the yeast up again.
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TheSumOfAllBeers
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Re: How to make a yeast starter (request for a guide)

Post by TheSumOfAllBeers » Tue Nov 01, 2016 2:48 pm

I got some 4L stainless steel growlers from Mr Lard. As long as I don't seal them they would be ok for a starter? And you can boil sanitise them ...

Cam
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Re: How to make a yeast starter (request for a guide)

Post by Cam » Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:07 pm

TheSumOfAllBeers wrote:I got some 4L stainless steel growlers from Mr Lard. As long as I don't seal them they would be ok for a starter? And you can boil sanitise them ...
I've used a 2L plastic water (coke, sprite kinda thing) bottle both times and just placed some sanitized foil loosely over the top. Worked great both times.

That was for a 500ml started. You will be surprised how much foam that makes, I did it with a 1L started and definitely need a bigger bottle for that. I would go 4L bottle for maybe 1.5L starter

You could split your 2L starter between two though.

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Re: How to make a yeast starter (request for a guide)

Post by MTW » Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:18 pm

5L Tesco Ashbeck water bottle.

Use the contents to make up some Star San/acid sanitiser, make up your 1L or so starter, shake the hell out, and use the (virtually sterile) bottle to ferment. Although yeastwhisperer's original SnS guide says 1:5 for starter size vs vessel size, I bet a 2L starter would still get far more air into it than many other ways, though I don't think I've gone more than 1.5 in it.
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