Hi I got my Colne Valley Bitter underway today, and following DaaB's website, made a yeast starter with the yeast that came with the kit.
I followed the yeast starter instructions very carefully, only deviating slightly in that I used Beer Enhancer instead of DME.
The yeast starter was made thus:
- Yeast sachet added to Pyrex jug with 50ml cooled boiled water at about 33c, and covered with sanitised plate.
- 4 Tbsp Beer Enhancer added to saucepan with warm water, dissolved, added 1/4 tsp Young's Yeast Nutrient, topped up with cold water, brought to the boil on the hob (my microwave not all that good at boiling liquids).
- Put this boiled extract mixture in another Pyrex jug and covered with another plate. Put this in the saucepan with cold water in to cool.
- While waiting put the yeast jug on top of the malt mixture plate to keep warm, sort of like a stack.
- When down to 25c, mixed the two together, and put in a sanitised 1L PET bottle and gave it a shake.
- Put the PET bottle in the airing cupboard while I had lunch and subsequently made up the kit.
My concerns:
- The yeast in the water hydrating didn't really froth as such, some sunk to the bottom, some stayed on top. It did seem to 'grow' and it all dissolved.
- In the bottle it didn't grow any head or show much sign of life, alhough when I loosened the cap it hissed a few times.
So did I cock up by not using pure DME, and was the yeast OK?
Brupaks kit & yeast starter
-
fivetide
As far as I know the beer kit enhancer you used is basically a blend of dextrose and malt so would work just fine as the sugar nutrient in a starter.
Your procedure sounds perfectly sound and the results aren't surprising.
As long as the water you put the yeast in wasn't too hot and you left it to rehydrate about a half hour, you won't see it fizzing but it will appear noticably swollen and fluffier. It won't just look like dead grains floating on stagnant water, basically! If that wasn't the case, that bit sounds fine.
Not having a big headed fizzing starter used to worry me, but actually it's fine. The yeast is feeding on the sugars and multiplying, but a short duration starter will result in a brown liquid with noticably banded yeast cake. that's all. If you'd left the top up tight the gaseous exchange would have been obvious, and the release you mentioned is eveidence of this, but you allowed it to vent which is the right thing. Next time stick an airlock on and you'll see it do it's thing after a while for peace of mind.
I reckon it's all fine and dandy. Check out the pictures on DaaB's Brupak instructions and you'll see how the starters compare. You can see my dull looking starters in my threads like today's Fixby one and the others too if you like. Today's has 16g of yeast in it and is raring to go but isn't fizzing away like a 48hr fermenting wort or anything
You're all set. If nothing happens after two nights repitch.
Your procedure sounds perfectly sound and the results aren't surprising.
As long as the water you put the yeast in wasn't too hot and you left it to rehydrate about a half hour, you won't see it fizzing but it will appear noticably swollen and fluffier. It won't just look like dead grains floating on stagnant water, basically! If that wasn't the case, that bit sounds fine.
Not having a big headed fizzing starter used to worry me, but actually it's fine. The yeast is feeding on the sugars and multiplying, but a short duration starter will result in a brown liquid with noticably banded yeast cake. that's all. If you'd left the top up tight the gaseous exchange would have been obvious, and the release you mentioned is eveidence of this, but you allowed it to vent which is the right thing. Next time stick an airlock on and you'll see it do it's thing after a while for peace of mind.
I reckon it's all fine and dandy. Check out the pictures on DaaB's Brupak instructions and you'll see how the starters compare. You can see my dull looking starters in my threads like today's Fixby one and the others too if you like. Today's has 16g of yeast in it and is raring to go but isn't fizzing away like a 48hr fermenting wort or anything
You're all set. If nothing happens after two nights repitch.
-
Iank
-
Iank
