Brewing Master

Question:

I have about a 50% rate of success in starting liquid yeast. I prepare according to the directions on the container–5 tblsp dry malt in one pint water (boiled first and cooled two-to three hours) is put in a 22 oz. beer bottle. The yeast is removed from refrigeration and allowed to rise to room temperature before adding to the wort. It is also shaken vigorously before pitching. I try to keep it in one of the warmer rooms of the house but after a couple of days I notice little activity, just a bubble or two in the air lock, every minute or so. Is this starter viable enough to pitch or is it "dead"? Anyone know what I’m doing wrong? Thanks

Response:

This is exactly what you are supposed to do though I usually like to step it up if I have the time.  One or two bubbles per minute in a 22 oz bottle is as active as you need.  It is important to pitch the yeast into the cooled wort while it is in the active range. Relax.  it’s fine

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I have about a 50% rate of success in starting liquid yeast. I prepare according to the directions on the container–5 tblsp dry malt in one pint water (boiled first and cooled two-to three hours) is put in a 22 oz. beer bottle. The yeast is removed from refrigeration and allowed to rise to room temperature before adding to the wort. It is also shaken vigorously before pitching. I try to keep it in one of the warmer rooms of the house but after a couple of days I notice little activity, just a bubble or two in the air lock, every minute or so. Is this starter viable enough to pitch or is it "dead"? Anyone know what I’m doing wrong? Thanks

Why is it refridgerated?  If you’re making a starter for a beer your brewing in the next couple of days, there’s no need for refridgeration. Let the ‘mini wort’ cool, and then pitch the yeast into that.  Let that ferment at room temp (or normal fermentation temp’s), and when your batch of beer is ready, pitch the starter into it.  If you’re refridgerating the starter right after you pitch the yeast into it, they’ll go dormant right away, and you’ll get no benefit from making the starter. Tim in Lowell, MA — please move the dot in my return address to read analog dot com

Response:

One comment on the bubbling rate you mentioned.  The bubbling rate is related to the amount of CO2 produced (obviously), but also the surface area of the airlock.  The surface area in a sense defines the amount of gas that can diffuse through the liquid into the outside air.  If that amount is lower than the CO2 being produced, then the airlock will bubble. With a pint of wort in a 22-oz bottle, you won’t see the bubbling rate you’ll see during a whole batch fermenting.  If this is your only worry, and the batches are turning out fine otherwise, don’t worry. — Mark Nelson Windhund Brauerei Atlanta, Georgia * return e-mail spam-proofed, delete the obvious – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have about a 50% rate of success in starting liquid yeast. I prepare according to the directions on the container–5 tblsp dry malt in one pint water (boiled first and cooled two-to three hours) is put in a 22 oz. beer bottle. The yeast is removed from refrigeration and allowed to rise to room temperature before adding to the wort. It is also shaken vigorously before pitching. I try to keep it in one of the warmer rooms of the house but after a couple of days I notice little activity, just a bubble or two in the air lock, every minute or so. Is this starter viable enough to pitch or is it "dead"? Anyone know what I’m doing wrong? Thanks

Response:

I have about a 50% rate of success in starting liquid yeast. I prepare according to the directions on the container–5 tblsp dry malt in one pint water (boiled first and cooled two-to three hours) is put in a 22 oz. beer bottle. The yeast is removed from refrigeration and allowed to rise to room temperature before adding to the wort. It is also shaken vigorously before pitching. I try to keep it in one of the warmer rooms of the house but after a couple of days I notice little activity, just a bubble or two in the air lock, every minute or so. Is this starter viable enough to pitch or is it "dead"? Anyone know what I’m doing wrong? Thanks

Don’t need to refrigerate the starter. I have tried the following procedure recently that greatly reduced my lag times and negated the problem of trying to time my starter with brew day. 1. Make a 1 cup starter – just as you did but use 1 cup water and 2 oz. DME. 2. Pitch your swollen smack pack into the cooled 1 cup starter and shake vigorously. 3. Allow to ferment out a let yeast settle on bottom. About 2 days. 4. Make a 1.5 quart starter solution. 5.Decant most of the 1 cup starter and pitch the sediment into the new starter.  Shake vigorously. 6. Allow to ferment out and let yeast settle. About 3-4 days. 7 Brew and cool your wort. 8. Decant the 1.5 quart starter except for about a pint and the sediment.  Stir this up and pitch into the cooled wort. If you want to brew on saturday.  Start the above procedure on Sunday Eve. prior or Monday. When I use 1 pint starters I never had really good strong CO2 evolution for at least 24 hours.  Using the method above fermentation is violent at 8 hours.  Airlock activity in about 2. This does use more extract and introduces one more step to pick up injection.  To counter this I use mason jars and lids sterilized in a pressure cooker.  I do believe this does produce a sterilized container. One last thing.  I also have collected about a cup of yeast sediment form the secondary (or primary) at bottling time.  I put this in the fridge until brew day.  About 2 hours before you expect to pitch, remove from fridge a warm to room temperature.  Pitch this directly into the cooled wort. Doing it this way I have had fermentation signs 45 minutes after aeration. Boy, I guess I really felt like typing today.  Hope this gives you some ideas. Kent.

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