I am brewing Thursday afternoon. I am making two batches (American Wheat and Chocolate Milk Stout Extracts) B2B. I guess I should have looked at the recipes a little earlier. I need to “smack” the yeast package and allow it to inflate. I can’t do that until I get home from work at 6:30 pm. Will the yeast be ready in time for Thursday afternoon?
Thanks,
Brent
More ready than you will be. The pack will swell, after being at room temperature, in two to three hours. It is more the yeast should be at pitching temperature, than breaking the inside nutrient pack and the package swelling. the package swelling indicates the yeast is alive, but it is a small chance the yeast are dead unless they were severely mishandled.
Check to see if a starter is warranted for your beer.
According to Palmer’s “How to Brew” I should have activated the packs 2 days ago. But I’m not sure that is necessary. I see nothing on these recipes about doing a yeast starter.
thanks,
Brent
[quote=“brentconn”]According to Palmer’s “How to Brew” I should have activated the packs 2 days ago. But I’m not sure that is necessary. I see nothing on these recipes about doing a yeast starter.
thanks,
Brent[/quote]
Most recipes don’t mention using a yeast starter, but you will make far better beer if you make a starter for any 5 gal. batch of beer over 1.040 OG.
Do I have time to do a starter yeast if I want to brew on Thursday?
Yes. You should time it so that the yeast has been in the starter wort for 24 - 36 hours prior to pitching it into you batch. It’s best to pitch your starter at high krausen. Shake often or use a stir plate. Using a stir plate is best, as you will produce 25 - 50% more yeast cells.
Source:
https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_makingastarter.cfm
Also, you only need to activate your smack pack about three hours before pitching. I usually take mine out of the fridge and smack it at the beginning of brew day, pitching it four to five hours later.
Source:
https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_productdetail.cfm?ProductID=16
Is the LME/H2O ratio the same as DME/H2O for the yeast starter?
This is the pitch rate/starter calculator I like to use. The calculator uses the production date of the yeast, for viability, in the calculation.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitc ... alculator/I am learning on the fly. I will do them tonight. :cheers:
Maybe. It depends how fresh the yeast is. I generally plan on it taking one day per month since the date of manufacture (printed on the smack pack) to have the yeast ready to pitch. That includes the time to do a starter, which is typically no more than two days. If the manufacture date is more than a few months ago, it can sometimes take several days before the pack will swell.
Starters are highly recommended, and essential if the pack isn’t very fresh.
So if i boil 1 quart of water, how many ounces of LME do I use?
I am figuring 2.5 oz LME per quart of water. Does that sound right?
Use a minimum of 3.6 ounces, unless the yeast is very old and you will do a two step starter.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitc ... alculator/I’m glad i saw this post. I was just cooling the wort. Reheating with 1 ounce more of LME
After cooling the wort for the yeast starter, I took an O.G. with a refractor. It was 1.038. I am assuming this is ok since the O.G listed on the recipe is 1.043. It is fermenting at 72 degrees.
That’s perfect. 1.038 is ideal for a yeast starter.
By the way, the easy way to make any size yeast starter is to use a 10% solution of DME to water. That mean for every 1 liter of starter, use 100 g DME and 900 ml of water. And yes, use metric units. It is much more difficult to calculate in English units. I sent a friend away screaming when I tried to explain how you would do it in English units 
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”]That’s perfect. 1.038 is ideal for a yeast starter.
By the way, the easy way to make any size yeast starter is to use a 10% solution of DME to water. That mean for every 1 liter of starter, use 100 g DME and 900 ml of water. And yes, use metric units. It is much more difficult to calculate in English units. I sent a friend away screaming when I tried to explain how you would do it in English units [/quote]
So if I have LME instead of DME I would use 125 g. Correct?
Thanks
Easy way to remember the difference in fermentables is 20%. DME is greater in points per gallon, PPG, by 20%. 100 grams of DME would be equal to 120 grams of LME.
Thanks. That’s a good way to remember.
