Is there any benefit to making a starter for dry yeast for a low-gravity ale?
So far, I’ve just been rehydrating before I pitch the yeast with satisfactory results.
Don’t make starters for dry yeast.
Unless its a huge beer, there is enough cells in a packet of dry yeast to handle most 5 gallon beers. The purpose of a starter is to increase your cell count of your liquid yeast since it’s much lower than dry. If it’s a bigger beer (maybe over 1.065ish) pitch a second pack.
Thanks for the advice!
This is good advice. If you would be in a situation where a second pack of dry yeast is not available, then do the starter. Dry yeast must be rehydrated before making the starter. Rehydrated dry yeast is the same as liquid yeast. The process is then the same as a starter using a pack or vial of liquid yeast.
[quote=“lazy ant brewing”]Is there any benefit to making a starter for dry yeast for a low-gravity ale?
So far, I’ve just been rehydrating before I pitch the yeast with satisfactory results.[/quote]
If your yeast is fresh, you probably do not need a starter for any yeast if your brewing low gravity ale. By low gravity I am talking 1.045 and under.
I wonder if you could make a starter from a really old pack of dry yeast and be better off.
So I am about to brew a brew a big daddy triple IPA for the first time and my starting gravity is 1.131, should I make a starter with 2 packs or just throw 2 packs in the carboy and give it a quick shake?
Here are two yeast starter calculators to check out.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitc ... alculator/ http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast-tools.phpA reminder that when you pitch dry yeast dry, you kill about 50% of the cells.
You need to take a lot more effort brewing a huge beer like that then just a couple packs and a quick shake.
You need to take a lot more effort brewing a huge beer like that then just a couple packs and a quick shake.[/quote]
Well Grainbelt I have read many conflicting views on this blog where many brewers say to just throw one dry pack in and they don’t rehydrate or make a starter and beer comes out fine with one pack on lower gravity beers so I didn’t think I was too far off by saying to throw 2 packs in. I know I am new at this but I could use your take on what you would do more than you stating I am lacking effort.
Oh and thanks Flars for the links, I will check them out and go from there.
You need to take a lot more effort brewing a huge beer like that then just a couple packs and a quick shake.[/quote]
Well Grainbelt I have read many conflicting views on this blog where many brewers say to just throw one dry pack in and they don’t rehydrate or make a starter and beer comes out fine with one pack on lower gravity beers so I didn’t think I was too far off by saying to throw 2 packs in. I know I am new at this but I could use your take on what you would do more than you stating I am lacking effort.
Oh and thanks Flars for the links, I will check them out and go from there.[/quote]
You are confusing a simple beer with an extremly difficult beer to make well
just for starters for a beer that big…
sugar additions to help dry out
maybe sugar addition a couple days into ferment (recipe would need to be tweaked to allow for this)
stagered nutrient additions for first few days of fermentation
a TON of oxygen
maybe even oxygen multiple times
a huge starter or multiple packs of dry yeast
Mr Malty calls for roughly 2.2 packs of 11g yeast packs at a 90% viability (which would only be 2 weeks old) more if older.
5 yeast packs if you have the small ones
Thanks Grainbelt, I have never heard about adding sugar during the fermentation, I have read that the Dogfish 120 min does that but that is after fermentation is done from the clone I read.
Here is the grains and sugars I am adding to get to that 1.131, I am already adding a lot of sugar do you think I would need to add more during fermentation as well?
Grains:
13 lbs 2-row
5 lbs Maris Otter
12 oz White Wheat
12 oz Briess Caramel 40L
Other:
1 lb Cane Sugar
2 cups of honey (adding in last 15 mins of boil)
I want to do a high octane triple IPA, let me know if you think I am adding too much sugar, I actually toned it back from some other clones I have seen.
[quote=“tony269”]Thanks Grainbelt, I have never heard about adding sugar during the fermentation, I have read that the Dogfish 120 min does that but that is after fermentation is done from the clone I read.
Here is the grains and sugars I am adding to get to that 1.131, I am already adding a lot of sugar do you think I would need to add more during fermentation as well?
Grains:
13 lbs 2-row
5 lbs Maris Otter
12 oz White Wheat
12 oz Briess Caramel 40L
Other:
1 lb Cane Sugar
2 cups of honey (adding in last 15 mins of boil)
I want to do a high octane triple IPA, let me know if you think I am adding too much sugar, I actually toned it back from some other clones I have seen.[/quote]
Hops or yeast?
that is only a partial recipe
Have you done a beer this big? Its not like a 1.045 beer at all.
What do you have your efficiency set at on this recipe? Efficiencies usually suffer on big beers like this 50-65% I would expect. If you have this set at you usual efficiency you are not going to hit those numbers, have some DME on hand
Like I said I would add some sugar after a day or two in the ferment to help keep the yeast happy, along with nutrient additions.
If you dont have oxygen go get some
[quote=“grainbelt”][quote=“tony269”]Thanks Grainbelt, I have never heard about adding sugar during the fermentation, I have read that the Dogfish 120 min does that but that is after fermentation is done from the clone I read.
Here is the grains and sugars I am adding to get to that 1.131, I am already adding a lot of sugar do you think I would need to add more during fermentation as well?
Grains:
13 lbs 2-row
5 lbs Maris Otter
12 oz White Wheat
12 oz Briess Caramel 40L
Other:
1 lb Cane Sugar
2 cups of honey (adding in last 15 mins of boil)
I want to do a high octane triple IPA, let me know if you think I am adding too much sugar, I actually toned it back from some other clones I have seen.[/quote]
Hops or yeast?
that is only a partial recipe
Have you done a beer this big? Its not like a 1.045 beer at all.
What do you have your efficiency set at on this recipe? Efficiencies usually suffer on big beers like this 50-65% I would expect. If you have this set at you usual efficiency you are not going to hit those numbers, have some DME on hand
Like I said I would add some sugar after a day or two in the ferment to help keep the yeast happy, along with nutrient additions.
If you dont have oxygen go get some[/quote]
Sorry, this is what I was going to do this weekend here is what I am working with
Grains:
13 lbs 2-row
5 lbs Maris Otter
12 oz White Wheat
12 oz Briess Caramel 40L
Hops:
2 oz of Magnum
2 oz of Warrior
6 oz of Simcoe
2 oz of Columbus
3 oz of Amarillo Gold
3 oz of Centennial
1.5 oz of Citra
Yeast:
2 packs of US–05 rehydrated
Other:
1 lb Cane Sugar
2 cups of honey
No, this is the first time I have done a beer this big, I have only done 3 batches to this point but my roommate and I LOVE double and triple IPA’s and it is the reason we wanted to start brewing in the first place, I know I should get a few more batches under my belt before I try to do a big boy brew like this but this is what we want to drink.
Edit sorry, our efficiency was around 70% but we are going to do a fly sparge this time to try and increase it, thanks for the tip that we will lose even more efficiency, I didnt think of that
You are going to need more yeast not much but more depending on viability. Do you know for sure your mash tun hold the amount of grain used?
In all honesty I would not even touch a beer like this if this is your 4th batch. In over 10 years of brewing I have never seen anyone brew a good beer this big right out of the gate, they have all had beer but very bad beer
If you got 60% on normal beers I would expect you to get 45-55% efficiency which then would change your whole recipe. WIth only 3 batches your system may not even be dialed in and now you are going to change the process so who knows where you would end up. You cant say it is going to increase just because you are going to fly sparge when you are jumping into a beer this big
Use hop shots for some of the bittering you will save some beer/less trub and racking hassles.
THis is going to be a spendy beer, if you are dead set on doing it. I would suggest doing a lot of of research on the topic. THis is not like making a standard beer.
You can brew a good hoppy IPA without going this big and getting in the IIPA and IIIPA crap
Thanks for all the great info Grainbelt, I may just have to break it to my roommate that we are doing too much, too fast and too soon. I think you made a great point that we need to get things dialed in a bit more, thanks again for all your help.
