Continuing on with the end of my recent homebrewing day last week. Once the wort was cooled down to about 70 degrees it was time to take the batch indoors and pitch the yeast. I had made a yeast starter 3 days earlier and the yeast batch has grown in size and was ready to pitch.
I poured just a bit of the clear liquid off the top of the yeast starter out and swirled the rest then poured it into the 5 gallon batch. I happen to have an extra vial of the same yeast strain available and thought I'd throw that in for good measure. I'm a believer in giving my beer a healthy dose of as much yeast as possible to ensure a strong fermentation.
After sealing the bucket and shaking it up for a couple of minutes to aerate the wort, I added a 3-piece airlock that had a little bit of Star San sanitizer left over along with a bit more water and placed that on top of the fermenter.
The next morning, the airlock was going nuts with activity. The brew was fermenting strong! Turns out that the fermentation was strong for about 3 days after that and then seemed to be complete by the end of the 4th day. I'll let this brew sit in the primary fermenter for at least a week and then rack it into a secondary (Better Bottle) for settling a few days and then I'll get ready for bottling day.
Here's a video of the yeast pitching ceremony. Anyone else use a yeast starter for their homebrew?
One alternative method is to aerate your wort thoroughly BEFORE adding the yeast starter. That way you won't make those yeast cells too dizzy before they have to go to work. Either way will work. My yeast survived just fine.
Continue reading: Homebrew batch transferred to secondary.
Related articles:
- Creating a yeast starter for homebrewing.
- Making an extract homebrew - 1st of the year.
- Testing a Blichmann Boilermaker brew kettle.
- The trials and tribulations of bottling beer.
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Friday, January 16, 2009
Pitching yeast into your homebrew
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10 comments:
No, but I probably should have!
Ah secondary how very 90s, unless you are doing a Pilsner or a few other styles it's actually fallen out of fashion. Because you lose the CO2 headspace and you may get oxygen in when transfer, it may cause oxidized flavors. You open yourself to potential to infection by adding another container. So for some styles there is certainly a validity but don't be overly committed to it.
I hope the yeast is active in the photo it kind of looks like it's already passed out of growth phase but tough to tell with certainty from here.
A-Rand - next batch give a yeast starter a try. This is my 1st time with a starter and so far I think it paid off.
Thomas - I'm still very 90s as that is the decade I learned to homebrew in. I do fear oxidation and a secondary was suggested to me by the author of my recipe. I don't have a CO2 system, otherwise I'd fill the 5-gallon Better Bottle with CO2 first before racking to it.
The yeast in the photo was just a couple of days old and had stopped fermenting. I kept swirling it a couple of times a day to get the yeast off the bottom and ferment what was left in the flask.
It did it's job though as my fermentation went nuts for 3 solid days and then calmed down. Time to get the beer off of the yeast.
Yea 3 days out is a bit much for starter, it probably passed out of growth phase. With that fresh tube added to what had from the starter had plenty from the way you described the fermentation so no worries on that. Next time I'd do the starter only a day in advance, 3 is a bit too much for a beer that small, if you kept building it into a 1-2 gallon starter for 10 gallon batch 3 days would be fine.
Just my .02 -
I don't think Secondary is as far out of style as you think. Even though you do risk oxidation, there's more of a chance of yeast autolysis in bigger beers when leaving them "bulk age" on a huge yeast cake. While this is a small worry in the grand scheme of things, it's more of a worry than any ill effects from oxidation, especially in homebrew. Most homebrewed beers don't last long enough to show the ill-effects of oxidation.
I agree that three days out is a bit too long for a starter, and that 18 to 36 hours, depending on the yeast strain, is better for a quick start-up to fermentation. I disagree, though, with the need for the "fresh yeast" vial. First, it's a waste of yeast. You spent so much time and energy (not to mention money) increasing the number of viable yeast by making a starter, that, even if you didn't pitch at krauesen, you still have the numbers, so the extra really wasn't needed. Secondly, there's such a thing as overpitching. This can lead to some off flavors as well. Google "yeast pitcing rates" and you'll get some good info.
At any rate, I wouldn't worry about any of it. As long as you sanitize everyting properly, you're going to have fresh, drinkable, beer that's probably pretty damn good.
Cheers on the first batch, Dave, and welcome back into the fold. Such a great hobby/obsession!
I could have sworn I read that 3 days ahead was OK but I had little choice in the matter as my days between brewday were too busy to make a starter anyway. I'll find out soon enough how it all turns out as I'll bust open the fermenter today or tomorrow and rack it into a secondary. I spoke with a local brewer about secondaries and he highly recommends it. I need the experience of racking a brew anyway. Will try to keep the splashing and oxygen to a minimum and use up all of the head space in the 5 gallon Better Bottle.
I haven't used a starter yet. I mostly aerate the wort like crazy before and after pitching (dry, vial, or smack pack). I'm thinking about using a starter now though, since my last few batches have been slow to ferment.
Dave,
RDWHAHB. Like I said, you're batch will be fine.
And you're right, three days ahead IS fine to make a starter, especially if it's a scheduling issue. I've used week-old starters and have had good beers. The fact that you made a starter is why you'll have good beer. The fact you have the right amount of healthy yeast, even though their not at peak activity is infinitely better than the WRONG amount of yeast AT the peak of their activity.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Cheers,
Dave
I think the 'yeast autolysis' issue is overrated and the oxidation is a bigger concern. But for this beer I wouldn't worry about it.
On carbonation in the right place in one house I had solid carbonation in 4 days, but at 65-70 a week should be fine.
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