Yeast starter query

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 4:38 pm

I've been starting my brews with a yeast starter for some time - 2 tbl spoons of malt extract boiled in 1litre water for 20 min. Cooled, and yeast added in bottle.

It dawned on me before pitching weather I should shake the bottle and toss the lot in the fermenter or just pour int the stuff leaving the crap at the bottom of he bottle?

Any suggestions?

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 4:45 pm

Shake.

Cortez The Killer · Monday Oct 23, 2006 4:45 pm

shake and chuck it all in

Daron · Post by **Daron** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 4:56 pm

Excellent. That's what I've been doing. Cheers for a swift reply.

Sathias · Post by **Sathias** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 5:50 pm

I prefer the swirl

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 6:24 pm

Sathias wrote:I prefer the swirl

I to prefer the swirl when pitching, Shake when making the starter

Biggles · Post by **Biggles** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 7:05 pm

One thing you guys can clear up for me about making/using yeast starters from CPA bottles etc.
Do you really pitch the whole 1-2 L of starter ?
If so, do you compensate and add water so that the reqd 23L (or ?) is reached after pitching the starter ? or ?

Tipsy · Post by **Tipsy** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 9:27 pm

Biggles wrote:One thing you guys can clear up for me about making/using yeast starters from CPA bottles etc.
Do you really pitch the whole 1-2 L of starter ?
If so, do you compensate and add water so that the reqd 23L (or ?) is reached after pitching the starter ? or ?

I let the starter ferment out and then tip the "beer" from the top.
Then I swirl up the yeast cake and tip that in.

geoffclifton · Post by **geoffclifton** » Monday Oct 23, 2006 10:07 pm

OH WHAT A FEELING ................

)

Last Wednesday I kicked off a starter - boiled 50g LDME in 200mL, put in a longie with +300mL water and rinsed in the dregs from one longie of CPA. Drilled a hole in a cork and bunged it with an airlock.

It was a very hot day so I hit on the idea of using a terra cotta bottle cooler that has sat on the fridge as an ornament for years. I also took the stem from a giant $2 shop thermometer and marked the 20 deg point with a ring of heat shrink. The spaces between 10-20-30 deg are an easily judged at +-1" (about 2.5cm for the youth

By Friday it had turned cool so I pulled it out of the terra cotta and wished it luck. Nothing has happened.

Untill tonight - WOOOOOEEEEEEEEEE - it's bubbling. A bubble approx every 5 seconds. These are my first ferment bubbles. I want to put them in the photo album

I've kinda got cold feet about using this starter for my first brew, a Coopers Draught, and am (almost definitely maybe) going to use the pack yeast for that brew and maybe drain and re feed the CPA starter to use on brew 2.

PLAN.
Brew 1. Coopers Draught kit on dextrose, rack and bulk prime with boiled white sugar.

Brew 2.
Home brand Lager with double brewed CPA starter on white sugar + 300g ldme. Rack and bulk prime.

My son rang today. He heard last week I was doing home brew and wanted to come and taste it this weekend. I told him I'd love to see him but home brew would be Xmas. Tomorrow I'll have a look at the ginger beer I put under the house last Wednesday. If that's bubbling also I'm gunna feel right good about all this.

Cheers, Geoff.

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Tuesday Oct 24, 2006 11:25 am

Ditch the dextrose and white sugar for the brews, and use a kilo of light dry malt or brew enhancer 2. You'll be glad you did. You can still prime with white sugar or dextrose if you like tho.

Definitely worth starting with the kit yeast when you're just getting started. More reliable, less chance of infection (and thus disappointment).