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Main
Date: 28 Oct 2006 18:47:31
From: Tony M
Subject: started my first starter
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Hi everyone. My shipment came in from Midwest today. I now have a brewing
starter kit, a plastic hydrometer tube, a pound of light DME, a pill bottle
size of yeast nutrient and a Pete's Wicked clone( i posted earlier that it
was a Sierra Navada clone by mistake). It came with WL California Ale liquid
yeast. I got the liquid knowing it was a little harder but I want to jump in
with both feet. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient. Then boiled for ten minutes,
turned the heat off, covered, then let sit for another ten minutes. I had to
improvise on my starter container a little. I couldn't find any glass
containers suitable, such as a 1 gal apple juice jar or similar. I do have a
quart mason jar but I didn't want to risk infection with a foil cover. So in
my search for the perfect container I discovered that the stopper for my
carboy fits perfectly tight in a 1 qt Gatorade bottle. So I decided on that
with a stopper and airlock. I cleaned and sanitized everything. After
pouring the cooled wort into the gatorade bottle I did notice that the bumps
and ridges on the inside of the bottle really helped out in aerating the mix
while swirling. I pitched the yeast when everything reached room temp and
then put on the stopper and airlock. I then filled the airlock to the line
with a little of the sanitizing solution. Has anyone ever used a Gatorade
bottle with good results? I washed and rinsed it 5 or 6 times to make sure I
got everything out. It's been sitting in my closet now for a couple hours.
When can I expect to see activity if any. Also, is on day enough time to
make a good starter? I plan on brewing tomorrow. Thanks, Tony
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Date: 28 Oct 2006 23:50:09
From:
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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Tony M wrote:
> Hi everyone. My shipment came in from Midwest today. I now have a brewing
> starter kit, a plastic hydrometer tube, a pound of light DME, a pill bottle
> size of yeast nutrient and a Pete's Wicked clone( i posted earlier that it
> was a Sierra Navada clone by mistake). It came with WL California Ale liquid
> yeast. I got the liquid knowing it was a little harder but I want to jump in
> with both feet. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
> light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient. Then boiled for ten minutes,
> turned the heat off, covered, then let sit for another ten minutes. I had to
> improvise on my starter container a little. I couldn't find any glass
> containers suitable, such as a 1 gal apple juice jar or similar. I do have a
> quart mason jar but I didn't want to risk infection with a foil cover. So in
> my search for the perfect container I discovered that the stopper for my
> carboy fits perfectly tight in a 1 qt Gatorade bottle. So I decided on that
> with a stopper and airlock. I cleaned and sanitized everything. After
> pouring the cooled wort into the gatorade bottle I did notice that the bumps
> and ridges on the inside of the bottle really helped out in aerating the mix
> while swirling. I pitched the yeast when everything reached room temp and
> then put on the stopper and airlock. I then filled the airlock to the line
> with a little of the sanitizing solution. Has anyone ever used a Gatorade
> bottle with good results? I washed and rinsed it 5 or 6 times to make sure I
> got everything out. It's been sitting in my closet now for a couple hours.
> When can I expect to see activity if any. Also, is on day enough time to
> make a good starter? I plan on brewing tomorrow. Thanks, Tony
1C of DME to 2C of water seems a bit stiff for a starter. I usually do
1/2 C DME for 2 C water. That said I don't THINK it will get too high
of an alcohol content for that yeast, but high OG wort can be a bit
sluggish getting the yeast going. Oh, and I've rarely used that much
yeast nutrient in an entire batch much less a starter. I usually use
about 1/8 of a tsp or less in a starter. As to using a Gatorade
bottle, that shouldn't be a problem. I have sucessfully used 12 oz
beer bottles, 750 ml wine and beer bottles, and half gallon glass milk
bottles. I'm going to experiment with 2L soda bottles in the next few
weeks.
Regards,
Bryan
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Date: 29 Oct 2006 17:05:18
From: Norm J
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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>Tony M wrote:
>>.. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
>> light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient...
..
>
>1C of DME to 2C of water seems a bit stiff for a starter. I usually do
>1/2 C DME for 2 C water.
And that might be a bit thin. Target 1.040 gravity for starter wort.
That works out to 1cup per quart, or 1/2 cup for a pint starter. Also
a one pint starter is not effective to grow your yeast but works well
to wake it up before pitching and to make up for any viability loss
due to age or poor storage. I find a 1 to 1.5 liter starter works very
well for a typical 1.050 ale.
>> I do have a
>> quart mason jar but I didn't want to risk infection with a foil cover.
You are not risking infection with a foil cover. Remember the
bacteria, wild yeast and spores that can cause infection in starters
or your beer do not fall up unless you have large air currents in the
room its in that could blow air up the sides of the foil cover.
>> So I decided on that
>> with a stopper and airlock.
You are better off with a foil cover because you do want air exchange
to grow the yeast. Starters to multiply yeast are different than
fermenting the beer. For starters you don't want a CO2 blanket, you
want oxygen to be available and in solution for the whole time you are
preparing the starter. So you want air in there and you want to shake
it up often to get the oxygen in solution. If you can continuously
aerate the starter in a wort with adequate yeast nutrients, the yeast
will stay in aerobic mode and the air will give them the healthy
sterol levels they need to maintain the cell walls for continuous
division and multiplication.
>> I did notice that the bumps
>> and ridges on the inside of the bottle really helped out in aerating the mix
>> while swirling.
You want to do more than swirl to aerate. Get lots of air in it and
shake the crap out of it, often.
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Date: 29 Oct 2006 17:37:12
From: Boll Weevil Brewery
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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"Norm J" <fishface876@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:iql9k2pma4f6aefe7fav4oge70q0qmv50b@4ax.com...
>
>>Tony M wrote:
>>1C of DME to 2C of water seems a bit stiff for a starter. I usually do
>>1/2 C DME for 2 C water.
>
> And that might be a bit thin. Target 1.040 gravity for starter wort.
> That works out to 1cup per quart, or 1/2 cup for a pint starter.
1/2 Cup DME in 2 Cups water is the SAME as 1/2 C DME in 1 Pint of water. 2
cups = 1 pint.
Ricky
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Date: 30 Oct 2006 02:51:29
From: Norm J
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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On Sun, 29 2006 17:37:12 GMT, "Boll Weevil Brewery"
<webmaster@bwbd.com > wrote:
>
>"Norm J" <fishface876@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:iql9k2pma4f6aefe7fav4oge70q0qmv50b@4ax.com...
>>
>>>Tony M wrote:
>>>1C of DME to 2C of water seems a bit stiff for a starter. I usually do
>>>1/2 C DME for 2 C water.
>>
>> And that might be a bit thin. Target 1.040 gravity for starter wort.
>> That works out to 1cup per quart, or 1/2 cup for a pint starter.
>
>1/2 Cup DME in 2 Cups water is the SAME as 1/2 C DME in 1 Pint of water. 2
>cups = 1 pint.
>
>Ricky
>
Duh!! For the life of me I thought I read 1/2 cup in a quart. Sorry
about that.
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Date: 29 Oct 2006 11:30:08
From: The Artist Formerly Known as Kap'n Salty
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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Norm J wrote:
>> Tony M wrote:
>>> .. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
>>> light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient...
> ..
>> 1C of DME to 2C of water seems a bit stiff for a starter. I usually do
>> 1/2 C DME for 2 C water.
>
> And that might be a bit thin. Target 1.040 gravity for starter wort.
> That works out to 1cup per quart, or 1/2 cup for a pint starter. Also
> a one pint starter is not effective to grow your yeast but works well
> to wake it up before pitching and to make up for any viability loss
> due to age or poor storage. I find a 1 to 1.5 liter starter works very
> well for a typical 1.050 ale.
Actually, 1/2C DME to 2C water would have the same gravity as your 1C
DME to 1 QT water. Both are 1:4 ratios. I have found that when actually
measuring starter gravities 1:4 gives a good bit higher than 1.040. I
can't remember offhand, but it seems like you end up with closer to
1.050 than 1.040. Of course, volume measurements of DME are never exact,
but I do tend to compute using the 1:4 method, and then back off a
little on the DME.
--
(Replies: cleanse my address of the Mark of the Beast!)
Teleoperate a roving mobile robot from the web:
http://www.swampgas.com/robotics/rover.html
Coauthor with Dennis Clark of "Building Robot Drive Trains".
Buy several copies today!
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Date: 30 Oct 2006 20:54:27
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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On Sun, 29 2006 11:30:08 -0600, <mikey666@666swampgas.666com > wrote:
> Norm J wrote:
>>> Tony M wrote:
>>>> .. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
>>>> light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient...
>> ..
>>> 1C of DME to 2C of water seems a bit stiff for a starter. I usually do
>>> 1/2 C DME for 2 C water.
>>
>> And that might be a bit thin. Target 1.040 gravity for starter wort.
>> That works out to 1cup per quart, or 1/2 cup for a pint starter. Also
>> a one pint starter is not effective to grow your yeast but works well
>> to wake it up before pitching and to make up for any viability loss
>> due to age or poor storage. I find a 1 to 1.5 liter starter works very
>> well for a typical 1.050 ale.
>
> Actually, 1/2C DME to 2C water would have the same gravity as your 1C
> DME to 1 QT water. Both are 1:4 ratios. I have found that when actually
> measuring starter gravities 1:4 gives a good bit higher than 1.040. I
> can't remember offhand, but it seems like you end up with closer to
> 1.050 than 1.040. Of course, volume measurements of DME are never exact,
> but I do tend to compute using the 1:4 method, and then back off a
> little on the DME.
There was a thread recently that discussed this. Based on the math I did
at the time, 1.040 is somewhere between 1/2 cup and 1 cup. Dan L posted
a while ago that he found 1 cup of DME is essentially 1/3 lbs. I think in
order to hit 1.040 in a quart you need 3.47 ounces (based on a 45 ppg for
DME). So 1/2 cup is 2.6 ounces which gives you 1.029, and 1 cup is 5.3 ounces
which gives you 1.060.
Assuming I didn't screw up any calculations. ;)
John.
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Date: 29 Oct 2006 21:23:19
From: Tony M
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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<yournotauser@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1162104609.723665.192830@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> Tony M wrote:
>> Hi everyone. My shipment came in from Midwest today. I now have a brewing
>> starter kit, a plastic hydrometer tube, a pound of light DME, a pill
>> bottle
>> size of yeast nutrient and a Pete's Wicked clone( i posted earlier that
>> it
>> was a Sierra Navada clone by mistake). It came with WL California Ale
>> liquid
>> yeast. I got the liquid knowing it was a little harder but I want to jump
>> in
>> with both feet. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
>> light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient. Then boiled for ten
>> minutes,
>> turned the heat off, covered, then let sit for another ten minutes. I had
>> to
>> improvise on my starter container a little. I couldn't find any glass
>> containers suitable, such as a 1 gal apple juice jar or similar. I do
>> have a
>> quart mason jar but I didn't want to risk infection with a foil cover. So
>> in
>> my search for the perfect container I discovered that the stopper for my
>> carboy fits perfectly tight in a 1 qt Gatorade bottle. So I decided on
>> that
>> with a stopper and airlock. I cleaned and sanitized everything. After
>> pouring the cooled wort into the gatorade bottle I did notice that the
>> bumps
>> and ridges on the inside of the bottle really helped out in aerating the
>> mix
>> while swirling. I pitched the yeast when everything reached room temp and
>> then put on the stopper and airlock. I then filled the airlock to the
>> line
>> with a little of the sanitizing solution. Has anyone ever used a Gatorade
>> bottle with good results? I washed and rinsed it 5 or 6 times to make
>> sure I
>> got everything out. It's been sitting in my closet now for a couple
>> hours.
>> When can I expect to see activity if any. Also, is on day enough time to
>> make a good starter? I plan on brewing tomorrow. Thanks, Tony
>
> 1C of DME to 2C of water seems a bit stiff for a starter. I usually do
> 1/2 C DME for 2 C water. That said I don't THINK it will get too high
> of an alcohol content for that yeast, but high OG wort can be a bit
> sluggish getting the yeast going. Oh, and I've rarely used that much
> yeast nutrient in an entire batch much less a starter. I usually use
> about 1/8 of a tsp or less in a starter. As to using a Gatorade
> bottle, that shouldn't be a problem. I have sucessfully used 12 oz
> beer bottles, 750 ml wine and beer bottles, and half gallon glass milk
> bottles. I'm going to experiment with 2L soda bottles in the next few
> weeks.
>
> Regards,
> Bryan
>
I got those measurements from somewhere on the net but I can't find the site
again. I just googled yeast starter and it came up. Anyway, I'll cut back on
the DME next time. The starter went good though. I started it at 5pm and it
was bubbling by 9pm so I decided to go ahead and start brewing the big batch
so I could just pitch the starter this morning. For my first brew it was
alot easier than I thought. I didn't get finished until about midnight so I
just removed the hop bags and put the lid on it. I've heard of others
leaving the hot wort in the pot overnight to cool without any problems so
thats what I did. I transfered to primary and pitched the starter at about
10am this morning. Since about 5pm there's been steady activity in the
airlock. About 1 to 2 a second. I made a classic newbie move and forgot to
take a gravity reading.
So what's the official group opinion on DME / yeast nutrient / water
measurements when making a starter?
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Date: 30 Oct 2006 20:56:31
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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On Sun, 29 2006 21:23:19 -0800, <fakeemail@null.com > wrote:
> I got those measurements from somewhere on the net but I can't find the site
> again. I just googled yeast starter and it came up. Anyway, I'll cut back on
> the DME next time.
IMO, leave the DME the same but double the size of your starter. IE, 1
cup DME and a quart of water would be much better.
John.
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Date: 30 Oct 2006 20:41:52
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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On Sat, 28 2006 18:47:31 -0700, <fakeemail@null.com > wrote:
> Hi everyone. My shipment came in from Midwest today. I now have a brewing
> starter kit, a plastic hydrometer tube, a pound of light DME, a pill bottle
> size of yeast nutrient and a Pete's Wicked clone( i posted earlier that it
> was a Sierra Navada clone by mistake). It came with WL California Ale liquid
> yeast. I got the liquid knowing it was a little harder but I want to jump in
> with both feet. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
> light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient. Then boiled for ten minutes,
Is 2 cups (aka 1 pint) the total size of your starter, or did you just boil 2
cups and then top off in the gatorade container to make a larger volume? 2
cups isn't a very big starter (I prefer a liter starter, basically 1 quart),
and I think 1 cup of DME is way too much if your total size is 2 cups.
> my search for the perfect container I discovered that the stopper for my
> carboy fits perfectly tight in a 1 qt Gatorade bottle. So I decided on that
> with a stopper and airlock. I cleaned and sanitized everything.
It should work fine. I like to use Earlenmyer flasks, but that's just
because they make me feel like a mad scientist.
> got everything out. It's been sitting in my closet now for a couple hours.
> When can I expect to see activity if any. Also, is on day enough time to
> make a good starter? I plan on brewing tomorrow. Thanks, Tony
1 day is better than nothing, but I usually like to let mine go for a
couple days before I use them. I prefer to let the starter finish and
give time for all of the yeast to settle to the bottom. Then I pour off
the liquid and only pitch the yeast sediment (slurry) into my beer.
Regarding seeing activity, could be a couple hours, but a lot of times
you don't really see much visible activity since starters are so small.
John.
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Date: 31 Oct 2006 01:27:50
From: Gwidman
Subject: Re: started my first starter
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"John 'Shaggy' Kolesar" <spam@shagg.net > wrote in message
news:slrnekcp4s.nsd.spam@weizen.shagg.net...
> On Sat, 28 2006 18:47:31 -0700, <fakeemail@null.com> wrote:
>> Hi everyone. My shipment came in from Midwest today. I now have a brewing
>> starter kit, a plastic hydrometer tube, a pound of light DME, a pill
>> bottle
>> size of yeast nutrient and a Pete's Wicked clone( i posted earlier that
>> it
>> was a Sierra Navada clone by mistake). It came with WL California Ale
>> liquid
>> yeast. I got the liquid knowing it was a little harder but I want to jump
>> in
>> with both feet. As far as the starter goes, I mixed 2 cups water to 1 cup
>> light DME and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient. Then boiled for ten
>> minutes,
>
> Is 2 cups (aka 1 pint) the total size of your starter, or did you just
> boil 2
> cups and then top off in the gatorade container to make a larger volume?
> 2
> cups isn't a very big starter (I prefer a liter starter, basically 1
> quart),
> and I think 1 cup of DME is way too much if your total size is 2 cups.
>
>> my search for the perfect container I discovered that the stopper for my
>> carboy fits perfectly tight in a 1 qt Gatorade bottle. So I decided on
>> that
>> with a stopper and airlock. I cleaned and sanitized everything.
>
> It should work fine. I like to use Earlenmyer flasks, but that's just
> because they make me feel like a mad scientist.
>
>> got everything out. It's been sitting in my closet now for a couple
>> hours.
>> When can I expect to see activity if any. Also, is on day enough time to
>> make a good starter? I plan on brewing tomorrow. Thanks, Tony
>
> 1 day is better than nothing, but I usually like to let mine go for a
> couple days before I use them. I prefer to let the starter finish and
> give time for all of the yeast to settle to the bottom. Then I pour off
> the liquid and only pitch the yeast sediment (slurry) into my beer.
>
> Regarding seeing activity, could be a couple hours, but a lot of times
> you don't really see much visible activity since starters are so small.
>
>
> John.
I've always done my starters with the 1+1 in mind. One cup dme + one quart
water. Just add yeast. I keep it on a post-it note on the computer because
I keep forgetting. I'm old, forgive me...
gw
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