Brewers' yeast

[oli]

I don't know where to post this, but my father-in-law received a beer making kit a few months ago and asked me, "how do I know if the yeast is any good"

I don't know, but I think there is an easy method but I know someone here would be able to tell me.

Thanks

[JimH]

Look for a "best if used by date" on the package. I've used yeast that was outside the specified date with no problems. If you have a homebrew shop around, you can get some Dryed Malt Extract and make a starter. If the yeast is any good it will ferment the starter, proving their health and increasing their numbers. Just try to use a DME that matches the beer style.

ETAQ: Is it a Mr. Beer kit?

Edited February 4, 2008 by JimH (log)

[cdh]

Yup, making a starter is the best way to tell if your yeast is still good. You don't need to go out and get dry malt extract to do a starter, either, if you live somewhere that has malta drinks in the supermarket (look in the "ethnic aisle"). 1:1 dilution of malta with water makes a fine starter medium. Put the mixture plus the yeast into a clear sanitized container, close it with some aluminum foil over top, and let it sit next to a radiator for a day or two. If your yeast is alive and happy, a cake of beige sediment will fall to the bottom of your container. That's new yeast.

Put it into the fridge overnight, decant the liquid off the top, and use the cake of new yeast to ferment your beer.

[oli]

Look for a "best if used by date" on the package.  I've used yeast that was outside the specified date with no problems.  If you have a homebrew shop around, you can get some Dryed Malt Extract and make a starter.  If the yeast is any good it will ferment the starter, proving their health and increasing their numbers.  Just try to use a DME that matches the beer style.

ETAQ: Is it a Mr. Beer kit?

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Yes

[JimH]

That's what got me started. They sell a lot of those kits so their yeast is not sitting on the shelves. I'm sure it's still good but Chris had a good idea so I'd go with his advice. Mr. Beer gets a lot of people into homebrewing.

[mtigges]

If he's a first time brewer, I wouldn't advocate making a starter. Just increases the chances of infection. Dried yeast is very inexpensive. If you have any doubts then just buy a new one. Those kits all use generic ale yeast anyways. Even if the kit says it's a lager I guarantee you it isn't a lager yeast. Just go to your local shop and ask for a pack of neutral ale yeast. Better yet two.

[theisenm85]

If he's a first time brewer, I wouldn't advocate making a starter.  Just increases the chances of infection.  Dried yeast is very inexpensive.  If you have any doubts then just buy a new one.  Better yet two.

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While I'm pretty much never going to say that two isn't better than 1, dry yeast has very high cell counts, so it's generally not necessary to do a starter, or double pitch. And you can use that second pack if you get a stuck fermentation, or for whatever ya need.

[Batard]

Actually, I thought the whole point of making a yeast starter was to reduce the chances of infection, not increase it. If you just pitch inactive dry yeast, it takes a while to get going, and there is plenty of time for bacteria and other ugly critters to get going in your mash before the yeast kicks in. Once the yeast is going your mash is safe, but before that the sweet liquid is great food for anything that drops out of the air. I switched to yeast starters when I first started brewing because my beer was getting infected before the yeast took over.

I notice that no one has mentioned liquid yeast. It's a little more expensive, but if you've tried it you know it is much quicker to become active in your mash and results in a cleaner beer. After a year of using dry yeasts and starters, I moved on to liquid yeasts and never looked back.

That being said, I am not a kit brewer. We buy the malted grain ourselves, crack it, mash it, boil it, force cool it, and have active yeast pitched immediately after the force cool. The beer literally has no time to sit around before the yeast takes over. I have never had a bad incident with yeast starters and liquid yeasts.

http://byo.com/feature/37.html

[mtigges]

Actually, I thought the whole point of making a yeast starter was to reduce the chances of infection, not increase it. If you just pitch inactive dry yeast, it takes a while to get going, and there is plenty of time for bacteria and other ugly critters to get going in your mash before the yeast kicks in. Once the yeast is going your mash is safe, but before that the sweet liquid is great food for anything that drops out of the air.  I switched to yeast starters when I first started brewing because my beer was getting infected before the yeast took over.

First of all you don't pitch in to your mash. Second, dry yeast does not appreciably increase the time to "get going". If you're worried about the lag time then it's possible to rehydrate the yeast. This is best done in water not wort. There are some details about Ph or Ion content or something that I can't quite remember to get the best results. Something about how various constituents of the solution crossing the cell boundary causes damage or something - look it up if you care. Regardless rehydrating dried yeast takes about 15 minutes. Not a concern when you're talking about lag times around 8 - 12 hours.

But not many people bother because the pitching rate from dried yeast is vastly higher than from starters made from a wyeast activator or a starter from a regular pack or a white labs vial.

I notice that no one has mentioned liquid yeast. It's a little more expensive, but if you've tried it you know it is much quicker to become active in your mash and results in a cleaner beer. After a year of using dry yeasts and starters, I moved on to liquid yeasts and never looked back.

Not in my experience. I've found there isn't an appreciable difference between the two at all. Making a starter from a pack causes just one more step where you have to ensure cleanliness. But, I would suggest you stop pitching into your mash. It's not a good idea to boil yeast.

That being said, I am not a kit brewer. We buy the malted grain ourselves, crack it, mash it, boil it, force cool it, and have active yeast pitched immediately after the force cool. The beer literally has no time to sit around before the yeast takes over. I have never had a bad incident with yeast starters and liquid yeasts.

http://byo.com/feature/37.html

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So, to be clear, after the mashing is finished and you've lautered, the mash is finished. No more mash. Glad you're not pitching in to your mash.

The only good reason to use liquid yeast over dry yeast is the strain of the yeast, and the affect it will impart on your beer. That's it. There is no other reason.

It's not well known, but most brew pubs use dried yeast (at least for ales). That is when they're not re-pitching their own yeast from previous batches.

Mark.