Hi. I usually use WLP, always with a starter (even if only a month old). I’m new to Imperial. It’s dated late Feb. Should I use a starter? I have a brand new stir plate and 2 L flask. At the very least I might make a mini one to wake the guys up while I brew just to use it. Thoughts?
With a package dated Feb? Of course Always a starter... there are twice as many cells in Imperial packages as WLP which is nice. How many gallons? What’s OG? Do you use Beersmith? Brewcipher?
It's old enough that I think I would feel better if I made a starter. It's a very timely post as I am waiting for a couple IOYeast pouches to be delivered tomorrow, and if they aren't old, I'll probably brew with them on Saturday or Sunday. But if they are dated in Feb, I probably make starters. I only used IO one other time, and I didn't use a starter. I don't recall how old it was, but the beer was low gravity.
Good idea. Either way creating a starter before brew day will never hurt unless it is a mixed culture which could throw off your ratios of the mixed culture, but if its just standard brewers yeast I always make a starter 18-24 hours before pitching and I toss the whole starter in right off the stir plate. The only time I don't do this with brewers yeast is if I am brewing something with a very pale grain bill like a pilsner, then I will chill the starter to pitching temp (50ish) and decant off as much as I can. Not saying my way is the right way, but I have had pretty good success with it.
