So I ordered a few kits from Northern Brewer the other day. I did not buy there yeast options because I feel I can get fresh yeast from my LHBS whenever I get around to brewing. One of the kits is a partial mash RyePA kit. While reading the directions it says I need a yeast starter for this kit. As a newer brewer panic sets in as this is new territory to me. Not that making a starter is complicated but the fact is to do it right you need to by a flask and a stir plate. I can tell you my accountant is not going to approve this right now. So I was wondering about dry yeast as a more cost effective option? If I used 2 packs of dry yeast and re hydrated them would this be as effective as the Wyeast/starter option? Thoughts and opinions please!
If using dry yeast a starter is not necessary. Dry yeast contains many more cells without a starter than liquid yeast does with a starter.
This is something i've been wondering about for a while. If dry yeast has more cells, then why use liquid yeast that requires a starter and all of that?
Much more variety with liquid yeast. Only a few strains with dry, while Wyeast and White Labs have strains that are specific to many different styles.
I make yeast starters when they are needed. I guess I don’t “do it right” because I have never used a flask and a stir plate. I just boil some DME in a small pot containing about 1.5 quarts of water and cool this down in a water bath. I pour the starter wort into a big bottle (a 3 quart wine jug) and then add the yeast. Within 24-36 hours I have a lot of yeast. This process has always worked great for me. Cheers! P.S I do use dry yeast when there is an appropriate dry yeast for the style. One packet ‘does the trick’ for me. I do rehydrate the dry yeast to obtain maximum viability of the dry yeast cells.
wibrewer is spot on. I will add that you can make starters without a flask and stir plate. I equate stir plates to wort chillers. There's no question they are effective and speed their respective process up, but are by no means necessary.
You can do starters without a stirplate, but they'll generally need to be a bit bigger. (But if you do an 'Intermittent Shaking' starter instead of a 'simple' starter, the size can be somewhere in between. 'Shaking' really just means 'give it a swirl every now and then.') Read about starters at these two links, and you'll panic less. http://www.mrmalty.com/article.php http://www.yeastcalc.com/careandfeeding.html
Dry yeast is great if you are making a style of beer that needs a neutral flavor profile from the yeast. Many people (including myself) have used US-05, Nottingham, US-04 for years and have made great beer. Liquid yeast has its place for certain styles, but I think your RyePA will be just fine if using dry. Depending on your starting gravity, you may only need 1 pack. Check mrmalty.com for his yeast pitching calculator. Also, starters definitely do not need a stir plate to be effective.
I'm with Jack and others... No flask and stir plate here. I boil a cup of dme with a quart of water, cool and pitch. I'll use either a growler or 1 gal jug, whatever is handy. I do that a day ahead of time, swirling a few times along the way and have had good resulta. I do this with both liquid and dry, no difference in methods.
