Pages: 1
Dry yeast/starter?
I was just recently told that making a starter with dry yeast you are being counter productive. When I asked why here is what he said:
"Dry yeast are designed so that they have a lot of energy reserves. They use them up while fermenting the starter, so you actually end up with weaker yeast. Dry yeast is great though, you get 2 times as much yeast in a dry pack of US-05 or S-04 as you do in a liquid smack pack from Wyeast or vial of white labs. So, if you like Wyeast 1056, you have to pitch 2 packs to get the equivalent yeast as 1 pack of US-05 which is the same yeast strain."
Does this hold truth to you guys? Personally I would think that a starter is a good idea in any situation. Just an interesting opinion I thought I'd share.
I think dry yeast should be rehydrated instead of just being sprinkled into the wort. I think it is easier on the yeast to rehydrate in water than wort, and they will start fermenting faster. But from what I understand a starter with dry yeast is a bad idea. The manufacturers of dry yeast build up the glycogen reserves in the yeast before dehydration, and making a starter depletes these reserves, leaving you with a less robust culture. Once they are rehydrated they are ready to go to work.
I've heard the same about making starters with dry yeast. I've heard, and have experience myself with this, that sprinkling the dry yeast and not re-hydrating will work just fine. it may be slightly better to re hydrate, but I've never ended up with a problem that could be attributed to not doing it.
Very interesting info.. at least in my opinion. Thanks guys.
Is it true that US-05 is the exact same strain as 1056?
From what I understand S05, 1056 and WLP001 have the same linage. To say they are interchangeable is probably not true, but they all are pretty close. At least from what I have read.
I have never used anything but dry yeast up to this point, but I have read of people splitting batches and doing a blind taste test and the batch fermented with the liquid version usually gets a better review.
It is kind of like stereo equipment. Does a tube amp sound better than a discrete transistor amp? Yes it does, but does it make that much difference to the average listener? Probably not.
Pretty much the same with yeast, as far as I'm concerned. For most of us, there are probably other, more important variables in play that will affect the outcome of a beer than the difference between dry and liquid yeast. And the dry yeast is handy and easy.
I like the tube/solid state analogy.
Pages: 1
Search Home Brewing Knowledge Base
Custom Search
|