Hydrating Yeast

not to be negative but I really don't understand the difference between rehydrating in wort and rehydrating in water, it should be no difference if the same procedure is done, I think rehydrating on the counter with sugar in an open glass is a bad idea, too many bad things can happen if not sealed right away, a cough, a dog hair, a fly, thats why I cover it imitatively right out of the package, it gets saturated with in seconds
 
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Oz, I’m with you. I had that thought a long time ago. I rehydrate my yeast, sure. In a 5.5 gallon starter!
 
Ozarks Mountain Brew said:
not to be negative but I really don't understand the difference between rehydrating in wort and rehydrating in water, it should be no difference if the same procedure is done,
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Something about cell walls and sugar molecules...water allows cells to reconstitute fully before metabolism starts. Something like that. There's a difference in the bio-mechanics of the cell, though.
 
Ozarks Mountain Brew said:
not to be negative but I really don't understand the difference between rehydrating in wort and rehydrating in water, it should be no difference if the same procedure is done, I think rehydrating on the counter with sugar in an open glass is a bad idea, too many bad things can happen if not sealed right away, a cough, a dog hair, a fly, thats why I cover it imitatively right out of the package, it gets saturated with in seconds
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Sugar concentration in the solution - wort - is the difference. Dried yeast does not have a functioning cell wall. The concentrations of sugar outside the cell, in the wort, and the concentration inside the cell tend to equalize, osmotic pressure. The sugar can readily pass through the non-functioning cell walls and it will kill cells, about half, if I believe half of what I read. With water, this is not a problem. The cell walls rehydrate and the cell wakes up, ready to make beer, hungry, in fact.... Here's how I combat the contamination problem: Plastic wrap. It's sanitary off the roll, I cover the container with it between stirring and then shake the coughs, dog hairs, flies and so forth off before I open the container. As to the force of osmosis, it can pump water from the roots to the crown of a 200' tree and the concentrations in sap are much smaller than in wort.
 
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And, despite my treatise on cell walls, osmosis, dog hair and so forth, if what you're doing works for you, keep doing it. Knowing what the science behind a procedure is helps you to know if it's something you should do or not but we're craft brewers, emphasis on craft. Craft is not engineering. Macro-brews are engineered, our brews are not. So if directly pitching dried yeast despite the science that states a higher pitch rate yields a cleaner beer works for you, pitch directly. Maybe you're less sensitive to esters and diacetyl than average, maybe you like their flavors, maybe it's what you want to drink or what you think the beer should taste like. You're right. You are the ultimate judge of your beers, we are not brewing for a "market" but for ourselves. There is no right or wrong here! I make my gravy with water, you make your gravy with milk, as long as we like our respective gravies, we're both right, unless we invite each other over for dinner....
 
You are correct through the whole post, except for the end! I will be happy to drink someone else’s homebrew regardless of the methods they use!!
 
jeffpn said:
You are correct through the whole post, except for the end! I will be happy to drink someone else’s homebrew regardless of the methods they use!!
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Having tasted some really bad gravies at our local homebrew night, I respectfully beg to differ. There are beers I won't drink even if paid. I might sample but I've been known to dump samples in front of the brewer.
 
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Good gravy! I was working from the assumption that it was good beer!:)
 
jeffpn said:
Good gravy! I was working from the assumption that it was good beer!:)
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Not by any means a safe assumption in the homebrew world, unfortunately. :D
You just have to cultivate a good group or brewer-friends so you'll be safe in accepting any and all samples. ;)
 
Google Paul Kelly's song "how to make gravy". A classic Australian Song!!! I'll forever think of the lirics in a different light thanks to you Noseybear :D.
 
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Yeah, THAT’S the worn out metaphor here! :D
 
J A said:
I definitely concur!
In my brew club I try to be the pain-in-the-ass that pushes for better beer across the board. I'd like to see us have a meeting where any pro brewer in town could sit in and sample all the beers that were brought to share and not find fault with any of them.
Far too often homebrewed beer is seen as different from pro-brewed beer and it shouldn't be that way. And I definitely think that (many?...most?) homebrew contests are skewed toward a relatively lower standard.
Even in our informal tastings or club competitions we get away with too much. Recently I put my lager-style Cream Ale in for judging at our quarterly club competition. The category was "Lawnmower" Beer with session-strength versions of several different styles being accepted. It's as good a beer as you could want and couldn't be more perfect for the "style" we were judging. It literally got zero votes because everybody thought we'd thrown in a "ringer" commercial beer. BTW, I wasn't the least bit bothered by that. Having my beer pass for a commercial-level beer was better than bringing home the "trophy". ;)
We should be brewing beer, not making homebrew.
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I'm with you on this. I want to brew beer that is of a level comparable to commercial, if not better. We don't have the sparkly, wizzy machinery, but we don't have the same cost constraints either. My brews are getting there too. It's genuinely exciting to do what we do with a couple of pots and plastic buckets AND produce great beer in it's own right.
 
I hate to say it but I would never give beer to anyone "except family" unless its my best and I hord my best so thats the problem lol, example I just blew threw 10 gallons of my red ale in 2 weeks by my self just because its that good ;)
 
Ozarks Mountain Brew said:
I hate to say it but I would never give beer to anyone "except family" unless its my best and I hord my best so thats the problem lol, example I just blew threw 10 gallons of my red ale in 2 weeks by my self just because its that good ;)
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Now i do give mine out to mates and family members. Don't actually mind anyone who is critical,would rather that than someone say oh that's good just to keep me sweet and then chuck it !.
I have found that re hydrating my yeast's have given my beers a head start over just sprinkling onto the top.That might well be my imagination however!.
 
I share all of my beer with anyone who’s interested. I do not let anyone take any beer home, like in a growler. I brew enough as it is! There are exceptions to my growler rule, like the contractor who did an amazing job rebuilding my bathroom. He got to take some home when he wanted a nightcap.
 
jeffpn said:
I share all of my beer with anyone who’s interested. I do not let anyone take any beer home, like in a growler. I brew enough as it is! There are exceptions to my growler rule, like the contractor who did an amazing job rebuilding my bathroom. He got to take some home when he wanted a nightcap.
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I bottle everything but, like Jeff, tend to get greedy with the good stuff.
 
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