Starters and how it affects final beer colour.

[Mike1984]

Hi guys,

Am i correct in stating that depending on the DME used to make a yeast starter, Light, Med or Dark, the final beer colour will be affected for light beers when using med or dark DME. Problem is, I make yeast starters for ALL my beers, and brew shops in SA only sell Medium to Dark DME. This seems to darken my beers and make it near impossible to stick to BJCP guidelines colour wise, when brewing a specific beer. Is there some trick I can use to get past this, maybe use priming sugar (dextrose) for starters??

Any advise will be appreciated.

Mike.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Are you brewing all grain? If so you could save some of the wort from a prior batch and just freeze it until you're ready for the next starter.
If you're brewing extract with steeping grains, then you could just use a little bit of the extract from the kit to make the starter.
Honestly, I just prefer to pitch the right amount without going through the trouble of making up a starter.
Cheers,
Brian

 

[Minbari]

When i make a starter, i chuck all the "beer" down the drain and only pitch the slurry. So doesn't matter what dme i use to make the starter

 

[Mike1984]

Hmmm... makes sense, never thought of that and it seems so logical now that i think of it. Would the yeast be fine if I cold crashed it before pouring off the wort on top of it?

When i make a starter, i chuck all the "beer" down the drain and only pitch the slurry. So doesn't matter what dme i use to make the starter

 

[Minbari]

Hmmm... makes sense, never thought of that and it seems so logical now that i think of it. Would the yeast be fine if I cold crashed it before pouring off the wort on top of it?

Yup, it compacts the yeast and makes it way easier

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Or just pitch the correct amount.

 

[Minbari]

Or just pitch the correct amount.

isnt that the point of the starter?

 

[Ward Chillington]

Would the yeast be fine if I cold crashed it before pouring off the wort on top of it?

So not to shock the herd, there shouldn't be a 10° F difference between the wort and the starter.

 

[Mike1984]

So not to shock the herd, there shouldn't be a 10° F difference between the wort and the starter.

Thanks, I'll keep this in-mind.

 

[Donoroto]

So not to shock the herd, there shouldn't be a 10° F difference between the wort and the starter.

Cold crashing the starter is fine, but you should let it warm up again before pitching it.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

isnt that the point of the starter?

Sure is, but is the work and time worth it? Plus the cost of the DME and then the sanitation questions that go along with it?
The only time I might do it is if I'm in a pinch and can't get enough of a particular strain.
Also, the way dry yeast is put to bed now, they don't recommend rehydrating it.

 

[Minbari]

Sure is, but is the work and time worth it? Plus the cost of the DME and then the sanitation questions that go along with it?
The only time I might do it is if I'm in a pinch and can't get enough of a particular strain.
Also, the way dry yeast is put to bed now, they don't recommend rehydrating it.

DME is like $7lb. So about $0.50 worth each time vs an additional $8 for another smack pack. To each his own

 

[Craigerrr]

It is all a matter of preference.
I use dry yeast exclusively, and pitch new packs in every batch.
In my case, I don't have the time, or inclination to harvest yeast, and make starters, or even buy liquid yeast and have to make starters.
Dry yeast today can be direct pitched without hydrating, and without having to aerate wort, and the $6 to $8 per batch works out to pennies a glass.
P.S. I am not doing this to save money on beer.
To each his own, just sharing my thoughts

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I use mostly liquid yeast. Yeah, dry yeasts have come a long way. But 34/70 doesn't ferment out like Wyeast 2124 even though they're both reported to be Weihenstephan and S04 doesn't floc or get as dry as WLP007.

So I make starters as large as 4 liters to get the proper pitch rate. I'm not so worried about the color, I'm worried about flavor. So needless to say, I decant the starter and pitch only the yeast slurry. I think on smaller starters like 1 liter or so, it may not mater much for either color or flavor.

I still use dry yeast, but not nearly as much as liquid.

 

[Mike1984]

Thanks for all the comments gents, I think I'll stick to making my yeast starters and just use the valuable info some of you provided to improve my method. To me it's the most cost effective way to achieve a decent pitch rate, that and the fact that a small 10gram packet of most Mangrove Jack dried yeasts (which most brew shops around here sell) run an average of about a R90 here in SA and buying 4 or more to achieve a particular pitch rate is incredibly expensive. Making say a 2 or 3 liter yeast starter from one packet and achieving the same cell count as four packets seem the better option. Each to their own I guess.

 

[Zambi]

How big is your batch size that you need 4 packs?

 

[Mike1984]

See attached pic. Simple example of why 4packets at 10 grams a pkt would not be enough and a starter be required. For higher gravity beers a pitching rate of 1.0 is recommended. There is no right or wrong way, it's just what I choose to do.

 

[Zambi]

Ah
I see
Yeah, your OG and volume are more than double of what I do.
That's definitely a high OG brew.
Good luck

Where is South are you, by the way?

 

[Mike1984]

I'm from a small town called Benoni on the eastern side of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Yeah I generally stick to pitch rates between of 0.75 and 1.25, which, most of the times require a starter to ensure healthy and happy fermentations. I am by no means an expert brewer, but like to do the basics as good as I can.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Keep brewin'

 

[Zambi]

Yeah, I know Benoni...
I'm some k's North of you (like 1500 or so)