Starters

[melykabeer]

Hi

I ordered some wyeasts received them today. I plan to make a starter out of them and split into 5. I have read the sticky guide http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/forum/vi ... f=2&t=8705 but 1 step is not fully clear to me which is step 4 under yeast farming.

4. Let it sit for 5-10 mins and then pour of milky suspension leaving the solid on the bottom of the container behind (this is usually cold break and contains a small amount of yeast but not enough to worry about)

Does this mean the cake on the bottom or the liquid poured off the top is called cold break and is discarded? Im not sure here which bit to keep.

Also after pulling the wyeasts out of the package i thought i may have poped one unpacking it, they were quite well taped and bubbled wraped up, i cant feel anything inside to pop and there is alot of liquid inside. its only been a few hrs so far no swelling will see what its like in the morning put it in the brew fridge @ 18'c. the 2nd one has a large bubble inside it seems swollen and not as much loose liquid inside the package, this one i put in the normal fridge. ill take a photo if this is not clear. Thanks

[warra48]

There are two distinct topics discussed in the thread you have linked.

In your case, seeing as you have new Wyeast packs, the 4 points under "Starting Wyeast" apply for now.
Personally, I use a sanitised 250 ml stubby for the ¼ split, and store it in the fridge. The yeast slurry in this stubby can be used to make a further starter beginning with point 2.
The bubble inside the smackpaks can be a bit hard to locate. In any case, it is not vital you break it if you can't find it, and you can build a starter without it. The bubble contains yeast nutrients and proves the pack, but the starter itself also proofs your yeast for you.

The second method under "Yeast Farming" applies where you have fermented out a brew, and you want to harvest the yeast from the slurry on the bottom of your fermenter. It does not apply to using a fresh pack.
The method described by DrS for yeast farming works well, based on my experience in harvesting a WY2001. It made a good starter for a subsequent batch of BoPils 5 months later.

Hope that's clear. Let us know if you have further questions.

[melykabeer]

Ok ill make a 2l starter today in a 3l sanitized juice container you know the berry ones using 200gm of LDM once fermentation is complete ill stick in the fridge for maybe 12hrs then tip off about 500ml give it a good shake and then distribute to 4 sanitized stubbies will this be ok? Or should i tip off the beer replace with more airated water +200gm LDM repeat the fermenting process then split into stubbies?

[warra48]

Ok ill make a 2l starter today in a 3l sanitized juice container you know the berry ones using 200gm of LDM once fermentation is complete ill stick in the fridge for maybe 12hrs then tip off about 500ml give it a good shake and then distribute to 4 sanitized stubbies will this be ok? Or should i tip off the beer replace with more airated water +200gm LDM repeat the fermenting process then split into stubbies?

Yes, ferment out the 2 litres of starter. Then chill in the fridge for about 24 hours and the yeast will have dropped down.

If you have say 4 x 250 mil splits, you need no more than a litre all up, so you need to pour off a litre, leaving you with 1 (or just under) a litre.
Agitate this to suspend all the yeast, and then pour this into your starter splits. I use a small sanitised funnel to make it easier. Cap, and refridgerate.

It goes without saying you need to be very sanitary in this process, as you don't want to introduce nasties along the way.

There's no need to build your initial starter up further, as you'll use one of your splits to build a new starter.
For ales, building up a 2 litre starter is adequate.
For lagers, I go through a build up process to a total of 5 litres, as I like to pitch cold, and lots of it.

[melykabeer]

Thanks warra48

I was as sanitary as i could, i even used diluted bleach in a spray bottle to spray down the whole kitchen sink, the outside of the wyeast pack us 1056 btw.

I could not find my spare waterlock/sbend went to woolies they were all out so i just used gladwrap and pricked a couple of tiny holes in the top with a tooth pick. can see the foam still on top from me shaking the crap out of it trying to get lots of o2 in the solution. Now every time i go past ill give it a swirl to keep the yeast suspended.

[drsmurto]

No need for holes in the gladwrap, pressure is still released as the rubber band is not a true seal.

I would recommend replacing the now holey gladwrap with a fresh piece.

[melykabeer]

replaced the gladwrap your right it doesnt make a full seal
the last shake i gave it it fizzed right up nearly to the top of the bottle could hear the gas hissing out around the edges

only thing im worried about is to know when its fully fermented. if i bottle too early they'll turn to bottle bombs altho if its in the fridge somewhere around 3-6' the yeast should stop working?

[drsmurto]

Normally 2-3 days.