Starters and Splitting Yeast Packs
by Tony on 01-01-2012 at 06:45 am

I get a lot of questions on the forum and PM's asking about how i make starters and split yeast packs. I want to give a big detailed description of how i do it but cant.... usually due to time factors with a busy work/family life. I love helping other brewers and figure putting a detailed story here, will help me and you.

As a bit of a side line i will tell how i make my starter wort. This wont work for everyone but if it will, its free starters!

When i finnish sparging my mash there is still liquid held up in the grain that will seep out slowly. I have a pot handy and let the drain hose from my mash system lay in the pot and i just leave the mash tun open while i boil the brew. I can collect between 2 and 4 L of 1.030 wort over an hour. I always threw this in the bin, but it makes the BEST starters! U pour this in a 2L bottle that is strong.... Cornish vinigar bottles are great. (Cordial and milk bottles tend to split when you freeze them) Before puting the cap on i squeeze out about 50Ml to alow for swelling when frozen and cap it and freeze it. Un boiled..... just freeze it!

When you want to make a starter, you need to defrost it and boil it on the same day. If you let it sit around till the next day it will start to ferment itsself cause its unboiled wort.

So....... the secret here is to PLAN

The 6 P's

Propper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!

A week before you want to brew, smack your pack. It will take between 3 hrs and 2 days to swell depending on the strain and the packs age.

If its super fresh, start defrosting your starter when you smack the pack.
If its over 3 to 6 months old.... leave it till the next day.

There is no real rule fo thumb as it will depend on the strain and how it was stored. I have had 12 month old packs swell in 3 hrs and fresh ones swell in 3 days.

Now. We have a defrosted 2L starter or one made with DME to a gravity of between 1.030 and 1.035, a swolen smach pack and a 2L flask and 2 x 30ml vials and caps in the flask.

Vials purchased from here:

http://www.proscitech.com.au/cataloguex/online.asp?page=l9

code: LS22-30



Put a liter of water in the flask with the vials and caps, place on the stove and bring to the boil. They work fine on gas too. Also get a piece of tin foil about as big as shown in the image below



Fold the tin foil in half (do it dull side out) place it over the top of the flask (before its boiling... if its hot you will burn yourself)



And press down to make a nice seal. This foil will be the lid for your starter. Aparently the aluminium is sort of a natural sterilant and they do this in labs...... Thats what i was told and it has worked for me for many years!

I now put my starter in a pot and start to bring it to the boil along side the flask



Dont be afraid to crank the heat under these lab flasks, they are made to handle it. I tend to losen the foil a bit on top of the flask before it boils..... i have had them go "BOOF" and fire the foil into the air. Once its boiling i turn off the heat but let it sit there and simmer for a bit.

So now the starter will start to boil..... i simmer at a gentle boil for 15 min. meanwhile the flask is cooling on the hotplate......just sitting there sort of bubbling. If your on gas you may want to simmer it for a few minutes.



Once the starter has boiled gently for 15 min, i drain the flask of the water and collect the now sterile vials and lids. Pouring through a strainer will save your fingers. Put the lids on the vials and set aside.
Pour the boiling hot starter wort into the now empty flask and put the foil lid back on the flask, pressing it down to seal.
Fill the sink with cold water and cool the flask "no chill" style. You may need to stir thw water around a few times and replace it once or twice to get it to pitching temp.





Once the starter wort is cooled to pitching temp, i give it a big "back and forth" swish session to airate the wory without exposing it to anything external.



I then tear the corner from the swollen yeast pack and fill the 2 vials to about 5mm from the top. the rest of the smask pack goes in the starter. Put hte lids on the vials as soon as they are filled. Be careful not to touch the inside of the vials or the lids.



I have a little plastic container i keep the vials in when they are in the fridge. You can see below how much yeast settles out in each vial. Store them at between 2 and 4 deg and they will be fine for a couple years like that.



Mine live ontop of a keg in my Kegorator.

To get them going, remove from cold storage about a half day before pitching to avoid yeast stress. If im making the starter in the night..... i get them out in the morning and let it sit at room temp under 25 degc when im leaving for work. This gives them time to warm up properly. If you pitch it out of cold storage the yeast will temperature shock and wont work well........ like i said..... the 6 P's

the main secret is to not rush things. Give it a week to smack the pack, ferment and let settle.
I pour off the clear wort and leave about 100ml in the vial to agitate the yeast cake with before pitching.

My only other advice is to always taste the wort you pour off the starter before using the yeast. I tip some in a glass to taste and the rest down the sink.

And always have some dry yeast packs on hand incase its not worked out. A pack or 2 or US-05 and Nottingham lave in my fridge for such times....... they wont make the beer you wanted, but they will make whatever you brewed into drinkable beer!

Cheers Folks