Tag: starter

Posted on

Cask Ale Blowout

It was warm in central Pennsylvania on the weekend after Christmas. Highs in the 50s. Warm enough that I was able to get in a brew session. I decided to brew a batch of CJ’s House of the Rising Sun JPA using the extract recipe on Homebrew Adventures.

It was the first time I used the Wyeast 1026 PC British Cask Ale. I bought two packs as soon as they became available. Manufactured 14-oct-08.

I smacked and the pack did almost nothing. It filled some, but did not swell. There was some yeast in there, but not terribly active.

I made a starter — 7 oz Light DME in 2 quarts of water with a pinch of Wyeast Nutrient — and the starter did almost nothing. Some effervescence but not very active bubbling. Some yeast, but not terribly active.

When I brewed I added a ½-teaspoon of Wyeast Nutrient 10 minutes before the end of the boil. After cooling, I rocked the carboy back and forth for a good five minutes to aerate before pitching. I pitched that afternoon and the next morning I had to switch from a 3-piece airlock to a blow off tube and the bubbling sounded like a damned minigun.

I guess the next time I use the Cask Ale yeast I will keep in mind that it may be a little slow to start.

Posted on

Making a Beer Yeast Starter

Follow these steps to make a beer yeast starter:

  1. Calculate the beer yeast starter volume required to achieve the number of cells required for the desired pitching rate.

  2. For each quart of beer yeast starter required, add 3.5 ounces (1 cup) of DME and 1/40 teaspoon yeast nutrient to a quart of potable water.

  3. Boil for 20 minutes to sterilize.

  4. Cool to 70°F.

  5. Pour into a sanitized container with a stopper and airlock.

  6. Shake well.

  7. Add yeast culture.

  8. Let the starter ferment at or near your target fermentation temperature for 24–36 hours.

  9. Periodically agitate the beer yeast starter to resuspend the yeast, aerate, and remove CO₂.

  10. Chill the beer yeast starter for 24 hours to flocculate all of the yeast.

  11. Decant the beer from the yeast cake.

  12. Allow the yeast cake to warm to fermentation temperature.

  13. Swirl the container to suspend the yeast in a slurry.

  14. Inoculate the target wort using the slurry.