Another yeast question - starter or no starter?

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:04 pm

I've got some White Labs WLP575 I'm using in a beer with a starting gravity of 10.68. I don't have any DME to make a starter. Do I need to make a starter or can I pitch as is straight out of the tube?

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:15 pm

I've never tried it, but is Malta Goya available here?
http://www.brewingkb.com/blogs/15/no-boil-starters.html

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:31 pm

I did see mention of that Malta Goya stuff. What about liquid malt extract from the health food store?

So a starter is essential here eh? I bought the yeast from Fermentations. Guy said to pitch w/out a starter, though he did not ask what kind of beer I was making.

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:42 pm

At that weight, I wouldn't say it was essential, assuming the yeast isn't that old & it was stored properly.

I did get a bad vial once. I had made a starter & it smelt a little funny, but I figured the fermentation was just too warm. I decanted off the liquid & pitched the yeast. It crapped out early & tasted really bad. My one & only dumper. (Unfortunately it was a Quad, which was my biggest & most expensive).

grub · Post by **grub** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:43 pm

i always make a starter with white labs yeast. with wyeast you at least know if the yeast is in decent shape based on how well it swells, but there's no way to know with WLP tubes. also, at 1.068 you're above average and in the territory where i'd definitely be making a starter (at least a single step) even if it was wyeast.

so yeah, if you can put off brewing for a few days and pick up some malt extract i'd do that.

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:44 pm

Thanks guys. I don't suppose there's anywhere to get DME in T.O. on a Sunday (or any day for that matter).

grub · Post by **grub** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:46 pm

take a drive up to markham and i can give you the 1/3 cup or so you'd need for a single step. heck, i might even give you a full cup so you'd have enough for a couple steps or 3 single step starters

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:51 pm

LOL - no car! Thanks though.

What about using liquid malt from the health food store?

grub · Post by **grub** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:17 pm

no idea about the stuff from the health food store, sorry. don't think you'll find much open on a sunday, but on monday you could always hit something like fermentations.

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:24 pm

Yeah, I'm gonna make brew day next weekend rather than risk it.

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:22 pm

I picked up something today called Vita Malt. Ingredients are water, barley malt, barley, sugar, CO2, caramel colour and hops. Would this do the trick when preparing a liquid starter?

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:40 pm

Sounds like a good experiment, though I'd be inclined to try it with cheaper dried yeast.

It would probably need to be degassed to measure the gravity, then diluted down to 1.040 or so.

Where did you find it?

Gedge · Post by **Gedge** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:41 pm

Metro. I'm still hoping I can get some DME locally, maybe Fermentations has it.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:37 pm

Some of us in SK have started using the Big & Easy Bottle Brew product for yeast starters. They are these crappy 2L beer kits that just about every homebrew store has been selling in Canada for the last year, but they are perfect for a yeast starter; pop the top, throw away the included yeast, add your WL/Wyeast and there you go. They cost about $6 each, but they are far less work than screwing around with DME (which is also pricey). And you can even drink this stuff if you want to...

http://winekitziris.ca/more-stuff/big-easy-bottle-brew/