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The basics about yeast for brewing beer

A Beginners Guide to Yeast

Many beginning brewers overlook the role yeast play in a beer. Yeast are a huge key to making great beer. Yeast provide not only the conversion of sugars to alcohol but also produce flavor compounds or reduce bad flavors. Yeast can also make flavors you do not want so its important to treat them nice. Here are a few tips. This is by no means a definitive guide on the topic. There are links to resources at the bottom also.

Dry vs Liquid Yeast

This is a heavily debated topic and really in the end you can make great beers with either and its your preference. I use both. If I am making a small batch of a beer that just needs a normal american ale yeast I use dry. If I am doing a larger batch or a batch that requires a special yeast I use liquid yeast. Below we describe how to care for each.

Dry Yeast Care

First when you get your dry yeast from the store you should store it in the fridge until brew day. Then bring it out several hours before use so it can be at room temp. Despite what the packaging might say you want to rehydrate the yeast in some warm (about 70F to 90F) water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Being hydrated helps the yeast regulate what passes through their cell wall once pitched into wort. So not as many will die. Make sure the cup you use has been sanitized and I cover it loosely with tin foil so no nasty things land in the yeast. Then pitch it into the wort at the temperature the directions say.

Liquid Yeast Care (smack pack & vial)

I have used both Wyeast smack packs and the White Labs tubes. Frankly I prefer the smack pack because it inflates as the yeast activate so I know the yeast is active. However I have not had any problems with the White Labs tubes. Both vendors carry similar and different kinds of yeast also. I also reuse the White Labs tubes to store yeast I have harvested off a brewed batch. Yes you can do that, its a another long topic. Keep the liquid yeast in the fridge until brew day, let it get to room temp before pitching. For the Wyeast smack pack make sure to pop the nutrient packet at least 3 to 4 hours a head of brewing and I also shake it ever time I walk by. If I do not have 3 to 4 hours then I smack it and put it in my pocket to warm it up quick and the aggitation of walking helps seed it up. I have never had a smack pack not activate and inflate fully however some people have. If it does not inflate at all then you can usually return it to the brew shop for a exchange. If it only inflates a little that does not matter. You are just trying to get the yeast going as much as possible.

Yeast quantity

For a beginner brewer you may not want to get in to making starters for your yeast. That is when you put the yeast in a small jar/flask with some low gravity wort and let them grow for a couple days to build up their numbers. This is especially important on strong beers and lagers. We will not cover starters here however please not that you can also over pitch. For example using an entire smack pack for a 1 gallon batch is way to much and the resulting beer is not going to be what you expected. (I've done that one) Mr Malty has a nice pitching rate calculator if you want to use one and has info on yeast starters.

Aeration

Before or after you pitch the yeast you will want to get some oxygen into the wort. Boiling it has taken alot of O2 out and yeast need it for cell growth. Shaking or rocking your primary for about 5 minutes provides a good amount of 02. Some brewers use air stones with either an aquarium air pump (with hepa filter) or an 02 tank but I've seen studies that say this is not needed. However rocking 5 gallons of wort is not that easy and it is fun to have more gadgets.

Temerature Control

Yeast can produce many different compounds if fermented to high a temp. Usually you want to start fermentation around 64F to 70F range.  You can pitch higher than that but I would let if fall down to mid 60's. Just keep it in the range the packaging says. Unless you are making a Belgian beer you will want to stay in the low 70F range if you can. For Belgian beers you want to control them for a couple days but can then let them ramp up to even the high 70F range but I'd keep it below 80F.

Ideas for temp. control

  • buy a temp controler and use a fridge for summer and a heater/belt for winter.
  • in summer you can try a water bath with a towel/t-shirt around the carboy to wick the water up but switch the towel ever other day. No mold.
  • in winter you can keep the primary up stairs if that is an option
  • A heat belt is pretty good but I found they can run hotter than you may want them to be.
  • brew to the season, lagers in winter, ales in spring and fall. Drink in mid summer.

 

Don't Panic

Some yeast are slower than others and if you do not see activity within 24 hours do not panic. Rock the primary to mix up the wort a little and you could try moving it to a warmer room. If its been 2 or 3 days then you could add some yeast energizer or nutrient.  You could also pitch another packet/vial/pack of yeast but that is hardly ever needed.

Online resources



Enjoy a homebrew and watch the yeast do their thing!
Ryan Thompson-Jewell