I just truly brewed in all green sour ale using Belgian yeast and I used this method for the Yeast starter. Holy moley did that take off. Came home from thanksgiving and the cap to my fermenter was blown off! But, it was still roaring when I got home:) worked wonderfully. Thanks!
Larry, I brew beer, wine, smoke meat, bread with sourdough starter, pizza, Plex, etc. you are my lost cousin! Would love to see a tour of your garage and setup. It might give me some more ideas for mine! Great work!
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry I too have a media center PC. Two in fact! I think doing a behind the scenes is helpful and sometimes very insightful. I wouldn't discount it!
Count me in.. I made my once a month pizza last Monday, started a Kombucha on Tuesday, smoked a 22lb turkey on Thursday in my WSM, I'm on day 10 of a new Sourdough starter, and yesterday I made my first visit to a new local brew supply store - which had everything! Gonna brew/keg 5 gallons of something all-grain here in the next couple months. DIMyself pastas, sauces, ice cream, sodas, seasonings too! Never tried wine though, I'm in NW FL so I don't believe I have access to anything better than muscadines/scuppernongs; I tried/screwed up a batch of mead once but that was way before I knew anything about fermentation. Oh, and I think I've been using Plex for probably a decade now. Cheers to the good life
Larry, I've been following your channel for a while now. Your videos encouraged me to go all grain and I love my beer even more. I've brewed a couple of your recipes (never thought of chamomile as an ingredient in beer) and my friends loved them. My question is, do you have a video on yeast harvesting? Yeast is one of the most expensive ingredients, so I'm looking to save some money there. I've watched videos on the subject, but without your expertise I don't feel comfortable choosing one of the many ways of harvesting yeast. How do you harvest yeast? Thanks for your great videos!
Do i have to keep all of the starter wort on every phase? Can I decant after fermentation is done at each step? Not sure i want a whole gallon of starter. It would put a strain on my stir plate. I would decant after the whole recipe is complete and fermed right before pitching. Let me know Larry! Thanks
Hi Larry! It would be interesting to see how to decant between each step. I've a really big batches( 115 liters of wort) and it would require me to end with a yeast starter of something like 15L(which is bigger than anything I could put on my stirr plate)
Hi Larry, can you give us insight into why you built the starter in three batches instead of just pitching your yeast directly into a large jug of wert?
Hi Larry, I am a newbie at brewing. I learn a bunch from you content but I need a little advice on stirring the boil. Up to now I have been stirring almost 100% of the time. If you stir too aggressively it seems to stop the boiling. Am I overdoing it?
Great video. I’m confused on the final step. Are you shaking starter during the final step or letting it sit so the yeast cake is formed over that final 24 hour period? Do you need to chill to get the yeast to drop?
I don't chill yeast when I need them to be active. You don't want to pitch cold inactive yeast. You'd shock them as well as cause a sluggish start to fermentation.
Do you think there's much difference between using dry malt extract and using just ordinary sugar, or dextrose, or brown sugar? Because I typically don't buy dry malt extract, it's harder to find where I live and the places that do have it are more expensive... I would think if we were just trying to multiply the yeast in order to get going, surely just sugar would be OK?
You shouldn’t use an airlock for a starter. Use a foam stopper or sanitized foil. You’re suffocating your yeast. Remember, your not making beer with a starter, your building up your cell count.
A most excellent point! What works well for me is I use a small utility oxygen tank I buy from Ace Hardware and an airation stone. Just like what Larry does during his boil video when he adds the starter to the wort. This way the starter is saturated with O2 and the starter is ready next morning for the boil. The excess CO2 is coming out real fast by morning and at a slow pace by the time I have to add the solution to the wart. Your technique is good, my technique speeds up the process a few hours.
Larry, thanks for this video. What is the reason to put the starter under an airlock, and don't - for example - just cover it with a paper towel and rubber band? I've always thought the yeast would need oxygen to multiply. Thanks!
Thanks for the vids. I’m just getting up to speed on home brewing . If you’re doing an high gravity IPA would you decanter or swirl and use all the yeast?
thanks you it's a good video. but I don't know how much yeast you add? then. about what liter-wort you pitchin final wort? for twenty liters? or forty liter?
If I bought a good high alcohol yeast and made a starter, could I keep feeding and hydrating the starter indefinitely? Also is there a way to separate and dehydrate the yeast to store and save for future use? I’m thinking in terms of homesteading and not having the ability to continually purchase more yeast. Thanks.
What should I do if I split the yeast make two starters one for a beer im brewing now, will make a step starter then the other i need to save for a beer about 3-4 weeks away and will make a step starter with that saved yeast. Can I keep it in the starter jar with the beer or should I decant then add preboiled water to it then save? Im a bit rusty had a daughter and stopped brewing 6 years after brewing 10 previous. I would ask on homebrew talk forum but i got kicked off, ha ha.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY There are always d bags everywhere even homebrew forums. I got it to it with a certain few dislikers of me. I guess it was disruptive, but guess what people dont have to look at it, its moderaters censorship. If you disagree or start arguing then they flag you and especially if you dont donate to the org they will unperson you. With my email account im not able to use my first amendment with them. Anyways, I made two step starters then started my first beer, saved the other starter on its beer starter and its been almost a week i will decant that into preboiled cooled water into a better fitting smaller jar. I'm also going to harvest the yeast off the cake after this two hearted clone from bells is done in a few weeks for more yeast. I split a 5 gal batch in half and will brew it twice for 3 gal batches for my 3 gal keg. I will tweek the second batch with some of my left over malts like 60 40 and bonlander munich to use them while fresh, and a few diff hops that i had leftover from my tallgrass oasis clone.
Hey Larry, just re-watching some of your older vids. I'm thinking of using some of my pre-hopped wort as a starter medium, mainly because DME is expensive. I guess I could either freeze quart Mason jars, or pressure can them for future starters. Cheerz
Just a thought, I think you need a "breathable" stopper not an airlock imho, I just use a sanitized piece of tin foil or a "breathable foam" stopper Enjoy watching your videos bro
So, this might be a stupid question but why not just make up the gallon then add the yeast and let it go rather than building it up 3 times? Most of my fermentation experience has been with wine but you throw in a small packet of yeast it's going in no time and that little packet does the entire batch of wine. When I was a kid. Dad would do an entire 25 gallon batch of home made fruit wine with a single packet of flieshmans bread yeast in 10 days. I do get the idea of more yeast starter the faster the fermentation will go but I don't get why you build it up 3 times over three days. Wouldn't it be the same if you just made up the gallon add the yeast and when it's done you have the starter. Is there some research somewhere that says you get more yeast cell count by building it up?
Part of the rationale is to limit the volume in proportion to the amount of yeast so that the yeast will quickly dominate the volume before any other yeast or bacteria get a foothold and taint the starter.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY OK but wouldn't messing with it 3 times rather than one, in reality actually triple the chance of incidental infection? I mean if you do it right and keep it sanitary then it's clean and it's quickly producing Co2 to keep any bugs out. But, doubling and doubling again are both as equally and highly intrusive processes into that bio security wall you put up. Each and every time as critical and as risky as the first and as possible to accidentally introduce infection. I mean lets say you have a 99% success rate at pulling off an untainted starter. Only a 1% chance of failure in making the wart, pitching the yeast, thorough sanitation. If you do the process once to make a starter then it's only a 1% chance of failure. But if you repeat that same process 3 times for the same starter then the chances of failure went up to 3% for that starter
It's good to know it can be done that way but why didn't you decant between doublings? Wouldn't the removal of alcohol in between steps have increased the yeast build?
Makes sense. You don't have to "wait out the yeast" every-time if you are doubling at an appropriate interval and have the available volume. Great vids btw. Thanks.
Brewing newbie, but have done sourdough for many years. Why can't I just take my yeast (say, from a liquid starter) feed it with malt and put it in the fridge for a few months and then pull it out and feed it when I'm ready to brew?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks, Larry! I will experiment with it and give you feedback at some point! Regarding pitching the yeast, is there an advantage to having a larger culture? I presumed it would just take a little more time to come to vigorous activity. Does getting a more rapid start improve taste or anything? As far as sourdough starter, I've let them go for more than six months (easy) and just pulled them out, fed them and off we went!
Any reason why you don't decant before each step up? The yeast starters I've stepped up in the past, I've always decanted before adding the new starter wort. It takes longer to do it that way, with the tone spent chilling prior to decanting. Maybe that is your reason for using this method.
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry Do you ever have issues with the yeast settling in the large carboys and having to much liquid to get them mixed back into suspension? I don't have a stir plate, and I was using this method in a 1 gallon carboy this week. I ended up decanting and going back into a flask because I couldn't get the yeast cake unstuck from the bottom when I would do my periodic shaking / swirling.
After doing some research, I couldn't really get a clear answer on whether or not lager starters require lager ferment temps. Some ppl ferment their lager starters at room temp, some at cooler temps. My common sense tells me it is best to propagate this yeast at least close to its recommended temp, so that's what I'll do. I dont want my lager yeast to be fermenting at 80f anyways, I'll propogate around 65f.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY have you brewed many saisons? Since my chest freezer will be occupied for a long lagering stage, I plan on brewing some saisons during that time. Dont really have to stress if my saisons are fermenting at 80f. Excited for saison too. Seems like a fun style
Just a thought that occurred to me: adding a little hops would be additional protection from infection, and then if you decant it, you have a gallon of beer.
Some people use hops. I don't. They cost too much nowadays and don't really help all that much unless you use a lot. I just use good sanitation practices and save the hops for brew day.
Definitely shouldnt be using an airlock for a started. If there is no oxygen being introduced to the wort so it is not effectively multiplying. You need constant introduction of oxygen which the airlock prevents. Sanitized tin foil or special foam stopper is recommended.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Makes perfect sense, thanks Larry. I recently started brewing about 6-months ago and your videos have helped me tremendously. I have another question. I am about to keg a stout I just brewed. I know stouts are typically pushed with Nitro through a stout faucet. Is this a must for stouts? I am not a big fan of Nitro beers, just don't like the flavor it gives the beer. I am wondering if I can just stick with CO and Perlick Flow Control faucet and be good to go? Thanks in advance for your help!
NIce video, to the point and no loud stupid background music or dumb pics or clips inserted - thanks !
I just truly brewed in all green sour ale using Belgian yeast and I used this method for the Yeast starter. Holy moley did that take off. Came home from thanksgiving and the cap to my fermenter was blown off! But, it was still roaring when I got home:) worked wonderfully. Thanks!
Larry, I brew beer, wine, smoke meat, bread with sourdough starter, pizza, Plex, etc. you are my lost cousin! Would love to see a tour of your garage and setup. It might give me some more ideas for mine! Great work!
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry I too have a media center PC. Two in fact! I think doing a behind the scenes is helpful and sometimes very insightful. I wouldn't discount it!
Count me in.. I made my once a month pizza last Monday, started a Kombucha on Tuesday, smoked a 22lb turkey on Thursday in my WSM, I'm on day 10 of a new Sourdough starter, and yesterday I made my first visit to a new local brew supply store - which had everything! Gonna brew/keg 5 gallons of something all-grain here in the next couple months. DIMyself pastas, sauces, ice cream, sodas, seasonings too! Never tried wine though, I'm in NW FL so I don't believe I have access to anything better than muscadines/scuppernongs; I tried/screwed up a batch of mead once but that was way before I knew anything about fermentation. Oh, and I think I've been using Plex for probably a decade now. Cheers to the good life
Thanks for the tip! Good solution to holding down the stopper. Cheers!
if you use isopropyl alcohol to sterilize the stopper and glass neck, the stopper will stick and you don't need tape.
Larry, I've been following your channel for a while now. Your videos encouraged me to go all grain and I love my beer even more. I've brewed a couple of your recipes (never thought of chamomile as an ingredient in beer) and my friends loved them.
My question is, do you have a video on yeast harvesting?
Yeast is one of the most expensive ingredients, so I'm looking to save some money there.
I've watched videos on the subject, but without your expertise I don't feel comfortable choosing one of the many ways of harvesting yeast.
How do you harvest yeast?
Thanks for your great videos!
Just what I was looking for, thanks. Good video well presented.
Do i have to keep all of the starter wort on every phase? Can I decant after fermentation is done at each step? Not sure i want a whole gallon of starter. It would put a strain on my stir plate. I would decant after the whole recipe is complete and fermed right before pitching. Let me know Larry! Thanks
I have been looking all over for this question and answer. Thanks to both of you haha!
Hi Larry! It would be interesting to see how to decant between each step. I've a really big batches( 115 liters of wort) and it would require me to end with a yeast starter of something like 15L(which is bigger than anything I could put on my stirr plate)
You would enjoy the stir plate, works fantastic, especially with the larger stir bar.
Hi Larry, can you give us insight into why you built the starter in three batches instead of just pitching your yeast directly into a large jug of wert?
Hi Larry, I am a newbie at brewing. I learn a bunch from you content but I need a little advice on stirring the boil. Up to now I have been stirring almost 100% of the time. If you stir too aggressively it seems to stop the boiling. Am I overdoing it?
No need to stir the boil. The boil does its own "stirring".
Larry thanks for that. I have been busting it for no reason. Thanks again.
Great video. I’m confused on the final step. Are you shaking starter during the final step or letting it sit so the yeast cake is formed over that final 24 hour period? Do you need to chill to get the yeast to drop?
I don't chill yeast when I need them to be active. You don't want to pitch cold inactive yeast. You'd shock them as well as cause a sluggish start to fermentation.
Great video, great explanation. Thanks!
Do you think there's much difference between using dry malt extract and using just ordinary sugar, or dextrose, or brown sugar? Because I typically don't buy dry malt extract, it's harder to find where I live and the places that do have it are more expensive... I would think if we were just trying to multiply the yeast in order to get going, surely just sugar would be OK?
You shouldn’t use an airlock for a starter. Use a foam stopper or sanitized foil. You’re suffocating your yeast. Remember, your not making beer with a starter, your building up your cell count.
A most excellent point! What works well for me is I use a small utility oxygen tank I buy from Ace Hardware and an airation stone. Just like what Larry does during his boil video when he adds the starter to the wort. This way the starter is saturated with O2 and the starter is ready next morning for the boil. The excess CO2 is coming out real fast by morning and at a slow pace by the time I have to add the solution to the wart. Your technique is good, my technique speeds up the process a few hours.
Larry, thanks for this video. What is the reason to put the starter under an airlock, and don't - for example - just cover it with a paper towel and rubber band? I've always thought the yeast would need oxygen to multiply. Thanks!
Jelmer Keij you can use sanitized aluminium foil over the top of the flask from what I have read without any issue
Thanks for the vids. I’m just getting up to speed on home brewing . If you’re doing an high gravity IPA would you decanter or swirl and use all the yeast?
thanks you it's a good video.
but I don't know how much yeast you add?
then. about what liter-wort you pitchin final wort?
for twenty liters? or forty liter?
If I bought a good high alcohol yeast and made a starter, could I keep feeding and hydrating the starter indefinitely? Also is there a way to separate and dehydrate the yeast to store and save for future use? I’m thinking in terms of homesteading and not having the ability to continually purchase more yeast. Thanks.
Hey Larry, once you end up with that final gallon jug.... Could I split it in two, pitch half and save the other half for another batch or starter?
Clayton Fitchett
Hi Larry. Why did you choose to make the yeast wort in subsequent batches instead of making the entire batch of yeast at once?
The question I have is how many yeast cells have you generated when you just step started? Is there a calculator that you used? Thanks!!
Thanks Larry! Is this starter enough for a 10 gal batch (iPA 8% abv target) ?
Will it work if I skip the 2nd step and wait 2 days?
What should I do if I split the yeast make two starters one for a beer im brewing now, will make a step starter then the other i need to save for a beer about 3-4 weeks away and will make a step starter with that saved yeast. Can I keep it in the starter jar with the beer or should I decant then add preboiled water to it then save? Im a bit rusty had a daughter and stopped brewing 6 years after brewing 10 previous. I would ask on homebrew talk forum but i got kicked off, ha ha.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY There are always d bags everywhere even homebrew forums. I got it to it with a certain few dislikers of me. I guess it was disruptive, but guess what people dont have to look at it, its moderaters censorship. If you disagree or start arguing then they flag you and especially if you dont donate to the org they will unperson you. With my email account im not able to use my first amendment with them.
Anyways, I made two step starters then started my first beer, saved the other starter on its beer starter and its been almost a week i will decant that into preboiled cooled water into a better fitting smaller jar. I'm also going to harvest the yeast off the cake after this two hearted clone from bells is done in a few weeks for more yeast. I split a 5 gal batch in half and will brew it twice for 3 gal batches for my 3 gal keg. I will tweek the second batch with some of my left over malts like 60 40 and bonlander munich to use them while fresh, and a few diff hops that i had leftover from my tallgrass oasis clone.
would you get the same results just adding a pitch pack to 4 quarts of 1040gravity wort, and pitching 3 days after to a five gallon 1070 gravity wort?
oh ok I see, you want to get all the surgars out asap, thanks
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY
Can you do the same thing with wine?
It requires a yeast and sugar solution. Do the same principals apply?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thank you Larry. Much appreciated!
Larry, great job. Q: Can’t the sanitizer kill the yeast also?
I love your channel, your videos are great! I am curious have you ever tried yeast washing?
Hey Larry, just re-watching some of your older vids. I'm thinking of using some of my pre-hopped wort as a starter medium, mainly because DME is expensive. I guess I could either freeze quart Mason jars, or pressure can them for future starters. Cheerz
Just a thought, I think you need a "breathable" stopper not an airlock imho, I just use a sanitized piece of tin foil or a "breathable foam" stopper
Enjoy watching your videos bro
So, this might be a stupid question but why not just make up the gallon then add the yeast and let it go rather than building it up 3 times? Most of my fermentation experience has been with wine but you throw in a small packet of yeast it's going in no time and that little packet does the entire batch of wine. When I was a kid. Dad would do an entire 25 gallon batch of home made fruit wine with a single packet of flieshmans bread yeast in 10 days. I do get the idea of more yeast starter the faster the fermentation will go but I don't get why you build it up 3 times over three days. Wouldn't it be the same if you just made up the gallon add the yeast and when it's done you have the starter. Is there some research somewhere that says you get more yeast cell count by building it up?
Part of the rationale is to limit the volume in proportion to the amount of yeast so that the yeast will quickly dominate the volume before any other yeast or bacteria get a foothold and taint the starter.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY OK but wouldn't messing with it 3 times rather than one, in reality actually triple the chance of incidental infection? I mean if you do it right and keep it sanitary then it's clean and it's quickly producing Co2 to keep any bugs out. But, doubling and doubling again are both as equally and highly intrusive processes into that bio security wall you put up. Each and every time as critical and as risky as the first and as possible to accidentally introduce infection.
I mean lets say you have a 99% success rate at pulling off an untainted starter. Only a 1% chance of failure in making the wart, pitching the yeast, thorough sanitation. If you do the process once to make a starter then it's only a 1% chance of failure. But if you repeat that same process 3 times for the same starter then the chances of failure went up to 3% for that starter
It's good to know it can be done that way but why didn't you decant between doublings? Wouldn't the removal of alcohol in between steps have increased the yeast build?
Makes sense. You don't have to "wait out the yeast" every-time if you are doubling at an appropriate interval and have the available volume. Great vids btw. Thanks.
Brewing newbie, but have done sourdough for many years. Why can't I just take my yeast (say, from a liquid starter) feed it with malt and put it in the fridge for a few months and then pull it out and feed it when I'm ready to brew?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks, Larry!
I will experiment with it and give you feedback at some point!
Regarding pitching the yeast, is there an advantage to having a larger culture? I presumed it would just take a little more time to come to vigorous activity. Does getting a more rapid start improve taste or anything?
As far as sourdough starter, I've let them go for more than six months (easy) and just pulled them out, fed them and off we went!
larry, is there any difference if i use dry yeast?
Any reason why you don't decant before each step up? The yeast starters I've stepped up in the past, I've always decanted before adding the new starter wort. It takes longer to do it that way, with the tone spent chilling prior to decanting. Maybe that is your reason for using this method.
BEER-N-BBQ by Larry
Do you ever have issues with the yeast settling in the large carboys and having to much liquid to get them mixed back into suspension?
I don't have a stir plate, and I was using this method in a 1 gallon carboy this week. I ended up decanting and going back into a flask because I couldn't get the yeast cake unstuck from the bottom when I would do my periodic shaking / swirling.
Could you use table sugar instead of DME?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thank you very much!
After doing some research, I couldn't really get a clear answer on whether or not lager starters require lager ferment temps. Some ppl ferment their lager starters at room temp, some at cooler temps. My common sense tells me it is best to propagate this yeast at least close to its recommended temp, so that's what I'll do. I dont want my lager yeast to be fermenting at 80f anyways, I'll propogate around 65f.
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY have you brewed many saisons? Since my chest freezer will be occupied for a long lagering stage, I plan on brewing some saisons during that time. Dont really have to stress if my saisons are fermenting at 80f. Excited for saison too. Seems like a fun style
Another great clip mate. Just one question? How do you know if you need to do it 2 or 3 times.
Just a thought that occurred to me: adding a little hops would be additional protection from infection, and then if you decant it, you have a gallon of beer.
Some people use hops. I don't. They cost too much nowadays and don't really help all that much unless you use a lot. I just use good sanitation practices and save the hops for brew day.
If you use a 5L eleynmyer flask you can boil enough wort and cool to do this in one step all in one container. =)
You are right... However boil overs are crazy in those
Plex server FTW! Show us your setup!
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Same here, you should check out Sonarr and Radarr if you haven't already. I have everything on vm's for simplicity and easy backup.
Do you ever blink?
😂
Definitely shouldnt be using an airlock for a started. If there is no oxygen being introduced to the wort so it is not effectively multiplying. You need constant introduction of oxygen which the airlock prevents. Sanitized tin foil or special foam stopper is recommended.
Great technique when yeast is getting rare.
Larry,
Couldn't you just make the entire batch in one step to save time?
@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Makes perfect sense, thanks Larry. I recently started brewing about 6-months ago and your videos have helped me tremendously. I have another question. I am about to keg a stout I just brewed. I know stouts are typically pushed with Nitro through a stout faucet. Is this a must for stouts? I am not a big fan of Nitro beers, just don't like the flavor it gives the beer. I am wondering if I can just stick with CO and Perlick Flow Control faucet and be good to go?
Thanks in advance for your help!
LOve your videos, but I think your sanitizing is way over the top.