Handy yeast reference

That is cool!

I have always used WL just because I didn't like the idea of the smack pack. Silly, I know, but I don't want their yeast nutrient/activator mystery stuff in my beer.

They do have cooler names for theirs though.;)
 
cheezydemon said:
I have always used WL just because I didn't like the idea of the smack pack. Silly, I know, but I don't want their yeast nutrient/activator mystery stuff in my beer.
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Nothing wrong with the smack packs, since it's essentially a mini-starter. Realistically, you should make your own starter anyway to ensure good pitching rates of enough viable cells.
 
Three or four days is a little long. Ideally, you want your cells to be very active. I would try to make the starter 24 to 36 hours prior to brewing. Also note that a fermenter might not be the ideal environment for a starter. This might seem confusing. If you ferment your beer in a carboy, why wouldn't it be a great idea to start your yeast there? Consider the huge amount of head space in a carboy when you have a small amount of liquid in there. Yeast reproduction happens best when you can drive off as much CO2 as possible, but it is going to really build up in there. The best environment for a starter is an Erlenmeyer flask since you can boil it directly and it is appropriately sized. Have a look at this:

http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.htm
 
Honestly due to time constraints (3 kids) I will still use my primary for my starters.

It eliminates 2-3 steps. And my brews have been more than satisfactory.
 
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