Make a Yeast Starter

I always make a yeast starter.  Objective is to increase the amount of healthy yeast that you will pitch into cooled wort after the boil.  This gives you the best chance of a healthy fermentation.  Help your yeast help you.

Boil water and dry malt extract:

Cool the mixture and pour into a sanitized vessel. Add the yeast and put in the same environment where you will ferment your beer a few days later:

Healthy yeast makes good beer. Good beer makes you happy.

Mash Tun

- 54 quart picnic cooler

- manifold is CPVC pipe connected to nylon tubing that connects to the outlet value

- outlet value detail:

Extra Pale Ale

grain:
- 23 pounds Briess Pale Ale malt
- 12 ounces Crystal 20 malt

hop:
- 2 ounces whole leaf Nugget (60 minutes)
- 2 ounces whole leaf Nugget (30 minutes)
- 1 ounce whole leaf Amarillo (20 minutes)
- 1 ounce whole leaf Amarillo (10 minutes)
- 2 ounces whole leaf Willamette dry (1 ounce in keg, 1 ounce in secondary)

yeast:
- White Labs California Ale harvested (dump wort onto American Pale Ale trub)

comments:
Hop focused, moderately strong, light colored pale ale. Extra pale, extra everything.

mash notes:
- (9:00 AM) 148 degrees
- (10:40 AM) 146 degrees
- first sparge 18 Brix
- second sparge 14 Brix

boil notes:
- 2 1/2 gallons water added to kettle to increase volume
- (12:25 PM) boil start
- (12:34 PM) approximate time of apparent hot break
- ( 1:35 PM) flame out

notes:
- first hop addition

- healthy boil with a healthy amount of hops

- Reuse the yeast ... These are the carboys in which the American Pale Ale fermented. Lots of healthy yeast in there ... put them to work.

- Fermentation strong in less than 12 hours ... notice the bubbling Star San / water solution.  This is a simple blow off hose setup ... advised when pitching lots of yeast.
That's the American Pale Ale on the right.  Notice the dry hops on top.


- This sample was conditioned for a month in the secondary and then kegged. A big earthy, citrusy flavor in a very pale ale.

American Pale Ale

grain:
- 18 pounds Briess Pale Ale malt
- 1/2 pound Crystal 10 malt
- 1 pound Vienna malt

hop:
- 2 ounces whole leaf Willamete (first wort hop)
- 3/4 ounce whole leaf Nugget (60 minutes)
- 1 ounce whole leaf Amarillo (30 minutes)
- 2 ounces whole left Amarillo dry (1 ounce in keg, 1 ounce in secondary)

yeast:
- White Labs California Ale

comments:
Low gravity, hoppy Pale Ale.

mash notes:
- (1:00 PM) approximately 33 quarts water @ 168 resulting in mash temp at 148
- (1:30 PM) hot water added (5 quarts?) resulting in mash temp at 152
- (2:30 PM) first sparge @ 13.5 Brix
- (3:00 PM) second sparge @ 10 3/4 Brix
- (3:00 PM) water added to increase volume dropped gravity to 9 3/4 Brix ... estimating about 5% abv factoring in evaporation loss

boil notes:
- (4:00 PM) boil start
- (4:10 PM) approximate time of apparent hot break

notes:
- first wort hopping:


- just before boil with a full kettle:

- yeast pitched, wort aerated ... foam is from vigorous shaking

- about 24 hours later ... foam is krausen ... fermentation is strong

- secondary with dry hops

West India Pale Ale

grain:
- 19 pounds British Pale Ale malt
- 1 1/8 ounces Crystal 20

hop:
- 1 1/2 ounces Magnum - 60 minutes
- 1/2 ounces Tettnang - 20 minutes
- 1/2 ounces Fuggle - 10 minutes
- 1 ounces Cascade dry hopped (1/2 in keg and 1/2 in secondary)

yeast:
- White Labs California Ale

comments:
A recipe from Terry Foster's "Pale Ale". Excellent book. Get it. His recipe modified for a 10 gallon batch ... and I think he had different bitter hops and English yeast too.

Delicious. Keg lasted less than a month. Foamed due to hops clogging the liquid out line. I think I have learned my lesson finally ... put the hops in a mesh bag. Bottled the other 5 gallons for enjoyment later this Fall.

gravity:
- first sparge @ 15 Brix
- final reading ... not recorded?! I think it clocked in around a 6% brew ... an estimate, of course.

notes:
Put your dry hops in a mesh bag if kegging, stupid.

Dampfbier

grain:
- 15 pounds Pilsner malt
- 6 pounds Munich malt

hop:
- 2 ounces Hallertauer 45 minutes
- 1 ounces Hallertauer flame out

yeast:
- White Labs Hefeweizen IV

comments:
A Brew Your Own recipe cranked up for 10 gallons. Brewed for Summer sipping. Completely out of character for me ... low hops, low gravity ... but surprisingly decent. Serve cold ... like 32 degrees. There is no hop character so feature the malt.

gravity:
- first sparge @ 19 Brix
- final reading @ 13.5 Brix ... water added to drop to 12 Brix

notes:
Strong fermentation ended in about 3 days ... just like BYO said it would. I would add more hops next time ... aber sagen das nicht nah eine Deutche!

Spring Amber Ale

grain:
- 20 pounds British Pale Ale
- 1 3/4 pounds crystal 40
- 1 1/4 pounds Munich
- 3/4 pound crystal 120

hop:
- 1/2 ounces Cascade - First Wort Hop (FWH)
- 1/2 ounces Centennial - FWH
- 3/4 ounces Magnum - 60 minutes
- 1/2 ounces Cascade - 10 minutes
- 1/2 ounces Centennial - 10 minutes

yeast:
- White Labs British Ale Yeast

comments:
English base malt and English yeast paired with American hops.

gravity:
- first sparge @ 19 Brix
- final reading @ 13 Brix

notes:
Fermentation started within 24 hours features fragrant hop aroma. Temperature around 62 degrees.