Mastering Yeast Feeding: The Optimal Feeding Schedule For Beer Starters

A yeast starter is a small volume of wort that is used for the sole purpose of growing yeast cells. It is important to plan when making a yeast starter, as it takes only about half an hour, but you should plan to make it at least 24 hours before you need the yeast. If you can't let your starter ferment for 24 hours, you should skip it entirely as it is likely to affect your yeast's cell count.

Time required for yeast starter

The time required for a yeast starter depends on the type of yeast and the amount of wort used. If you start with fresh yeast, it will take about five days to build up an adequate starter for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. However, if you only have a few hours for your starter, it's unlikely to affect your yeast's cell count, and there's some small risk of infection from the procedure. So you're better off to just pitch directly from the smack pack.

If you can't let your starter ferment for 24 hours, I'd suggest you skip it entirely. Every time you move your yeast from one place to another, you increase the risk of contamination. You can mitigate the effects of under pitching by oxygenating the wort.

Yeast cells bud every 3-8 hours depending upon strain, so you can expect at least a doubling in population, typically more, plus this gets the yeast active, reducing the lag time in primary. It's ideal to let the starter run for 24 hours, but even a third of that is better than no starter at all.

A starter is simply a small volume of wort that’s used for the sole purpose of growing yeast cells. It takes only about half an hour, but plan to make it at least 24 hours before you need the yeast. This will give the yeast cells time to reproduce.

Good planning is important: If you start with fresh yeast (either from a slant or a Wyeast package) it will take about five days to build up an adequate starter for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. If your brew day should be delayed, it is not a big deal; just feed the yeast culture some fresh wort and oxygen every five days or so.

Risk of contamination when moving yeast

When moving yeast, the risk of contamination is increased. If you only have a few hours for your starter, it's unlikely to affect your yeast's cell count, and there's some small risk of infection from the procedure. Every time you move your yeast from one place to another, you increase the risk of contamination. If you can't let your starter ferment for 24 hours, I'd suggest you skip it entirely. A starter is simply a small volume of wort that’s used for the sole purpose of growing yeast cells. It takes only about half an hour, but plan to make it at least 24 hours before you need the yeast. This will give the yeast cells time to reproduce. Good planning is important: If you start with fresh yeast (either from a slant or a Wyeast package) it will take about five days to build up an adequate starter for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. If your brew day should be delayed, it is not a big deal; just feed the yeast culture some fresh wort and oxygen every five days or so. I often have starters that begin stirring when I start the brewday, so they're only going for 8-10 hours max. With appropriate handling, the risk of contamination can be mitigated and reduced to be negligible. Due to the small amount of wort, lag time with a vial of yeast is at most a couple of hours (assuming a fresh vial.) Yeast cells bud every 3-8 hours depending upon strain, so you can expect at least a doubling in population, typically more, plus this gets the yeast active, reducing the lag time in primary. Of course, it's ideal to let the starter run for 24h, but even a third of that is better than no starter at all.

Doubling yeast population every 3-8 hours

Yeast cells bud every 3-8 hours depending upon strain, so you can expect at least a doubling in population, typically more, plus this gets the yeast active, reducing the lag time in primary.

It is ideal to let the starter run for 24 hours, but even a third of that is better than no starter at all.

If you start with fresh yeast (either from a slant or a Wyeast package), it will take about five days to build up an adequate starter for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch.

If your brew day should be delayed, it is not a big deal; just feed the yeast culture some fresh wort and oxygen every five days or so.

A starter is simply a small volume of wort that’s used for the sole purpose of growing yeast cells. It takes only about half an hour, but plan to make it at least 24 hours before you need the yeast. This will give the yeast cells time to reproduce.

Cold-crashing starter to decant beer off yeast

Good planning is important when it comes to cold-crashing a starter to decant beer off yeast. If you start with fresh yeast, it will take about five days to build up an adequate starter for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. If your brew day is delayed, it is not a big deal; just feed the yeast culture some fresh wort and oxygen every five days or so.

A starter is simply a small volume of wort that’s used for the sole purpose of growing yeast cells. It takes only about half an hour, but plan to make it at least 24 hours before you need the yeast. This will give the yeast cells time to reproduce.

Fermentation is usually done in 24 or 48 hours, but I like to cold-crash the starter so that the yeast falls to the bottom. That way, I can decant the beer off the yeast, and pitch just the yeast.

Every time you move your yeast from one place to another, you increase the risk of contamination. If you only have a few hours for your starter, it's unlikely to affect your yeast's cell count, and there's some small risk of infection from the procedure. So you're better off to just pitch directly from the smack pack. You'll almost certainly be under pitching, unless your beer has a low starting gravity and the yeast is very fresh. You can mitigate the effects of under pitching by oxygenating the wort.

Pitching yeast directly from smack pack

If you are pitching yeast directly from a smack pack, it is important to note that fermentation is usually done in 24 or 48 hours, but I like to cold-crash the starter so that the yeast falls to the bottom. This way, you can decant the beer off the yeast, and pitch just the yeast. However, if you can't let your starter ferment for 24 hours, you should skip it entirely.

Every time you move your yeast from one place to another, you increase the risk of contamination. If you only have a few hours for your starter, it's unlikely to affect your yeast's cell count, and there's some small risk of infection from the procedure. So you're better off to just pitch directly from the smack pack. You'll almost certainly be under pitching, unless your beer has a low starting gravity and the yeast is very fresh. You can mitigate the effects of under pitching by oxygenating the wort.

If you start with fresh yeast (either from a slant or a Wyeast package), it will take about five days to build up an adequate starter for a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. If your brew day should be delayed, it is not a big deal; just feed the yeast culture some fresh wort and oxygen every five days or so.

A starter is simply a small volume of wort that’s used for the sole purpose of growing yeast cells. It takes only about half an hour, but plan to make it at least 24 hours before you need the yeast. This will give the yeast cells time to reproduce.

Yeast cells bud every 3-8 hours depending upon strain, so you can expect at least a doubling in population, typically more, plus this gets the yeast active, reducing the lag time in primary.

Frequently asked questions