 | |
| Brewing with Liquid Yeast |
| For brewers who are looking to more closely duplicate a style of
beer, liquid yeast can add a new level of character and authenticity to your beers and
meads. There are dozens of varieties available to the home brewer, so they give the home
brewer a broader range of choices than dried yeast. There are, however, some additional
things to consider when you brew with liquid yeast. |
| What is a Starter, and Should I Use One? |
| Liquid yeast is really a sample of unfiltered beer,
cultured with a specific strain of yeast. There are fewer yeast cells in a vial of liquid
yeast than there are in a packet of dried yeast. For this reason, many home brewers
"step up"
their yeast by making a starter. A starter is a culture that you make from the liquid
yeast to increase the number of yeast cells to start your beer with. Using a starter helps
to insure that you have a quick starting, vigorous fermentation. Liquid yeast can be used
without making a starter, by simply adding a vial or two of your chosen yeast strain to
your cooled wort, but you will have a longer lag time before you see any activity from
your beer (about 24 hours). During this lag time their is an opportunity for any wild
yeast present to get a foothold, and possibly ruin your beer. Therefore if you choose not
to make a starter, you must be very careful that your sanitation is extra thorough. |
| Making a Starter |
| A starter is really a very small batch of beer that you make with
the liquid yeast, and then add to your beer when it shows vigorous fermentation. |
| To make a starter you will need 2 1/2 tablespoons of
dry malt extract( 5 tablespoons for a 22 ounce bottle), 1 cup of water( 2 cups for a 22
ounce bottle) a saucepan, a 12 - 22 ounce beer bottle or other small container to which
you can fit an airlock. and a funnel which will fit in the neck of your bottle. |
| The process is simple. sanitize your equipment well. Allow your
liquid yeast to slowly come up to room temperature. Unsanitized equipment may lead
to bacterial contamination and may ruin your starter and later your beer. |
|
Adding the Dry Malt
|
 |
 | Dissolve the 5 tablespoons of malt extract in 1 cup
of water (provided you are using a 22oz bottle)
|
| Boil for 15 minutes
|
| Cover and cool to
room temperature.
|
|
Adding the yeast |
|
Add the liquid yeast to the
cooled
wort and prepare to pour it into the sanitized bottle.
|
Pouring the Mixture into The Bottle |
|
| A sanitized funnel helps to assure that your yeast
will pour directly into the opening of your starter bottle
|
| Set up a sanitized airlock and small stopper in the
bottle's opening and wait 24 hours.
|
| The airlock should become active with bubbles as the
yeast begins to grow its population.
|
|
|
