Beginners Guide On How To Prepare Yeast For Beer Brewing

There are many ingredients that can be used in beer brewing, but for a basic beer, you only need four ingredients. Those ingredients are water, malt, hops, and yeast. They’re all necessary to make a good beer, but yeast is arguably one of the most important.

In this article, We’ll cover your options on how to prepare yeast to make a great beer. We’ll also look at the two forms of yeast for beer brewing available to homebrewers and their role in beer making.

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What Is Yeast’s Role In Brewing Beer?

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Yeast is a microorganism, in the fungus family, that is responsible for converting the sugars from the malted barley into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2). The different yeast strains are also responsible for imparting unique flavors to the different styles of beer. When you see the bubbles during fermentation that is a sign of the yeast cells actively doing their job.

Key Points For Good Fermentation

One of the keys to making good beer is having plenty of healthy yeast cells for fermentation. When yeast cells are actively fermenting your wort, the alcohol and CO2 produced makes that environment less likely for other bacteria or wild yeasts to take over and “infect” your beer. Of course, proper sanitation is the biggest factor here. The point here is that too long of a delay, or lag, from when the yeast is pitched and fermentation begins can increase the risk of infection.

Worse yet, old or improperly prepared yeast may not begin fermentation for days or not at all. In some cases, the fermentor will need to be re-opened and new yeast added. This further increases the chance of infection. There are some simple ways to help prevent this, but it will help to understand the different stages yeast go through leading up to and during fermentation.

Fermentation Stages

Once the yeast is pitched into the wort, it goes through three different stages. Knowing what these stages are will help you understand what the yeast goes through while doing their job.

Lag Stage

This period occurs after the yeast is pitched (poured) into the fresh wort. The yeast begins to acclimate itself to its new environment. This stage could take anywhere from 3 to 36 hours. Things like the number of viable yeast cells, wort pitching temperature, PH, and sugar content all play a role in the lag time. The cells take in nutrients to prepare themselves for reproduction. Similar to our bodies, the vitamins, minerals, and proteins in the wort will strengthen and prepare them for this.

It’s best to try and adjust the temperature of the yeast and wort to be between 70° and 75° before pitching. This includes lagers too. This helps avoid shocking the yeast and it is the ideal pitching yeast. After there are visible signs of fermentation, begin adjusting the fermentation temperature for the particular yeast strain being used.

Fermentation

This is where all the action is! The healthy yeast cells are consuming the sugars and reproducing at a staggering rate. The byproducts of this process are alcohol, CO2, and other beer flavoring compounds. Once fermentation begins it can last for anywhere between 24 to 48 hours. Again temperature, sugar content, and yeast cell count are the determining factors. Lager fermentation typically takes longer than ales.

Stationary Stage

During this stage, fermentation is basically done and the yeast has begun to settle to the bottom of the fermenter (flocculate). It is important to leave the freshly fermented beer setting on the yeast for a couple of days. The yeast actually reabsorbs some of the less desirable flavors produced during fermentation. I was guilty of this early in my brewing career.

Learning, understanding, and paying attention to the fine details is so important in beer brewing. Yeast selection and preparation is no exception. It will help to know some of the types and characteristics of the yeasts that are available.

Types Of Yeast For Beer Brewing

Complete beer ingredient kit — **Beer Ingredient Kit**

This article is not about the two different kinds of yeast (ale or lager), it’s about the two basic forms of yeast that is available to homebrewers. They are dry yeast and liquid yeast. Each form has its benefits and drawbacks. Things like pricing, storage life, and flavor profiles, for the beer being brewed, will all play factors in selecting the type of yeast you’ll buy.

No matter what form of yeast you select, for optimum performance, each form needs a certain level of preparation before using. This is the same for both ale yeast and lager yeast. This preparation can vary depending on many factors. The type of yeast, the alcohol content of the beer being brewed, and how old the yeast is being three of the main ones. For best results always try to use fresh yeast and take the little, extra time needed to prepare your yeast properly.

Dry Yeast

Dry yeast normally comes with about 200 billion cells per package. It can be stored for up to 2 or 3 years in the refrigerator. Although after a couple of years only half the cells may be viable, which is still plenty for most lower gravity ales

Dry yeast packets are the least expensive option and do a fine job for many beer recipes. Dry yeast was once considered inferior to liquid yeast at one time. The dry yeast strain selection was somewhat limited compared to the available liquid yeast strains. This has significantly improved in both quality and variety in recent years. Still, most brewing supply shops and beer kits offer an alternative liquid yeast option, with a slight cost increase, for most styles of beer. Just know that you can still make a very good beer using dry yeast.

Liquid Yeast

Liquid yeast packages usually only have about 100 billion cells per container. The yeast cells are alive and are stored in a nutrient-rich liquid, void of fermentable sugars. This keeps the yeast in a semi-dormant state. For this reason, they must be stored in the refrigerator. Liquid yeast can be stored for up to six months before using, but the number of viable cells drops off significantly each month. For liquid yeast, it is much better to buy and use it when it is fresh.

Liquid yeast has a couple advantages over dry yeast. Because the liquid yeast cells are living, viable cells in the package, they can be pitched into the wort directly from the package. Liquid yeast also has a much larger selection of yeast strains. This is important for making certain beers.

There is one drawback to purchasing and shipping liquid yeast during the summer in hot regions. Temperatures in excess of 90° can affect or kill the yeast. Many companies ship liquid yeasts with a freezer pack in hot weather to help prevent damage. However, any delays in shipping could cause issues. This should be a consideration when purchasing yeast. Many brewers only buy liquid yeasts from their local homebrew shops during hot seasons.

Liquid Yeast Packaging

Liquid yeast is normally packaged in one of two different ways for homebrewers. They are vials (or pouches) and “smack packs”. Both are promoted as being able to be pitched directly from the package. Although they are basically the same there is one difference. Let’s take a look..

Vials Or Pouches

Liquid yeast in vials or pouches is shipped in similar liquid nutrients described above. This nourishes the cells while basically in a dormant state. Once pitched into the wort they begin processing the sugars and fermentation begins.

Smack Packs

Smack packs are a Wyeast company packaging trademark. Similar to the pouches above, they are a larger pouch of the yeast solution, but it has another smaller pouch inside of it containing special yeast nutrients. When the package is “smacked” it ruptures the inner package releasing the nutrients. This allows the cells to begin feeding and start fermentation inside the package. As CO2 is released in the package it begins to swell. This provides a visual indication that the yeast is viable and ready for pitching.

How To Prepare Yeast For Pitching

We will look at and how to prepare yeast for the best results for brewing beer. Things like nutrition and temperature are very important to yeast. Both dry and liquid yeast keep longer when stored in the refrigerator. The first step in preparing any yeast is to remove it from the refrigerator and let it slowly come to room temperature.

When I’m preparing for my brew day I usually start the night before. I take inventory of all my ingredients and gather my equipment together. The main items I’m looking at are the gravity of the beer I am brewing and the age and type of yeast I will be using. These two things play a significant role in how I will prepare my yeast and when I need to get started preparing it.

Preparing Dry Yeast

There are actually three different ways you can prepare and pitch dry yeast packets. Let’s start by looking at those options and some of the benefits.

Direct Pitching Dry Yeast

The first way is to just sprinkle the dry yeast right into the fermenter. This method is the quickest and easiest. Because of the sheer number of yeast cells in the dry yeast packets, there are usually enough cells that survive the re-hydration and metabolic awakening in the sugary wort to ferment most lower gravity ales. Many argue this method is fine and they have not had any problems. Others feel it’s best to try and avoid the lag time that comes with pitching dry yeast right into the fermenter.

The real potential issue with pitching dry yeast would be if the yeast had been stored longer than recommended. As mentioned above, that can reduce the number of viable cells. Combine that with pitching the yeast into a high gravity ale or a lager. This could lead to an even longer lag time or a stuck fermentation (no fermentation). To help prevent any of these types of problems it highly recommended to rehydrate the yeast before using. This is our next method of preparation.

Rehydration (dry yeast only)

Before dry yeast can begin fermentation their cell membranes must absorb water in order to activate its metabolism. A sugary wort mixture is said to inhibit the easy absorption of water, which will delay this process and can kill less viable cells. Pure water, at the correct temperature, is best for rehydration.

I agree and always rehydrate the dry yeast I use. Rehydration is easy to do, doesn’t take much time, and is one more way to help ensure a good fermentation. Below in this article is the step by step instruction for rehydrating dry yeast.

The third method for preparing dry yeast involves taking the rehydrated yeast and putting it into a yeast starter. We’ll cover yeast starters in more detail below.

Preparing Liquid Yeast

Pitching liquid yeast is pretty straightforward because the cells are already hydrated and ready to go. Whether they are pitched from a vial or smack pack they are ready to start consuming the sugars in the wort and begin fermentation. As long as you observe the pitching temperatures of the yeast and wort you should be fine.

The potential problem arises when liquid yeast is stored beyond its recommended storage life. If you recall from above the yeast viability drops significantly each month to a point where you may have problems as early as 5 months. If this happens you need to seriously consider the last option we’re going to discuss for preparing your yeast and that is using a yeast starter.

What Is A Yeast Starter?

Yeast Starter on a stir table — **Yeast Starter On A Stir Table**

A yeast starter is basically a miniature batch of wort prepared in a small container (typically a 1000 ml or 2000 ml Erlenmeyer flask) that you can pitch your yeast into. This includes dry yeast, which I’d recommend rehydrating first, and liquid yeast. This gives the available yeast in the starter a chance to wake up and start to reproduce.

Yeast starters are a great way to kick-start your fermentation. Here’s a basic yeast starter kit containing everything you need to get started. Along with your yeast, that’s all you need to make a yeast starter. Below in this article are the step by step instructions I use for making my yeast starters.

When Do You Use A Yeast Starter?

There are many brewers out there that recommend using a starter on every batch. It helps ensure you have plenty of healthy yeast cells ready to ferment your beer. Although it is probably not needed for every batch of beer a yeast starter has a few “must use” scenarios you may encounter.

The first is if you have yeast that their viability is in question. Maybe the yeast got exposed to extreme heat during shipping or was stored beyond the manufacturers recommended time frame.
If you suspect an issue, pitch the yeast into a starter a day or two before your brew day. This will ensure there are still viable yeast cells that can be used. Don’t just pitch the yeast into the wort and hope for the best. This is an easy way to check them.
The second reason is yeast starters are a great way to increase cell count. The same yeast cells in the first example could benefit from this. A night spent in a yeast starter would help bring the pitching levels up.
The third benefit is along the same line as the second benefit but is about the cost-saving you can enjoy. Examples one and two reflect this in that you were able to recover some questionable yeast and did not have to buy additional yeast.
Now imagine if you were brewing a special high gravity beer, or a lager, that recommends that you use a more expensive liquid yeast strain. In these types of beers, it’s often recommended to pitch a second vial of yeast. Instead, you could use a yeast starter and increase the cell count prior to pitching and save yourself some money.

Yeast Preparation Procedures

Proper yeast preparation is one of the key ways to produce a great beer. Rehydrating dry yeast and using a yeast starter are a couple of easy ways to do this. They can be used together or separately to rescue questionable yeast or they can be used on a routine basis for a piece of mind. Below are the two procedures I use. Don’t hesitate to use them.

Rehydration Instructions

Some yeast manufacturers include rehydration instructions on the package. If available, use their instructions. If no instructions are included, the below steps will help you rehydrate your yeast for beer brewing.

All containers (including yeast pouch), stirring utensils, scissors, and thermometers that will come into contact with the yeast must be sanitized.
Heat 1 cup of plain tap water (no chlorine) to 100°, ± 5°. If water is suspected of bacteria, it must be boiled and then cooled to 100°.
Cut open one 11.2 gram yeast packet with scissors and sprinkle yeast evenly over the surface of the warm water.
Cover with a paper towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes gentle stir the yeast into the water creating a creamy mixture. Let rest for another 10 minutes.
Adjust the temperature of the yeast to about 75° by using sterile tap water.
Pitch yeast into the wort. If you have any questions about yeast viability, here is where you would pitch it into a yeast starter.

Note: It is important not to rehydrate yeast too early before pitching. Yeast should be pitched into the wort within 30 minutes once it has been hydrated. The hydrated yeast cells will be ready for the next phase, which involves nutrition. Now the wort mixture becomes the ideal environment for the yeast. If you wait too long before pitching them they can begin to starve and become stressed or die.

Yeast Starter Instructions

All containers (including yeast pouch), stirring utensils, scissors, funnels, and thermometers that will come into contact with the yeast must be sanitized.
Boil 3 cups water and 3/4 cup of light DME for 20 minutes. This will give you a starter wort gravity of about 1.040.
Cool to a pitching temperature of 70° to 75° and pour it into a sanitized flask.
Add yeast. Again, you can use starters with liquid yeast or dry yeast (recommend rehydrating dry yeast first) to check viability or to increase cell count.
Add oxygen. You can do this by using a stir plate or simply by just give it a shake/swirl as often as possible for those first 24 hours. If you are using a stir
table, drop in your stir bar and cover with foil (both sanitized of course). Placed on stir table at min speed.
Place the starter somewhere where it won’t be knocked over. It doesn’t need to be protected from light the way a batch of beer does.
After 18-36 hours your starter will be done fermenting. If you are not using a stir table the yeast should be settled out creating a “yeast cake” on the bottom of the flask.
From here the yeast is ready to pitch into the wort. Either pour most of the liquid off the top of the yeast cake or you can swirl the entire contents to get the yeast suspended and then pitch it into the wort.
If you are not yet ready to brew, you can store the starter in the refrigerator until brew day. Although it should be fine for several days I would recommend using it sooner, rather than later.
That’s all there is to it!

If you store the starter in the refrigerator until brew day, then you’ll just need to prepare it like a typical liquid yeast earlier in the article. On brew day, take the starter out of the refrigerator and pour off most of the liquid. Be careful to leave as much of the yeast cake behind as possible. Leave about a 1/2 inch of liquid in the vessel so you can stir up the yeast. Give it a swirl and set aside. Let the starter come up to room temperature before pitching.

Taking it out of the refrigerator 3-5 hours before you pitch is a safe bet. When your cooled wort is in the fermentor and you are ready to pitch your yeast, give the starter one final swirl and pitch it into the wort. That’s all there is to it. The yeast will take care of the rest!

Conclusion

Strong healthy yeast is one of the most important parts of home brewing. Preparing yeast for beer brewing is not complicated or difficult. It helps ensure a quick start to fermentation, which offers many benefits.

If you have been thinking about getting into home brewing, I encourage you to get started. If you want a little more information read my article on “7 Reasons Why Beer Brewing At Home Is A Good Hobby”. It contains lots of information, tips and beer brewing resources tailored to the beginner. You’ll be amazed at how good a beer you can make right at home. Give it a try!

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