Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

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natasdg47187
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by natasdg47187 »

hello getting ready to do my first all grain sweet feed wash an trying to figure out this yeast. I purchased some red star quick rise yeast from the local store an im going to ferment in a 5 gallon jar. the packets that I have say net wt.7g an 1/4 oz instant dry yeast. is there a exact amount of yeast or packets that I should use per a gallon or for my five gallon jar. thanks guys for all the help
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Tater »

This is on the parent site .-How Much Yeast to Use in Fermentations
Jack advises ...

To use the best brewing guidelines- use 2 to 4 grams of dried yeast per gallon of mash.
If the alcohol is in the 5% or less range - use 2 grams per gallon.
in the 5 to 7%abv range; use 3 grams per gallon.
In the 8 to 10%abv range use 4 grams per gallon.
You will know when you have pitched the right amount of yeast because the high kraeusen stage (the tall foamy cap) will have formed in four hours or less. If it takes longer than 4 hours- don't worry too much. If it takes longer than 24 hours to form- you aren't using enough yeast.

Higher than 4 grams per gallon will get you some sulfur flavors that can be hard to get rid of, so only use the 100 grams of dry yeast per 5 gallons (20 litres) rule for a pure sugar mash that is destined to be carbon polished and turned into vodka or a "base spirit" for liqueurs, etc.

If buying that much dry yeast is a problem, you can make a starter. Make a small "mini batch" of your mash - using the same ingredients at the same concentration (no less than 500ml no more than 2,000ml for a 5 gal/20liter batch) and put it into a sanitized glass flask, bottle, jug, etc. Do this one or two days before you plan to make the main (5 gal/20L) batch. Add the small (typically 5 gram) packet of yeast to the starter, and when it is at high kraeusen, add it to the main batch. Yeast "learns" to feed on sugars when it wakes up from that little packet- it takes yeast seven generations to learn how to digest a different kind of sugar- therefore you MUST make your starter out of the same stuff you are going to make the main mash out of (this is why waking up your yeast in orange juice is a bad idea). Also, yeast is sensitive to sugar concentrations- so the starter MUST be the same strength or weaker than the main batch in order to prevent osmotic pressure from causing the formation of mutant yeast cells (a big cause of off flavors).

The temperature the yeast is used at also can cause the flavor to degrade. Most whiskey mashes use an ale yeast- the ideal temperature range is 60 to 70 degrees F. Lower temps will slow down the yeast- if sanitation is good- this is not a problem. If a higher temp is reached - the yeast will undergo "stress" reactions that cause excessive ester and higher alcohol formation- this will result in a solvent- like flavor that can carry over into the finished spirit. Lager yeasts tend to form a lot of sulfur compounds at the begining of the ferment- during the lagering stage the yeast reabsorbs these sulfur compounds, leaving a crisp clean lager flavor in the beer- since you don't want to store a whiskey mash for 2 months in the fridge- it's best to use an ale yeast.

When you are fermenting wine (for brandy or drinking)- it is best to use 2 grams of dry yeast per gallon and no more (two of the five gram packets per 5gal/20L batch). It's true that you would think to use 4 grams per gallon since the alcohol is so high (typically 10% or more)- but, with wine, in order to preserve the delicate aroma of the fruit you are fermenting, you need to have a slow, cool (60-70F) ferment to prevent the CO2 from driving off all of the more delicate flavors. A fast ferment in a wine will find the CO2 "scrubbing" the delicate flavors out, leaving you with a bland acidic wine that tastes pretty rough.

Note though that you can over-pitch a wort with too much yeast. Jack warns ..

when used at a rate over 4 grams per gallon (with ale yeast and a potential alcohol of less than 9%), dry yeast will give off some excessive ester/ sulfur compounds that are almost impossible to get rid of through cold storage (lagering). If the stuff is to be distilled, and you "overpitch" your yeast- just make sure you have a LOT of copper to get rid of the extra sulfur compounds.

The very high cell concentrations typically cause a reduction in yeast growth. This makes the yeast that is pitched is the yeast that is responsible for the ferment- if the yeast viability is below 90%, stuck ferments may occur. Otherwise, the profile of the flavors that yeast makes is typically a mix of compounds made during both the aerobic and anaerobic phases- with the aerobic phase suddenly gone- some very odd smells occur (sulfur compounds), that, thanks to the stress of fermenting without any time to adapt (the lag phase), the yeast is damaged, and unable to reabsorb any of the esters and sulfur compounds when they go dormant (during the settling out and lagering phase-if any). The high cell count also makes fining and filtering more difficult.

Overall, underpitching is more of a concern than overpitching. Underpitching causes a long lag time that can allow bacterial infection to take hold, overpitching can cause off flavors to develop that can be removed with a long lagering/secondary ferment, and alot of copper exposure.

As a general rule, you use 400ml of yeast solids per hectoliter of wort (for a lager yeast), and half of that for ale yeast (granted, this is at 12degrees plato). For dry yeast, 2 to 4 grams per gallon of wort is best- 2 grams for standard beer, 4 rgams for doppelbocks, barleywines, etc. For an active yeast starter, the actively fermenting starter should comprise 10% of the volume of the mash/wort. It should also be of the same sugars/composition and at the same concentration (err on the side of a weaker starter, rather than a stronger one- yeast can go from "rags to riches", but not the reverse.)

Ted Palmer writes ...

Many if not most commercial distilleries use some form of brewers yeast. What should determine the type and AMOUNT of yeast is the make-up of your wash. A common problem isn't the type of yeast that you are using but rather how you are using it. A 1.060sg wash will be reduced just fine by any yeast so long as there are enough yeast cells per ml. and enough nitrogen to keep the cells healthy. In fact by repitching more activly fermenting yeast several times into a high gravity wash, a "beer yeast" can ferment up to 16 to 18 percent alc. If you use a packet of dry yeast then there are too few cells let alone heathy ones.

Here are a few guidelines for proper yeast use in any ferment:
You will need 10 X 10^6 cells per ml for any wash up to 1.050sg and 1 X 10^6 cells more for each 1.004sg above 1.050.
Always use a rigorously fermenting pitch of yeast, ie: never use yeast straight from a package, always grow up enough cells for the SG you are using (called a yeast starter). Say you are going to make 10 liters of wash at 1.050, open the package and grow the cells in 10 ml. of 1.050 wash. When fermentation passes the most rigorous point pitch the 10 ml. into 100 ml. of 1.050 wash, repeat this into 1 liter and then pitch into the 10 liters. with higher gravities use 2 or more seperate yeast starters.
Yeast need proper nutrition, nitrogen must be present. If using only sugar put 2 ml. of ammonia per 1 liter of wash. If using fruit juice or grain mash 0.5 ml. per liter. Yeast also need more than just sucrose for food, add some fructose, dextrose, maltose or any other simple sugar. An acid isomerization of sucrose(invert sugar) will also work if other sugars aren't available.
Reuse the yeast from the last batch you made! This is the easiest way to make sure there are enough cells for your wash, keep any eye out for infections though and only reuse yeast that fermented properly in the last batch.
I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by MitchyBourbon »

The short answer is, 1 packet of dry yeast should be fine. The long answer is, about 1 billion live cells per 5 gallons. Dead cells don't count. A single packet will usually have enough viable cells to get the job done but depending on how you pitch the yeast you can easily kill a significant amount.

Many people just sprinkle the dry yeast and go. This can easily kill half of the yeast. A better approach is to first re-hydrate the yeast in a cup of plain warm water 90 F. Don't stir for first 5 minutes. Allow it to cool to the same temp as the wash in your fermenter. Then pitch into your well aereated wash.

Posted same time as Tater.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by natasdg47187 »

so once I have all my wash done I should get one packet of 7g yeast an put it in a cup of water at 90 degrees an let it sit for five minutes then dump it into my wash? don't want to kill the yeast but does it matter to put the wash in my ferment jug first then add the yeast or should I add the yeast in the pot of wash stir it up then add to the ferment jar.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by MitchyBourbon »

You want to put the yeast in the cup of warm water, let it dissolve on its own for five minutes. Then let it cool till it is the same temp as wash. Then add it to your wash. It doesn't matter if the wash is not in the fermenter yet. Keep the area clean and keep things covered to prevent unwanted wild yeast and bacteria from infecting your wash.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by natasdg47187 »

ok I started my yeast an added it to my wash last night. about 5 hours later I checked my wash an it was bubbling thru my airlock alittle. today at 6pm would make it 18hours I started my yeast. I counted my bubbles in my airlock and it was 28 bubbles per 1 minute, is that normal? do I need to agitate it every day or don't touch it till 7 to 10 days when my airlock stops bubbling. wasent shur it just seems like it almost wasent bubbling that much somethings. what do u suggest? maybe more yeast next time or is everything going as normal.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Coyote »

Like you momma said

" Don't fiddle with that !"

"leave it be or it'll fester"

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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by natasdg47187 »

thanks everything's looking good so far. its been couple days an my airlocks are still bubbling. I know this isn't the right thread an cant find anything in it but is it ok to run a 5 gallon stainless steel pot with a glass lid if I can make a hole in it for my pot still. I think its tampered glass. I've purchased a stainless steel bowl to use on top instead but it almost falls into the pot. I cant find one that fits exactly on top in the grove. what do you guys suggest.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by MitchyBourbon »

I wouldn't use a glass lid. I won't speak for others. I just think that where ever I can do something to make this hobby safer that I should.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by natasdg47187 »

thanks for the help. I did my sweat feed recipe a I put my yeast in an within couple hours it was bubbling real good. I over read your message in previous post about how much yeast to use. you mentioned when you have the right amount of yeast it will foam up. is it really suppose to foam in a sweet feed wash? my airlock was bubbling good but no foam, does that mean I didn't use enough yeast? never did the sweet feed before an when it was done fermenting it had a strange weird wine smell to it. I put it in my pot an ran it Thursday nit an I dumped the first 60ml to be safe then started collecting. my first jar was at 120-125 proof. this was my first run so it would be my strip run but it still has weird smell to it, hard to explain. like I said this is my first ever sweet feed wash an never tasted it before an don't really know how its suppose to smell or taste. any ideas or is it normal? am I doing anything wrong or should I just dump it all back in the pot an run it for the second time an that would be my finished produce to drink.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by hellbilly72 »

Hi everybody I'm new to this site and also new to distilling of higher spirit but I have been making some decent wine for a short bit !So the other day the idea of making moonshine became as clear as day. So after some online educating I put together a five gallon SS still with a nice copper worm and today I had my dad don't worry i'm 40yrs of age just having car problems bring me 5 lbs of white corn meal and 8 lbs of sugar !these are the amount they were sold in not ingredient amounts After he left it kinda dawned on me that my wine yeast might not be able to pull off a good sour mash run and I live 40 miles from anything even resembling a town ! So I I'm kinda stuck with what I got SO PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR EXPERT OPINION ON MY INGREDIENT SITUATION ! 5 lbs of white corn meal / 8 lbs of sugar and for yeast I got Red Star® Montrachet :? So is this yeast capable of making a good sour mash ??
THANKS YOU IN ADVANCE :thumbup:
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by jetkrazee »

Has anyone here used the "RedStar Quick" yeast for bread machines? If so, is it more less of a turbo variety of sorts?
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Prairiepiss »

jetkrazee wrote:Has anyone here used the "RedStar Quick" yeast for bread machines? If so, is it more less of a turbo variety of sorts?
It's just normal yeast. Same that's in regular red star bread yeast. Supposedly the only difference is. The quick rise has a higher viability count. So basically they test the yeast to see how many of the yeast are viable. And the batches that have a higher amount of viable yeast. Gets packaged as quick rise.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by jetkrazee »

I see. There claim on the jar/package is 50% faster but I wondered if that was just a sales pitch, no pun intended.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Prairiepiss »

Does the ingredients say anything other then yeast? None of them I have seen. Say anything but yeast.

I have seen some with enzymes in it. Can't remember what it was called. But it was another brand of bakers yeast. And I still wouldn't call it a turbo yeast.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by jetkrazee »

I know it has some sort of acid but don't recall what kind.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by rad14701 »

What "usually" makes a yeast "quick rise" or "rapid rise" is the addition of ascorbic acid... I've found that to be the only additional ingredient listed although one brand did have yet another ingredient that I can't remember off the top of my head right now...
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

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Yup, that's it rad, ascorbic acid.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by jetkrazee »

Just found this. "The ingredients in Red Star's bread machine yeast are yeast, ascorbic acid and sorbitan monostearate. Ascorbic acid is used as a conditioner for the dough, which can help increase the volume of the dough. Bread machine yeast is semi-dormant cake yeast that has had moisture removed, giving it a longer shelf life than cake yeast. It is a fast-acting yeast suitable for bread machines and can be mixed with other dry ingredients. No rehydration is required for use in bread machines, but the yeast can also be rehydrated and used for traditional baking. It should not be used in doughs that require refrigeration or freezing".
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Prairiepiss »

Never noticed it before. My bad.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

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No sweat Prairie.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Prairiepiss »

I still wouldn't call it a turbo yeast. LOL
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

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Agreed! LOLOL
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by jetkrazee »

Thinking it might be worth a try as in my area it is the same cost as the "standard dry active".
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Prairiepiss »

If you have a sams or Costco and have a membership. Yeast is much cheaper there. Usually under $5 for 2 lbs.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by jetkrazee »

Thanks for the tip. :)
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by HORAMY »

I just went to the shop where I usually get the yeast and they have not distiller´s yeast anymore.

They offer me this one

Image

Do you think it will work for the Uncle Jesse's Simple Sour Mash Method ?

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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Prairiepiss »

It will work. I don't use it. But others do. Many use a champagne yeast for many different washes. Usually because they have a higher alcohol content resistance. But have a cleaner ferment.
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Essayons »

Red Star® Côte des Blancs (Davis 750), a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been derived from a selection of the Geisenheim Institute in Germany. It is a relatively slow fermenter, identical to Geisenheim Epernay, but producing less foam. This yeast requires nutrient addition for most chardonnay fermentations. Côte des Blancs produces fine, fruity aromas and may be controlled by lowering temperature to finish with some residual sugar. It is recommended for reds, whites, sparkling cuvées and non-grape fruit wines (especially apple).. Ferments best between 17°-30°C (64°-86°F). Sensitive below 13°C (55°F).
___________________________________________________________________________________


By relatively slow fermenter they mean vs. ?

And would this yeast produce a decent end product?

And to what form/recipe would this yeast preferentially enjoy most?
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Re: Red Star Brand Yeast Quick Reference List

Post by Frosty36 »

Having some issues with the Red Star Cote des Blancs Wine Yeast activating. Tried 2 packs. It just won't activate when I add 90f water to it. Any ideas? Is it ok to still add it to mash even though it's not bubbling or should I just add a pack to the mash dry?
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