How much Red Star

[East Coast]

Ok I know this is a yeast question, but just wondering how much red star active dry yeast to use for 6kg of sugar? I have been making sugar wash using turbo yeast, adding 1 bag of turbo to 21L of water and 6kg of sugar. I just got a 32oz (2lbs) of red star active dry yeast, and not really sure how much to use and how to use it.

Thanks

[pounsfos]

depends what recipe you are using

what are you using for nutrients and how much?

for 21 litres of water, you want to go with 5kg of sugar so as to not stress the yeast... 4kg would be better
5kg = 14%
4kg =12%

if you want a recipe, check out the tried and true section in my signature link

for washes that size you are looking at pitching about 50-100 grams unless you make a starter.

[East Coast]

what are you using for nutrients and how much?

What nutrients should I be using?

All I have been using is 21L of water, 6kg of sugar and 1 bag of turbo yeast or 1 bag of Super yeast X-Press.

[rad14701]

You need to back down on the amount of sugar and scrap the turbo yeast... According to the sugar wash calculator on the parent site your potential yield is ~16.8%, depending on whether you used a true 21 liters of water or that was the total wash volume... If you truly used 21 liters of water then the potential was 14.1% which is the highest we would suggest...

[East Coast]

Yes I am using 21L of water, and 6kg of sugar, one 4kg bag and one 2kg bag, and the last few buckets I have been using Super Yeast X-Press. I like it better then turbo yeast. After it all done fermented I have tested the wash before I distill it in my turbo 500 it is around 12%.

But I have picket up a 2oz (2lbs) of red star active dry yeast, and not really sure how much to use and how to use it. Should I use 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or 1 cup of the red star?

[Prairiepiss]

The correct answer to the original question here is.

Go to the tried and true recipe section. Chose one of the recipes in that section. And follow it.

I'm assuming you are looking for a neutral wash? So I would look at these recipes. And decide which is best for you.
Birdwatchers.
Winos sugar wash.
Rad's all bran.
Rad's Gerber.

Any of those are good recipes to follow.

[robb]

Just started my sacrifice ferment using Birdwatchers. But cut sugar back to 8lbs. Are you saying that is still twice needed? Used 7gm redstar but grew it up before adding. seems to be working well at present. Any thoughts appreciated as I am a virgin.

[MitchyBourbon]

4 teaspoons active dry yeast per 5 gallons. 5 teaspoons active dry yeast per 21 liters.

make sure you rehydrate the yeast in sterile water 95 F - 100 F. Pitch when temp cools to within 5 degrees of the wash.

[robb]

I guess that was half the yeast I needed but I understand you can't add after ferment starts as the first has used the avail O2 for growth.

[East Coast]

4 teaspoons active dry yeast per 5 gallons. 5 teaspoons active dry yeast per 21 liters.

make sure you rehydrate the yeast in sterile water 95 F - 100 F. Pitch when temp cools to within 5 degrees of the wash.

When I make my next mash up I am going to try 5 teaspoons of red star and see how it goes, I have read somewhere about adding a little lemon juice and olive oil to the mash, would that be a good idea?

[Doogie]

Save the olive oil for salad.
Lemon juice, yes
I have found I do not need to rehydrate the yeast - I am sure it is helpful, but I never do
And if you are paying a lot of money for turbos and x-press type yeasts, who cares how much you spend on red star/baker's yeast - one package of turbo is probably equal in price to a few packages of red star, especially if you are buying the bricks.

[Doogie]

and like someone else said, go check out the birdwatcher's recipe, or any sugar wash recipes - they are all very tried, very tested, and very very true. none use sucker-yeast

[East Coast]

Save the olive oil for salad.
Lemon juice, yes
I have found I do not need to rehydrate the yeast - I am sure it is helpful, but I never do
And if you are paying a lot of money for turbos and x-press type yeasts, who cares how much you spend on red star/baker's yeast - one package of turbo is probably equal in price to a few packages of red star, especially if you are buying the bricks.

Yeah I got a brick of red star for about the same price as one package of turbo or x-press yeast

[Doogie]

if my foggy memory is correct, I usually dump a cup of baker/redstar bulk yeast for 20 gallons of ferment - yes, I am sure it is overkill, but it is goofy cheap and that brick is about 6-8 ferments. Once you open the package, the yeast will slowly start to go bad. So, in summary, I dont really care if I am dumping in too much, cost is cheap and I do not want old yeast.

[East Coast]

should I proof (active) yeast before I add it to the mash or just dump it in?

[MitchyBourbon]

As many have mentioned that they simply pitch their yeast dry and have no problems... that they know of. You too can probably just pitch without proofing/re-hydrating. You should know that as much as 50 % of the yeast will die if pitched without re-hydrating first. Pitching the right amount of yeast is best but over pitching is better than under pitching. A yeast colony that was under pitched will try to grow itself to the right size. In doing so it will exhaust the available nutrients. At that point they will become strained and start to produce off flavors. That said some yeasts should not be re-hydrated. If you are using a yeast that has additives read the directions first. The additives could kill the yeast if concentrated in a 1 liter proofing volume when it was meant for 5 gallons.

I always proof / re-hydrate my yeast with just water and nothing else. I also make a starter after re-hydrating. This quadruples the amount yeast. The main reason I do this is that it lets me see that my yeast is going like gang busters before I pitch. If there are any problems with the yeast I know it before I pitch.

[East Coast]

As many have mentioned that they simply pitch their yeast dry and have no problems... that they know of. You too can probably just pitch without proofing/re-hydrating. You should know that as much as 50 % of the yeast will die if pitched without re-hydrating first. Pitching the right amount of yeast is best but over pitching is better than under pitching. A yeast colony that was under pitched will try to grow itself to the right size. In doing so it will exhaust the available nutrients. At that point they will become strained and start to produce off flavors. That said some yeasts should not be re-hydrated. If you are using a yeast that has additives read the directions first. The additives could kill the yeast if concentrated in a 1 liter proofing volume when it was meant for 5 gallons.

I always proof / re-hydrate my yeast with just water and nothing else. I also make a starter after re-hydrating. This quadruples the amount yeast. The main reason I do this is that it lets me see that my yeast is going like gang busters before I pitch. If there are any problems with the yeast I know it before I pitch.

How do I make a yeast starter?

[jarheadshiner]

Hydrate in a liter of 95 to 100 degree water for say 30 minutes then add a cup of sugar should do the trick. Make sure this is done in a fairly large container or you will have a mess on your hands. Don't ask...

[East Coast]

Hydrate in a liter of 95 to 100 degree water for say 30 minutes then add a cup of sugar should do the trick. Make sure this is done in a fairly large container or you will have a mess on your hands. Don't ask...

ok thanks

[Prairiepiss]

Red star bakers yeast. I rehydrate in boiled water. I let it drop to 110 to 115 deg f. Then add the yeast. I have found the higher temps work better for rehydrating. And since its such a small amount. Usually a pint or so. The temps drop pretty quick. I get much more activity with the higher temp. Usually turns into a foam volcano. So you need to place the jar in a bucket or something to catch it. If I want to make it a starter. I will add some of the wash or wort its about to ferment. Then allow the temp to drop to pitching temps. And pitch. I normally don't do a starter. Just rehydrate.

[F6Hawk]

Eastcoast, just to add to the mix (confusion?), here's my 2¢...

I make a lot of bread, and less ferments. But knowing a bit about how yeast behaves, I have made washes where I did not hydrate the yeast first, just threw it in the wash when it was around 75-90°, and it did just fine. I have hydrated the yeast in warm water (110-115°) first, and tossed that jar of water into the wash when the temps were about equal, and it did just fine. I have also hydrated, added some sugar (1X~2X the amount of yeast), and let it "grow" (20 minutes to 2 hours, varies) before throwing it in, and it did just fine. I can tell you that when I DO hydrate, I tend to use plain water, or just a tiny amount of sugar (half or less than the amount of yeast), then add mor sugar after it is growing a bit.

As for how much, I use 15g or 1 tbsp per 5 gallons of wash. More won't hurt, as the excess will die off and become food for the remaining. I have seen people using 1/4 cup for 5 gallons. Some boil up some yeast and water (killing the yeast) and throw it in to use as nutrients (yeast will eat their own dead), but I think the yeast dies naturally, and will reach a self-sustaining level of live and dead until the sugar is near gone and the alcohol is too high.

Hope this helps m8!

[Prairiepiss]

F6Hawk that is kinda the findings that I have had also. But the reason I have stuck to the process that I posted is. I have had slow starts and failures. From pitching dry. And from rehydrating at lower temps. I have not had a problem with either of those issues by doing it the way I posted before. It always starts fast. Usually in the first hour or two. And it always ferments in the same timeframe. One week and it ready.

But this is a subject that gets a lot of different answers. Because its a comfort thing. Everyone gets a process that makes them comfortable. And they stick with it. Will it work for everyone. Probably not. Is it the right way. Well if its working for that person. Then sure it is. Could it be improved. Always I don't hunk there is anything in this hobby that can't be improved in some way. Personal preference. You just gota find what works best for you. Experimenting with many ways is the only way you will figure out what's best for you.

[MitchyBourbon]

There are a couple reasons for making a starter:
Because you want to grow your yeast colony to an appropriate size for the wash/mash that you plan to ferment. I maintain 5 or 6 strains of ale yeasts. I store them in slants and petri dishes in a mini fridge. When I decide to use one I start out with a tiny amount of yeast cells and build it up by making a series of starters.

Another reason to make a starter is that you can see that the yeast you are about to pitch is healthy or sluggish before you pitch it.

Using a starter reduces lag time. Since the yeast are already awake and active they will go to work immediately.

If you have plenty of yeast to pitch and you are certain your yeast is fresh or if you just don't care, you don't need to make a starter.

[frunobulax]

I use http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html For making beer. There's 3 teaspoons per tablespoon, 1 Tablespoon = 9 grams. and use ale profile.
For an average wash, It's pretty close to what MitchyBourbon said.

[East Coast]

Red star bakers yeast. I rehydrate in boiled water. I let it drop to 110 to 115 deg f. Then add the yeast. I have found the higher temps work better for rehydrating. And since its such a small amount. Usually a pint or so. The temps drop pretty quick. I get much more activity with the higher temp. Usually turns into a foam volcano. So you need to place the jar in a bucket or something to catch it. If I want to make it a starter. I will add some of the wash or wort its about to ferment. Then allow the temp to drop to pitching temps. And pitch. I normally don't do a starter. Just rehydrate.

ok thanks

[East Coast]

I use http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html For making beer. There's 3 teaspoons per tablespoon, 1 Tablespoon = 9 grams. and use ale profile.
For an average wash, It's pretty close to what MitchyBourbon said.

thanks

[East Coast]

Eastcoast, just to add to the mix (confusion?), here's my 2¢...

I make a lot of bread, and less ferments. But knowing a bit about how yeast behaves, I have made washes where I did not hydrate the yeast first, just threw it in the wash when it was around 75-90°, and it did just fine. I have hydrated the yeast in warm water (110-115°) first, and tossed that jar of water into the wash when the temps were about equal, and it did just fine. I have also hydrated, added some sugar (1X~2X the amount of yeast), and let it "grow" (20 minutes to 2 hours, varies) before throwing it in, and it did just fine. I can tell you that when I DO hydrate, I tend to use plain water, or just a tiny amount of sugar (half or less than the amount of yeast), then add mor sugar after it is growing a bit.

As for how much, I use 15g or 1 tbsp per 5 gallons of wash. More won't hurt, as the excess will die off and become food for the remaining. I have seen people using 1/4 cup for 5 gallons. Some boil up some yeast and water (killing the yeast) and throw it in to use as nutrients (yeast will eat their own dead), but I think the yeast dies naturally, and will reach a self-sustaining level of live and dead until the sugar is near gone and the alcohol is too high.

Hope this helps m8!

thanks

[East Coast]

There are a couple reasons for making a starter:
Because you want to grow your yeast colony to an appropriate size for the wash/mash that you plan to ferment. I maintain 5 or 6 strains of ale yeasts. I store them in slants and petri dishes in a mini fridge. When I decide to use one I start out with a tiny amount of yeast cells and build it up by making a series of starters.

Another reason to make a starter is that you can see that the yeast you are about to pitch is healthy or sluggish before you pitch it.

Using a starter reduces lag time. Since the yeast are already awake and active they will go to work immediately.

If you have plenty of yeast to pitch and you are certain your yeast is fresh or if you just don't care, you don't need to make a starter.

ok thanks

[East Coast]

My air lock is budding but it is really slow, is this normal for using Red Star?, this is my first try with it.

[Prairiepiss]

What temp?