Bakers yeast

[1965 wite]

In the sweetfeed whiskey recipe it calls for eight tablespoons of bakers yeast for a six gallon wash. Is that much necessary? I want to do a six gallon corn barley mash and would like to use bakers yeast. What are your thoughts on this?

[Doogie]

best to over pitch than under pitch. At the cost of bakers yeast (even in the smaller jars) the savings is not worth the hassle. If you underpitch, you *may* run into complications - best over pitch a bit and let the baker's yeast - worst case the excess die and become nutrients for the others

[S-Cackalacky]

I'm not real particular about exact measurements of yeast. I just started 4 3 gallon SF ferments and used about 3 or 4 tablespoons in each bucket. I could be wrong, but I think the large amount of yeast is just to give it a quick start. Smaller amounts will work, but it will take it longer to get going.

One important thing - be sure to aerate your wash before pitching the yeast. Suspended oxygen is important for the initial propagation stage of the yeast. I use a small air compressor to aerate, or you can just stir it vigorously. After you pitch the yeast, it's best not to disturb it until the fermentation is finished.

[Poseidon]

I'm not real particular about exact measurements of yeast. I just started 4 3 gallon SF ferments and used about 3 or 4 tablespoons in each bucket. I could be wrong, but I think the large amount of yeast is just to give it a quick start. Smaller amounts will work, but it will take it longer to get going.

My grandfather (when he used yeast) said that if you only have a small packet that's fine, but the colony takes longer to establish and this gives opportunity for infection by wild yeast if your batch has been exposed. Not all wild yeast are bad, but if like most of us you live in town and don't have 20 acres of woodlands around you chances are, your wild yeast aren't that good

One important thing - be sure to aerate your wash before pitching the yeast. Suspended oxygen is important for the initial propagation stage of the yeast. I use a small air compressor to aerate, or you can just stir it vigorously. After you pitch the yeast, it's best not to disturb it until the fermentation is finished.

All great points Clack, I stir using a ss wire with blade/prop on the end as to avoid contaminating my yeast from outside sources!

[contrahead]

In the sweetfeed whiskey recipe it calls for eight tablespoons of bakers yeast for a six gallon wash. Is that much necessary? I want to do a six gallon corn barley mash and would like to use bakers yeast. What are your thoughts on this?

Thought I'd add my two cents worth. Eight tablespoons of baker's yeast for only 6 gallons of wash is overkill. That much will probably work very fast - but is by no means necessary.

*Notes
- One gram of ‘compressed yeast’ contains about 20 -30 billion living organisms. The physical volume of that gram would be about the size of a pencil eraser. ‘Activated dry yeast’ should contain more yeast cells per gram because more water has been removed.
- One yeast cell can ferment approximately its own weight in glucose per hour.
- On average a particular yeast cell can divide between 12 and 15 times.
- In a well controlled ferment, aerobic (with oxygen) respiration allows S. cerevisiae yeast cells to reproduce or double about every 90 minutes. Instructions on certain yeast packages or in recipes might call for a 24 hour respiration period (with access to oxygen) after pitching - simply to allow for the yeast to multiply.

[Prairiepiss]

The amount used in most of the recipes. Are to keep the lag time to a minimum. So an infection doesn't have time to take hold.

You can use less with no problems. But I would recommend making a starter instead of pitching dry. At least rehydrate them proper before pitching.

This is what I have found to work best for bakers yeast.

For bakers yeast. Get a qt jar. Add 110 to 115 deg boiled water. Add the dry yeast to the water between 110 and 115 deg f. Allow it to all mix in and drop. Then add a small amount of airated wort. Mite want to put the jar in a bucket. Because it will foam up like a volcano. Allow the starter temp to drop down even to the wort. A round 85 deg f is good. When they are both 85 + or - a couple deg. Then pitch it. All the jar and whatever foamed over into the bucket.

[superdaveva]

I just started mine Thurs.I used 1 tbl per 5 gal. Of water. 5 tbl for my 32 gal fermenter. Its was working good the next morning , looks like its a steady ferment. Last run I used a entire jar, much better this way, will post when done

[Mud Mechanik]

The amount used in most of the recipes. Are to keep the lag time to a minimum. So an infection doesn't have time to take hold.

You can use less with no problems. But I would recommend making a starter instead of pitching dry. At least rehydrate them proper before pitching.

This is what I have found to work best for bakers yeast.

For bakers yeast. Get a qt jar. Add 110 to 115 deg boiled water. Add the dry yeast to the water between 110 and 115 deg f. Allow it to all mix in and drop. Then add a small amount of airated wort. Mite want to put the jar in a bucket. Because it will foam up like a volcano. Allow the starter temp to drop down even to the wort. A round 85 deg f is good. When they are both 85 + or - a couple deg. Then pitch it. All the jar and whatever foamed over into the bucket.

+1...exactly how it works for me.

[alpine]

Thought I share this: Fermentation flavors

My takeaway is that Scotch/whiskey distilleries overpitch (and don't oxygenate) to minimize aerobic reproduction in the mash, which produces water instead ethanol, and a lower spirit yield. Probably not as important on the hobby scale, but I would watch your gravity and strip as soon as possible, as you're going to have a lot of autolyzation, which helps produce Smiley's "Dreaded Esters."

[Prairiepiss]

There isn't a need to run it as soon as possible. Mater of fact many of us are getting better stuff by allowing it to sit for longer periods of time. Without racking off the trub.

[alpine]

... to minimize aerobic reproduction in the mash, ....

I meant to type fermentor, not mash.