Don't make yeast starters from dry yeast? WTF?

Just read in "Brewing Classic Styles" by Jamil Zainasheff and John J. Palmer page 285, bottom of page, NOT to make a yeast starter from dry yeast. Claim it is much cheaper to buy more yeast and hydrate. Surely not everyone who makes a yeast starter uses White Labs or Wyeast.

As for cost, Wyeast would have cost me $20 from Northern Brewer, $6 for yeast and $14 shipping.

Can anyone think of a reason NOT to make a starter from dry yeast? The goal is to increase cell count. How does liquid yeast work well for starters but it is better just to pitch re-hydrated dry yeast?

Will send the authors an email and see what John Palmer has to say in his book, "How to Brew."

Wow. You need to find a local brick and mortar supply shop. On the other hand, a lot can be learned from experimentation. If White Labs or Wyeast are unavailable, I'd sure as heck try to make a starter out of dry yeast. The worst that can happen is that you won't get a fermentation. That can be determined after a day or two ... at which point you can bite the bullet and either toss out the batch or add some WL or Wyeast. Repitching stuck fermentation is not unheard of.

The main reason is dry yeast does not need a starter.  You basically add the number of grams to match the number of cells needed.  There are about 17 billion cells per gram.  Economically, it is much cheaper to add the desired number of yeast cells rather than multiple vials/packs of liquid yeast and starters.  the whole point of the starter is to pitch the right number of yeast cells for the batch size and gravity.

Dry yeast works OK hydrated or just sprinkled into the wort.  It is best to hydrate it with warm tap water.  There are products like GoFerm that can be added to the water to help replenish the yeast with stuff they could use.  Either way, the yeast work best when they hit the wort hydrated and awake.  Never use reverse osmosis or distilled water to rehydrate.  It is bad for yeast.

I've made a starter with dry yeast (Safale US-05).  I rehydrated it at 100 degrees F, and then pitched that --after cooling to 68F-- into a starter wort with a stir plate.  I didn't see anything wrong with doing it, and it appeared to work well.  As for dry yeast being less expensive, I would have had to pitch three packets without a starter at a cost of $4*3 = $12, compared to liquid which is $8.  Not a big difference, but it is not cheaper.

Thank you all very much. I use dry yeast as no LHBS carries liquid and it is too expensive to order on-line. Had I not read  "Brewing Classic Styles" and posted the dry yeast question, brew day would have involved destroying dry yeast on an expensive stirrer in an expensive flask. IF liquid yeast was available for $8 I would use it. Unfortunately Northern Brew charges $6 for the yeast and $14 shipping, making dry yeast the only economical choice.

Maybe the monitors can create a sticky not to make yeast starters from dry yeast.

It is not that you should not make a starter when using dry yeast.  Well, some argue against it but the manufactures sites I visited didn't say not to.  Folks should pick a process that works for them.  That could be 3 packs of dry yeast or 1 pack and make a starter.  Starters add risk and folks should consider that risk. 

I've been using dry yeast (Safale US-05 and Saflager S-23) without a starter for years and my brews come out fine.  In my opinion, unless you're making a brew where the yeast is supposed to add character to the beer such as a Belgian or a wheat, I don't think liquid yeast is worth the money.

The difference between dry and liquid yeast, as I understand it, is that dry yeast is not guaranteed to be all the exact same strain, while liquid yeast is propagated from a single cell and guaranteed to be all the same strain. I was told that ten years ago, and I've also been told that dry yeast has improved since then.

Starters are fun. Don't be afraid to experiment with them. As long as you don't introduce an infection, which you won't if you follow sanitation procedures, you'll be fine. Dry or liquid.

I've read it's more of "don't need to" rather than should not.  Dry yeast is more viable in the package (i.e., it doesn't die on the shelf) than liquid.  So, at 20 billion cells per gram, and most packages at 11 grams that is about 200 to 220 billion cells with some limited amount of die-off. 

The dry yeast MFR already put the glycogen and sterols needed for growth in the yeast, further reducing the need for a starter, assuming you rehydrate.  If you just sprinkle, some will die, but there's enough there for most batches to ferment.

Compare that to liquid with 50% viability after 60 days, or 50 billion cells.  All but the smallest brews would need more than 50 billion cells. 

The trade-off being only a handful of yeast strains can handle the dehydration process, so the range of possible yeast flavors is more limited with dry. 

Scottie - your satisfaction is the ultimate reward so use the yeast that makes your favorite beer. 

I use a starter for all yeasts, including the standard -05 dry yeast.  Fermentation just seems to start faster and finish better, though I can't say it has made a noticeable difference in the beer taste.  Perhaps a bit clearer.  For me, it is just so much easier to have that liquid starter ready to go on brew day and just poor it into the carboy.  It is difficult to put in dry yeast into a carboy, especially if it is aerated well and foamy, and there is too much going during the brew day to mess with the rehydration.  I do what others have mentioned.  I use a wide SS pot for the starter, get the DME boiling for 10 - 15 minutes, cool the mix to 80 degrees, sprinkle the dry yeast across the top, let it rehydrate for about 15 minutes and pour it into my flask and hit the stir button.  Works, really, really well.

Of course I sanitize any and everything that might even come close to touching the starter.

Good luck in whatever you choose.