• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

Making a Starter with Dry Yeast

steveoatley

Apprentice
Joined
May 25, 2018
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Location
Detroit, Mi.
Hey Ya'll
I'm brewing a RIS, ( OG 1.117 is hope ) and BeerSmith is asking for 3 packets of Dry Yeast.....
Because I am unable to get out of the house and BUY more yeast......

Is there a way to build up a Dry Yeast Starter in Beer Smith?

There doesn't seem to be an option for something like that??

Thanks
 
In general, I have found it to be more economical in the past to buy more packs of dry yeast versus the cost and effort to make a starter. 

That said, to make a starter with dry yeast, edit your yeast in the recipe and change the type to 'liquid', now you will need to adjust the number of cells (which will default to 100 billion cells) to reflect the amount in the dry yeast packet.  Next, adjust the date on the yeast to something close to your brew date, since the dry yeast will not have lost much viability if kept properly, unlike liquid yeast.  Now you can build your starter, since the program thinks it is dealing with liquid yeast.

 
Thanks.... that worked....

BUT not the first time.... I had to Save/Quit and restart in order for BS to save that yeast as Liquid. ( weird )

Thanks for your help
 
Interesting, when I tried it to make sure I had the instructions correct all I had to do was leave the starter tab and then go back to get the starter options available.
 
Hmmm I have used BS2 and BS3 on my macbook air for years and have never found it buggy. In a sort of answer to your dilemma I have found the best way to make a starter for a big beer like that is to first make a smaller OG beer first. On the day that beer is ready to be removed from the fermenter make the big beer and pitch it right on top of the yeast cake left behind by the first beer.
 
Thanks Kevin.... but i was just trying to Make a Starter with dry yeast..... build one up for a 1.115 OG = In The Software - make sure i had the cell count I needed for that OG
BS only lets me ADD multiple Packets of yeast.... I don't have that option right now...( stuck inside ) changing US-05 to a "Liquid" worked

I have a list of "buggy" things of BS on a Macbook Air (13" )

1. the water "tab" doesn't fit on my screen - unless I Hide the tool/menu bar....?
2. I have to "Force Save" if I am importing a XML recipe...before doing ANYTHING to that recipe ( BS crashes if i try and chance anything )
3. I have made Repeated changes to "My Equipment" profile.... and i have to SAVE those, Quit, and restart BS in order for those changes to show up
4. Command S = SAVE on a Mac = for like 35+ years .... with different windows open... Command S does all kinds of weirdness ~ opens others ?!?
5. I Changed US-05 to a "Liquid" yeast, it took 3 tries to get BS to actually SAVE that change, and allow me to use that Build a Starter Option in the yeast tab. YES, i had to edit the yeast 3 different times, Force Save, Quit, re open, to see IF BS actually made the change, and US-5 was now Liquid.

Buggy...... by my definition....not Bad....but buggy


Hey... BS is great software !! Miles ahead of what I was using prior ( BeerTools Pro )( that was a real pos )
BUT.. it is VERY OBVIOUS to me = a Life Long Mac user, that Brad designed this software on a Windows Machine.....and "ported" BS to work
on a Mac... not Written on a Mac....
 
Yep. That's how I build up a starter for a 1.080 and larger beer. By basically making a 5 gallon starter first with just one packet of yeast. The bonus is that you get two beers out of that one packet.

Your macbook air issues seem very odd to me. I have never experienced any of those. Weird. Good luck ramping up that dry yeast.
 
Back
Top