by Rich Rabassa

As any homebrewer knows, the key to a great beer lies in the quality of the ingredients (along with sanitation, of course). But in addition to ingredients, the performance of those ingredients is critical as well. In particular, the performance of your yeast. Living yeast cells can be affected in many different ways, for example poor shipping and distribution methods can expose the yeast to harmful fluctuations in temperature. Also, the loss of viable cells due to age.

So what can be done to get the most out of our yeast? Well we’ve gathered a few tips that should help you along…


Starters:
Whenever possible, always start with a starter! Starters are basically a mini batch of ordinary beer (without hops or any adjuncts added). This mini batch will create a comfortable environment for your yeast to multiply. A good cell count (and we’re talking in the millions if not billions) is always desirable. This is called increasing the pitching rate. This will help your (full size) batch to start its fermentation process faster and more efficiently.

Simple steps for a starter: To make a starter, boil a pint of wort using 3 -4 tablespoons (about 6 oz) of dry malt extract in 2 cups of water for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool to 75 F., add your yeast and incubate for several hours or until you see a high krausen. The time for incubation varies according to yeast strain, manufacture and incubation conditions. However, we’ve had great success with incubation periods of as little as 6 hours.


Perfect timing and temperatures:
Although the yeast cell is actually quite a strong organism (for it’s size), it can be quite tempermental when it comes to the right temperature and the right time for pitching. Delaying the use of the yeast after it starts incubating, whether from the package or a starter, can reduce performance. To maximize the performance, make transfers in approximately 24 hr intervals at 75° F. Maintain at 75° F during incubation.

Aeration:
Remember yeast needs a few different things to do its job. The right environment with enough food, are crucial, but so is enough oxygen to breathe. So you should always aerate your wort when you pitch. A good solid shaking about for several minutes should be sufficient, but you may also want to consider an oxygenating tank with a diffusion stone to really get those bubbles into your wort.


Uniform Fermenting Temperatures:
Again, your yeast can be very tempermental. Like my grandfather, it doesn’t like temperature fluctuations… and just like my grandfather, your yeast may decide to go to sleep if the temperature isn’t just right! So keep your batch at 75° F until fermentation is evident, and then adjust to the desired temperature according to the yeast strain that you are using. Also, temperature fluctuations from night to day need to be kept at a minimum.

By following these simple tips outlined above, your yeast will be very happy. And a happy yeast cell is a hard working yeast cell!