BeerBorg

I have brewed two batches using the Mr Beer LBK with straight refills and have been reading a lot of info. So now I have a question. I read two different things about pitching the yeast. First, I read that you just sprinkle the yeast over your wort and then put the top on the LBK. I also read that after sprinkling the yeast on the wort to stir vigorously to mix in the yeast and create oxygen to kick start the yeast. Which method is truly recommended? or does it matter? I have not been stirring as stated in the Mr. Beer instructions. Should I?

Thanks,
CheapTrix

Both work just fine. I personally like to aerate the wort before pitching but many, many, many times I just sprinkled the yeast on top, closed the cover and walked away.

Cheaptrix wrote:I have brewed two batches using the Mr Beer LBK with straight refills and have been reading a lot of info. So now I have a question. I read two different things about pitching the yeast. First, I read that you just sprinkle the yeast over your wort and then put the top on the LBK. I also read that after sprinkling the yeast on the wort to stir vigorously to mix in the yeast and create oxygen to kick start the yeast. Which method is truly recommended? or does it matter? I have not been stirring as stated in the Mr. Beer instructions. Should I?

Thanks,
CheapTrix

I'm somewhat of a newbie here but I have always just pitched my yeast into whatever foam is left behind from my stirring... and just put the lid on. Like Beer-lord said.

The more oxygen the better though. But you want to create that before pitching your yeast. Hence my thread inquiring about a gadget > viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1203

I'm sure one of these guys here that are beer smarter than I will have a definitive answer.

The old, pre-Cooper's buyout instructions say: "Sprinkle the yeast into your keg, WAIT 5 MINUTES, then stir vigorously and screw on lid (this is called pitching yeast and begins the fermentation process)." so that is how I always did it. I did notice these new road map style instructions do say to just sprinkle it in. Like previously said, both work. I do the airating stir just because from my experience it seems to get the process started sooner.

There are a variety of approaches, and they all work, so just do what works best for you.

Certainly just sprinkling the yeast on top of the wort will work.

So will vigorous aeration.

So will the technique I use when using dry yeast. I boil about 1/4 cup of water, let it cool to about 90 - 95 degrees, sprinkle the yeast on top of it and let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes to rehydrate. Then I stir up the slurry with a sanitized fork and pour it into the wort, which I've aerated with a whisk. After pitching the yeast, I aerate again, close it up, and let it do its thing.

All of these methods will produce beer. So will one or two other methods. All are correct.

Technically from what I read, FedoraDave's answer would be the most correct, although I have made good beer by just tossing the dried yeast in on the foam and sealing up the LBK. However when the dry yeast (which is dormant yeast) begins to absorb the water, the yeast cell can't control what passes through the cell membrane as it rehydrates. That's why dry yeast makers usually recommend rehydrating the yeast as Dave describes. So that the only thing getting into the yeast cells is water, not wort. Turns out wort is not good inside the cells, and causes a lot of damage, so you can have a slower, longer lag before things take off. My own experimentation is leading me to believe that the rehydration approach does generally give better attenuation (more sugars consumed) and a lower FG. Not always, and like I said, I have made good beer just tossing it in, tossing it in and stirring, and by rehydrating. I just usually get a better attenuation from rehydrating.

Monty

Aerating the wort is a good thing, but you most likely get enough just from stirring/whisking the malt in, and pouring it into the LBK. Whipping it up into a frothy mess will certainly do the trick, so long as you don't scratch the LBK.

Whether you just sprinkle on top, or stir it in, doesn't really matter. Just as important, neither will hurt. The yeast will do their thing either way, they've been on the planet for a long, long time. Yeast knows what to do and are survivalists.

The more important point not touched upon is the pitching temperature. But if you follow the Mr. Beer directions of using a gallon of cold water in the LBK, putting in your extract, and topping it off, you should be fine.

In my limited experience, I add the hot wort to a gallon of cold water in the LBK, then top off with more cold water and whisk it up to mix and aerate. This makes for a nicely mixed and frothy wort. I have always just sprinkled the yeast on top and had fine results.

Usually the cold water/hot wort/cold water will bring the whole thing to a good pitching temp. Having a tempstrip on the LBK is a good idea, though, just to be sure.

And aerating well is an important step, too, IMO. Yeast need oxygen to remain healthy and work at peak efficiency. You will get beer if you don't rehydrate. You'll get beer if you don't aerate. You'll get beer if you pitch at 75 degrees.

BUT

You will probably get better beer if you rehydrate, if you aerate, and if you pitch in the mid-60s. Your choice.

Thanks for all the responses. Looks like there are several options. I will probably try every one and see which I like, and most importantly, which one produces the best beer.

CheapTrix

As stated, any of these methods will make beer. However, re-hydrating the yeast and aerating before you pitch will get the yeast going quicker. You will see faster, more vigorous fermentation and you will end up with a better finished product. Basically re-hydrating and aerating give your yeast a head start. When you just drop the dry yeast into the wort a large amount of your yeast will die off and it takes a while before the remaining yeasts can multiply resulting in a slow start or stuck fermentation. I usually do not rehydrate but I always stir the ever loving crap out of the wort before I pitch yeast. I actually use a sanitized whisk and stir it until there's a nice layer of froth on top. If your method works and it's what you are comfortable with then keep doing it.