Dry Yeast and Yeast Nutrients

[ToadLicker]

I rehydrate in plain sterile water, then pitch that into my wort.

How early before you pitch do you rehydrate? Also do you do the process that Jamil recommends?
Thanks for all the help.

ToadLicker

[Ozwald]

Just long enough for it to get all foamy. I haven't brewed dry in a while, but the last bread I had to rehydrate it for took maybe an hour. A bit longer is fine provided you're not leaving it in an open measuring cup next to the cat box all night. IIRC the last time brewing with dry, I ended up rehydrating some time during the mash which would have been 2-3 hours pre-pitching.

[spiderwrangler]

I rehydrate for 20 min or so, usually boil a small pot of wort early on and let it cool with the lid on, then try to remember to sprinkle yeast in while I'm chilling. Main thing is that you want to let it get fully soaked. IF you were to look at it as it rehydrates, the yeast starts out floating on the surface, then will slowly drop as it gets hydrated and the clumps will break up and it will get uniform. I typically don't get foaminess out of it... it may if I waited longer, but I typically think of foaming as something you get when proofing with sugar (like with bread baking), and I don't add sugar to my hydration water.

[animaldoc]

Don't know if it makes a difference or not but I rehydrate in Go-Ferm. The viability is reportedly better than rehydrating in water which is better than just sprinkling the yeast on the surface. I usually only use dry yeast when making wine or mead and the must is typically significantly higher than the the average wort so I want to give the beasties the best start they can get.

[ToadLicker]

Just long enough for it to get all foamy. I haven't brewed dry in a while, but the last bread I had to rehydrate it for took maybe an hour. A bit longer is fine provided you're not leaving it in an open measuring cup next to the cat box all night. IIRC the last time brewing with dry, I ended up rehydrating some time during the mash which would have been 2-3 hours pre-pitching.

Thanks. I am a new brewer as you can tell I am sure. One problem for me is I live in Japan and it is very difficult to get White Labs or Wyeast here. Most of what we get is dry.

ToadLicker

[ToadLicker]

I rehydrate for 20 min or so, usually boil a small pot of wort early on and let it cool with the lid on, then try to remember to sprinkle yeast in while I'm chilling. Main thing is that you want to let it get fully soaked. IF you were to look at it as it rehydrates, the yeast starts out floating on the surface, then will slowly drop as it gets hydrated and the clumps will break up and it will get uniform. I typically don't get foaminess out of it... it may if I waited longer, but I typically think of foaming as something you get when proofing with sugar (like with bread baking), and I don't add sugar to my hydration water.

I am thinking I will some DME to use in this process. I can get that here.

[spiderwrangler]

Adding DME to the rehydration defeats the purpose of rehydrating it in water, you might as well just sprinkle it in your wort. Just use straight water.

[Ozwald]

My bad, thanks for the catch Spidey. You're not trying to proof it so I'll second the 'no DME' statement. I shot out 'foamy' cause I had just woken up & was doing exactly what Spider called - thinking about proofing. Wow, it really has been a long time since I actually brewed with dry.