Please excuse my ignorance or stupidity, but I want to make sure I understand. Your article was an incredible read, but also a little over my feeble grey matter. So I am going to simplify if you would allow me.
So, I go get a can of wort starter, put it in a plastic container and add the liquid yeast. Make sure there is an airlock or some way that the gas will escape and leave it on the counter overnight. When I am ready tomorrow to pitch it, give the container a good shake and pour it into the wort. Give the wort a bit of a stir as well to distribute the yeast and that is it?
Again, please excuse my ignorance and stupidity, but this is all very new to me. RR
nope, so really quickly to explain the SNS afaik it:
(backstory) homebrewers were using this stir-plate technology to continually mix a starter made up of 1 to 2 litres of water that had an amount of malt extract added to it to provide food for the yeast. the liquid yeast vial/pack is added to this mix and the stir-plate keeps stirring it for a day or few days until its ready.
(SNS method) user saccharomyces here has a strong background in yeast and yeast cultivation and etc. he proposed a system of taking the same sterile wort (i do 1.25 litres water with 100g DME and a pellet or two of hops - 10 min boil makes it about a litre of wort), putting it in a ~ 4 litre jug or carboy (when it’s cooled to pitching temp) with a stopper on it and shaking that wort very hard for a minute or so. the additional headspace(emptyspace) in the 4 litre jar allows for a lot of extreme frothiness of the wort.
-then add the liquid yeast to this frothy shaken wort and just leave it for a period of time until you add it to the real, large wort you intend to inoculate.
OK. I think I have it. I am going to take a ride to the Morebeer and see what they have. If nothing else, I need to get dry yeast for this brew and maybe pick up some DME to have on hand to give this a try. I was thinking of making another batch to bottle anyway, so this might be worth a try. Thanks all.
One of the key points is to use a jug that has 4-5 times the volume of you starter so you can get a lot of foam when you shake it. I use one of these because they are lightweight, shatterproof, have a built-in handle and can take temperatures up to boiling: Amazon.com
I can shake it like crazy without any chance of dropping it, and no worries even if I do drop it.
I have read over and over that the container has to be at least four times the volume of the starter liquid. “You must have a 1-gallon container in order to make a 1-liter SNS starter!” Not so. IMO, the volume of the container isn’t that important.
The important thing is creating froth/foam, for sure. This creates the surface area for oxygen contact/absorption. But too much importance is placed on the container’s volume. I do SNS starters without any shaking whatsoever (I have very bad joints). I pasteurize my oxygen wand, stick it in my 2-liter flask containing 1 liter of starter wort and yeast, and gently swirl the flask for 15-30 seconds. Massive froth. SNS achieved.
Agreed, but then it is more ONS (oxygenated not stirred) than SNS. One thing I like about the SNS method is that I don’t need to use my oxygen tank and wand.
ONS = SNS. The point of the shaking is to infuse oxygen into the wort and create bubbles/foam, i.e. surface area. More than one way to achieve this, is all I’m saying.
I think for SNS the volume of the container sets the maximum amount of oxygen available to diffuse into the wort. The container is sealed when you shake so the volume of oxygen is finite.
For ONS you’re getting oxygen from a bottle and the starter container size is irrelevant (as long as it holds the wort.)
I use these glass jars. I wanted to be able to see inside and reach my arm in to clean. Yours has nice advantages though (the handle, durable, and hot temps).
Brew day is done. It is bubbling away in the fermenter. I forgot to take an OG reading, was drinking while my brother was brewing. He decided to just go with the liquid yeast as it is. He is a much more, let’s give it a try type than I am. I set it on the counter in the morning and he popped the internal package and waited about 4 hours while we did our thing. The bag swelled like it was supposed to, and off it went into the fermenter. I told him about the starter, but he just dumped it in and stirred it up. We will see in about 3 weeks what the results are. Stay tuned, more to come.