Pitch yeast then wort?

Brewing Processes
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I was looking at my clean and sanitized fermenter preparing to transfer my wort into it when I had a “strange” thought. What if I pitched my yeast into the fermenter first, then added the wort? I use dry yeast and we know it sits on top of the wort as it begins to rehydrate and reactivate. Pitching the yeast first would result in the yeast being distributed thoughout the wort as the wort flows into the fermenter.

Just curious about this as I have never seen anything about adding the wort to the yeast.

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There’s a reason you’ve never heard of it. Give it a try, but I’m 99.99% sure it will make no difference. You are attaching an importance to distributing the yeast that doesn’t exist.

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Actually, one dry yeast manufacturer recommends pitching as the fermenter is filled.

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Page 22 of the Tips and Tricks brochure (link to landing page that has the link to brochure) from Fermentis. Excellent resource for both home brewers and professional brewers. Personally, I doubt the approach adds value when brewing batches that are 5 gal (or less).

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My fermenter is usually pretty foamy with StarSan before I transfer the wort in. I’ve always been concerned (probably baselessly…) that dumping the yeast directly on the StarSan might kill some of it (the yeast, that is, not the StarSan).

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StarSan is supposedly a nutrient

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This looks like it might be from a Brewer’s Best kit. They switched to Apex yeast. I had such a poor experience with that yeast that I’m inclined to not buy their kits again.

I brew all-grain almost exclusively, but I wanted to brew an extract kit from them that I’d enjoyed in the past. Didn’t turn out. Horrible attenuation.

Sorry… a bit off topic.

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I think you might risk clumping. Similar to dough balls forming in the mash.

The best practice is to evenly sprinkle it on top of the wort.

If you use liquid yeast, that would work.

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Maybe I am missing something but when you rack onto a yeast cake are you not adding wort on top of the yeast?

I mean I do both. First batch I add yeast to the wort. My second batch I add the wort to the yeast. I can’t tell the difference

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Yes, but at that point you’re using liquid yeast, not dry. But like I said, I don’t think it make a difference either way.

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On the other hand, whenever I use dry yeast, I recall that when I bake, I always incorporate instant yeast into the ingredients before adding liquid, and then I wonder a little about that dry yeast floating on top of the wort. Yes, it seems to get dissolved eventually, but after watching Fermentis webinars and now reading this guide, I’m going by my baking instincts and following their guidance. It will take about three seconds, if that, to pause the transfer of wort into the fermenter and sprinkle the yeast before draining the remaining wort.

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Thanks for all of your input. Sounds like a distribution of dry yeat throughout the worth may be an import step for comercial brewers, but is not a key consideration for homebrewers.

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Correct, as many things are

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It’s from Fermentis

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I guess it was silly of me to think that it was Brewer’s Best. They’re certainly not the only beer-centric company that uses an image of beer in their branding. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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