Hey Guys. I’ve read through various SNS threads but haven’t seen an answer to this question in regards to a specific concern I have (apologies if I missed it): Will pitching a room temp SNS starter into colder wort cause the yeast to go dormant or drop out of suspension? I want to start my lager fermentation cold, around 46F, and let it rise to main fermentation temp of 49F. Will pitching the room temp SNS starter into this cold 46F wort have adverse affects on yeast performance?
I’ve been brewing for a year and producing not-so-great beer. I now wonder if overpitching with shear stressed, stir-plate yeast is the cause of my poor results. I stumbled upon the SNS method in this forum a few days ago and am hoping this method will sort me out. I have been using brewunited’s starter calculator with MrMalty’s viability percentages. I appreciate any thoughts and opinions you guys have. Thanks.
In my experience, it works fine. I’ve done it many times. Here is additional info if you’re interested…
Thanks, Denny!
I usually chill lagers around 50-55F before pitching a SNS starter. The starter is at room temperature and I have not had any problems. I’m not an expert but this method has worked for me. Brew Your Own has a an article that includes pitching a warm starter at: https://byo.com/mr-wizard/yeast-starter-temperature/. I don’t use a stir plate just SNS starters.
Thanks for sharing your experience and the article link. Good info.
What is Mark Van Dita’s background? Just curious about where his knowledge of yeast came from.
Through extensive study on his own for years. Backed up by his epxerience and that of many others.
I doubt that shear stress on the yeast is causing your beer to be poor. I think that if it is a factor it is a very small one, perhaps making the difference between great beer and really great beer, not between good beer and poor beer. Go ahead and try it, but you should probably take a look at the rest of your process, too.
I agree. Lots of great beer has been made with stir plate starters.
I know many brewers use stir plates and like the results.
Lance at Omega Yeast has advocated pitching warm (60’s I believe) and chilling to fermentation temp for lagers. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve had a lot of great yeast from them.
I have made many stirplate starters and only 2-3 SNS starters. They both work for me. As far as I can tell, there is no reason to wring your hands over making a starter using a stirplate. I have been brewing since 1999 and I have made MANY batches of beer (mostly lager) with stirplate starters and the results have been more than I have ever wanted.
What kinds of issues do you find with your various beers?
You have a good point. I’ve thought critically about my process from start to finish and can’t come up with the cause of my lack luster performance. I feel like there must be an “IT” factor that I’m just not getting. If the SNS doesn’t improve my situation, then i’ll have to look at another aspect of my process.
For my lagers (mostly pilsners) I get a weird off flavor/aroma that I originally thought was DMS, then I thought was residual sulfur, and now maybe stressed yeast. Two months post brew day and the flavor/aroma is still present in the fermenter. I’m wondering if I’m overpitching or pitching stressed yeast.
Has anyone else whose judgement you trust tried the beer? Might be time for a second opinion.
I worked on my pilsner for years before I got it right. My final hurdle was water chemistry. That said, I just dumped a batch due to underpitched/stressed yeast and/or possibly infection. It took an entire week to show signs of fermentation. When finished it was terrible, like beginner hooch. The only thing I did different was the yeast. I didn’t propagate or even ensure viability, just dumped a stored slurry. Well that’s what you get when you’re in a rush. I’ve made plenty of great pilsners using a stir plate and plenty more using SNS. I’d look beyond your yeast method, are you pitching enough? How’s your sanitation? Were these tried and true recipes that you used before, recipes sometimes need to be tweaked to work on your brew system. Are you checking your pH and mineralization? Pick a recipe/style and keep working it until you get it right.
I believe I’m pitching enough yeast; in fact I think I’m pitching too much. My process has been to use Mr. Malty’s viability percentage combined with brewunited’s yeast calculator. I wonder if the combination of the two leads me to pitching more than I realize.
As for sanitation, I believe my method is sound. I admit I don’t freak out about sanitation like I used to, but I am mindful of it during my entire process.
Most of the recipes I’ve brewed have been taken from Brewing Classic Styles, but scaled for batch size and my mash efficiency. Would these recipes need to be tweaked to produce good beer?
As for water, I use beersmith’s water calculator set for distilled water. But I actually use RO water from a dispensing machine at the front of my local Publix grocery store. Actual mash pH has always been fairly close to beersmith calculations.
With SNS, you have to train yourself to not think about cell count 99% of the time. It’s the active starter that matters. You’ll get the cell count quickly after pitching the AHA. Yeast Cultures are Like Nuclear Weapons | Experimental Brewing