Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hi just wanted to get some advice on TPW using EC-1118 yeast, my question is so I don't use more yeast then needed how would one make a starter if I will be making 65l washes. Before I used to dump 150g of dried yeast from Woolworths with 14kg sugar, but now I have EC-1118 yeast I would like to use little as possible to save on cost.

How would I go about making a starter and home much yeast to put in the starter ( one of the guys on here suggested 20g would be enough) but how do I go about making a starter and do I just make the wsh and pour the starter in without more yeast. Sorry I don't know much about washes, I just wanted to get the most out of it. I just like to say you guys are awsome and I am looking forward to making some better drinks next run, thanks all.

From the depths of the forum;

This is by no means something i have invented or refined, just common practice in the brewing and distilling world..


"When you make a yeast starter, you take half or two thirds of some wash and top up with warm water to say a litre.
You then pitch a small amount of yeast (maybe two teaspoons or so) and give it 3 or 4 hours to multiply.

Then pitch the resulting foamy mess into a larger ferment, or mutliply the yeast again in another half strength bucket, say 10 litres.

Thiis can be pitched into a 200l drum or more. This is how the breweries do it.

If you do the same wash over and over, just drain your wash leaving the sediment on the bottom and restart with new sugar and water at the right temperature (don't put boiling water in) and you won't have to add any yeast at all, forever.
I've had ujsm going for 3 years on the same yeast."

Have you kept a track of how many generations that is Zak?

Sorry SBB, that should've been in a quote... Fixed it now.

I didn't write that originally, I just found it buried deep deeeeep in the Yeast forum :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks heaps Zak you have once again helped me out, I will try to make a 2 liter starter using about 600g of sugar and a small amount of tomato paste, water temp. at around 30 degress and see how that pans out.

Honesty for a 60lt fermenter with EC1118 I don't bother with a starter. Simply re hydrate in a good quality non chlorine water = spring 200ml @ about 28c , for about 1 heaped desert spoon = 15+gm and pitch it after about 15 mins/once all yeast is sunk and therefore wet.

It will chew through a ferment for UJSM @ 24c in just under two weeks. If your wash is closely matched for temp but must be within 5c of pitching yeast in any case and well aerated the yeast will replicate to ideal volume in the initial phases=growth phase.
For second and third washes simply recycle the yeast slops with rehydrating whilst cleaning up and preparing the fermenter. Due to the longer time to pitch in these rounds progressively adding a decent food source to yeast assists with start up time and activity. I use well dissolved dried malt extract for this part as it holds far more nutrients that just sugar.

No point in over pitching, yeast in ideal conditions or even close will grow to the volume the fermenter & wash will support=plenty :handgestures-thumbupleft:

bt1

Nice one bt1 thats sounds much easier, I dont mind just using new yeast everytime as I have 500g, at 15-20g use everytime I will be lucky to use it all before 1 year. Just don't think I have that many mouths to feed lol.