When to Make Yeast Starter?

A starter is simply a small volume of wort that's used for the sole purpose of growing yeast cells. It takes only about half an hour, but plan to make it at least 24 hours before you need the yeast. This will give the yeast cells time to reproduce.

When should you start a yeast starter?

If you're brewing a big beer, we highly recommend making a yeast starter 24-48 hours before your brew day. An average pack of beer yeast is designed to ferment an average strength ale, usually about 1.040 starting gravity.

Is making a yeast starter necessary?

Preparing Liquid Yeast

Liquid yeast usually must be pitched to a starter wort before pitching to the main wort in the fermenter. Using a starter gives yeast a head start and increases the population preventing weak fermentations due to under-pitching. But a starter is not always necessary.