I am trying to get a yeaster starter going. I have a quart plastic container with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup concord grape juice, and some sugar. I am using turbo yeast and usually that stuff works fast. All I have after over 24 hours is a bunch of yeast sediment and no fizz or any visible action. However, when I put an airlock on the bottle it insicats that some gas is forming (the water moves all the way into one chamber). Is this yeast working? Should I go ahead and use it or start over?
I know some sources talk about rehydrating your dried yeast before pitching it, but I never do this anymore and I've yet to have a fermentation that didn't start right up. If you're using fresh commercial wine yeast, and you have adequate sugar, yeast nutrient if required, acceptable acidity range, etc., I recommend just opening the dried yeast packet and sprinkling it right on top of the must. Otherwise, if you hydrate the yeast, you want to be very careful about the temperature and quantity of the water and juice, and careful about timing the rehydration just as per instructions, or else you can do more harm than good. Jon [Check out my winemaking homepage
I am a newbie and was having the same problem. It was difficult finding any info about starting the yeast going. Seems to me the old timers forget us newbies don't understand the simplest of steps because we have never done it and of course it is second nature to the old timers. Anyway, I did find a post, real old one, on a chat group I believe vintalk.com or something like it and it started my yeast fermenting immediately. Here it is.
"Make sure your yeast is alive by making up a starter bottle - add yeast and a pinch of nutrient to 1/4 pint of luke warm water with a teaspoon of sugar added. You should see activity in 15 minutes or so. Add 1/4 pt or so of your cherry must to this yeast starter. When that is fermenting well add a bit more must. When you have a pint or so that is going well, cautiously pour it into the main batch. Do not stir at this stage as the yeast will work better on the surface. When you see a reasonable amount of foaming you can stir it."
You will notice the must or any juice, etc. isn't added until the yeast has a good start. Seems this makes a big difference on how quick the yeast starts fermenting. It worked for me.
I do not think that is an indication of activity. The pressure from inserting the stopper is pushing the liquid over.
How much juice and how much sugar did you use in that water? There is a good chance you just have too muchsugar forthe yeast to start (or even survive if it was dry yeast).
I posted this in another thread just today. The ideal rehydration medium is only 5% sugar.
I use half a cup of warm water, a little bit of lemon juice, a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of nutrient all in a 22oz beer bottle with an airlock on it. then I put the yeast in and it starts up fine; frothy and active. Got that recipe for a starter bottle from The Art of Making Wine.
tess. I might try yopur way next time. Whatever I did this time, my Concord juice is happily burbling away at 2 seconds per burble. The watermelon is still trying, but I just got aburble a second ago, so maybe it'll pick up. I am pouring the watermelon juice into the yeast a bit at a time so the juice doesn't spoil before it gets fermented/ Let's see if that works. Thanmks everyone.
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