A couple days before your brewing, here’s what you need to create a Yeast Starter to jumpstart your fermentation:
Ingredients:
- One quart (32oz) water – this should be the same water you intend to brew with
- One cup dried malt extract
- Your yeast
- Ice (for an ice bath)
Equipment:
- Saucepan (stainless steel is preferred) with cover
- Container (a “growler”, etc.) with an airlock (airlock optional) large enough for the liquids (~42+ oz)
- Funnel
- Wire whisk
- Thermometer
- A container/sink to make an ice bath
- Your choice of sanitizer
The steps:
- If you have an Activator (smack pack), smack it to let it begin.
- Boil the water and malt for ~15 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Put the hot pan in the ice bath to cool the liquid (wort). Cover and cool for ~15 minutes.
- Once the wort is cool (less than ~ 65 degrees F), pour it into your container.
- Put the container’s cap on and shake the wort to aerate it.
- Sanitize your funnel and pour in the yeast.
- Put on your airlock or loosely put on the cap to the container.
- Set it aside until brewing day!