# question about yeast starters



## BernardSmith (Mar 1, 2014)

I typically rehydrate my yeast or else simply pitch it but I want to try something with a starter. My understanding is that I need to feed the yeast for a few days and my plan is to use apple juice (SG around 1.045). If I use a pint of juice how many days should I wait before pitching this starter into my must so that I can be sure to get the largest active colony of yeast from this batch. Is three days too soon?


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## Pumpkinman (Mar 1, 2014)

A yeast starter is usually used for beer, for wine, when we hydrate with go-ferm and let the yeast reproduce, we are essentially making a yeast starter for wine.


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## BernardSmith (Mar 2, 2014)

Pumpkinman said:


> A yeast starter is usually used for beer, for wine, when we hydrate with go-ferm and let the yeast reproduce, we are essentially making a yeast starter for wine.



OK... but I think when you make skeeter pee and you use the slurry from an earlier batch that slurry is acting as a kind of starter and that starter is enough to neutralize the preservatives in commercial lemon juice concentrate. 
I am hoping to create a starter with enough active yeast to overcome some juice that has been preserved with sorbates but in this case the juice is not a concentrate and I am not diluting the sorbates with water. 

My understanding is that there are two possible techniques available.

The first sacrifices the first batch of yeast and requires that a second batch be pitched a couple of days after the first, the idea being that the sorbate gloms onto the first colony and so the second colony has a good chance of surviving and then thriving. 

The second technique simply suggests that if there are enough active yeast in the first batch the sorbate is overpowered. My thinking is that if I pitch the yeast with some nutrient and energizer into a small amount of apple juice and monitor the drop in gravity over two or three days ( taking into account any lag time) I should have a fairly healthy and active colony.


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## Kivanc (Jun 20, 2016)

In the second technique, can I use a small amount of lemon juice instead of apple juice?


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## richmke (Jun 20, 2016)

Kivanc said:


> In the second technique, can I use a small amount of lemon juice instead of apple juice?



The Apple Juice is to provide Sugar for the yeast to live on.

Lemon Juice has 1/2 the energy (calories) for a given quantity, and also has a high acidity level. You will have to adjust the acidity.


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## wineforfun (Jun 20, 2016)

BernardSmith said:


> OK... but I think when you make skeeter pee and you use the slurry from an earlier batch that slurry is acting as a kind of starter and that starter is enough to *neutralize the preservatives in commercial lemon juice concentrate*.



I believe the reasoning behind using a previous slurry is for flavor, not to neutralize preservatives. Whenever I make a skeeter pee variation using commercial lemon juice, ie: RealLemon, RealLime, etc., I never use a slurry or starter. I hydrate my EC-1118 like normal, and pitch it. Works everytime.


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