Do I need a yeast activator??

[8dannyB2]

I just picked up Wyeast 1187 Ringwood Ale from my local brew store. The guy there said I won't need an activator. That the activator was in the smack pack. But looking at the reviews for it on Northern Brewer, some of them are saying to use an activator. I thought the purpose of the smack pack was that you wouldn't need an activator. So I'm a bit confused now.

 

[sfgoat]

I just picked up Wyeast 1187 Ringwood Ale from my local brew store. The guy there said I won't need an activator. That the activator was in the smack pack. But looking at the reviews for it on Northern Brewer, some of them are saying to use an activator. I thought the purpose of the smack pack was that you wouldn't need an activator. So I'm a bit confused now.

If it's a smack pack you don't need a starter for a beer with a gravity less than 1.06. If it is a liquid yeast without the smack pack activator than most people use a starter.

 

[8dannyB2]

If it's a smack pack you don't need a starter for a beer with a gravity less than 1.06. If it is a liquid yeast without the smack pack activator than most people use a starter.

Awesome. Thanks goat! That's what I thought, but was thrown off by some of the reviews. Appreciate the help!

 

[Brew-Jay]

You'll be fine just using the smack pack as is. But as you do more research you'll find that beers with an OG over 1.040 should have more yeast cells than what comes in a smack pack (or vial). In such cases you will want to make a yeast starter. There are charts and calculators on line to tell how (and how big) to make your starter. It's not the end of the world if you don't make one. But the yeast you have will just be forced to work a little harder causing different flavors to form.

 

[8dannyB2]

You'll be fine just using the smack pack as is. But as you do more research you'll find that beers with an OG over 1.040 should have more yeast cells than what comes in a smack pack (or vial). In such cases you will want to make a yeast starter. There are charts and calculators on line to tell how (and how big) to make your starter. It's not the end of the world if you don't make one. But the yeast you have will just be forced to work a little harder causing different flavors to form.

Jay- I'm making an Apple Cinnamon Brown Ale. My OG should be around 1.040-1.045. So I'm just gonna stick with the smack pack. But that's good to know that if I'm any higher I have to think about a starter.

 

[8dannyB2]

I was confusing activator and starter. My original question should've been "do I need a starter."

 

[Brew-Jay]

I was confusing activator and starter. My original question should've been "do I need a starter."

That's what I assumed with my reply. You'll be fine without a starter with that OG. When I use White Labs vials I almost always make a starter though since the yeast have probably been sitting around for a few weeks and there's no activator pack like with Wyeast. Making the starter a couple days before gets me excited about brew day too. What a nerd.

 

[BansheeRider]

Best thing to do is go to yeastcalc.com and put in your info. The calculator will tell you whether you need a starter or not. Depending on the age of your yeast you may still need a starter, even for a gravity of 1040. Do that and post back here with the results.