Note: the following is an unbiased review of a product I purchased myself. This is not a sponsored review.
Pitching healthy yeast, and in the correct quantity, is important in order to get the most out of your fermentation. In particular, lagers and high-gravity ales require more yeast cells than a typical ale would.
In order to determine the amount of cells that need to be pitched into your wort, you can use a yeast pitch calculator. Some brewing software, such as BeerSmith, includes a yeast pitch calculator for you to use. An abundance of calculators exist online as well, and I often refer to this one by MoreBeer. The calculators will help you determine how many viable yeast cells you have, and also how many are needed for the beer style and quantity you are producing.
This is where a yeast starter comes into play. To pitch more yeast cells on brew day, you could simply purchase additional packs or vials of yeast; however, this doesn't tend to be the most cost effective method, especially if liquid yeast is used. An alternative is to make a yeast starter, which is essentially a mini batch of wort. When yeast is added to it, the cells will multiply. You can find additional information regarding the process of producing a traditional yeast starter via White Labs here. In short, dried malt extract (DME) is used to create the starter, which must be boiled and subsequently cooled before yeast can be pitched into it.
A traditional yeast starter is not difficult to make, but it is time consuming and can be quite messy. These are two issues that Propper Starter seeks to address in the yeast starter process.
Ease of use: 5/5
Compared to the traditional method, Propper Starter is amazingly simple. Each can contains 16 fluid ounces of concentrated wort, which is sufficient to make a one liter starter. You simply sanitize your Erlenmeyer flask (and stir bar if using a stir plate), the can, a measuring cup, your yeast pack, and some scissors (if needed for the yeast).
Give the can a swirl (avoid shaking it) and pour it into the flask. Next, add an equal amount (16 ounces) of water (bottled, distilled, or boiled/cooled). Then pitch your yeast and cover the flask with a sanitized foam stopper and/or sanitized aluminum foil.
From start to finish, you can have a yeast starter in as few as five minutes.
Quality: 5/5
I've used Propper Starter on a number of brews and have always had good results. No complaints. The cans are sturdy and are held together by a recycled HDPE four-pack carrier.
Effectiveness: 5/5
The process is very simple and effective. Very little measuring is required (just measure the water addition), which makes repeatable results a breeze. The concentrated wort is pasteurized to avoid the need for a boil. The resulting yeast starter is painless to produce and has consistently performed well for me.
Cost: 4/5
The cans are not cheap, selling for around $4.49 for a single can or $13.99 for a four-pack. However, it is important to consider their cost against the cost of buying additional liquid yeast, which can easily run $8.00 to $10.00 or more.
Overall: 5/5
I am a huge fan of Propper Starter. While easy, producing a traditional yeast starter is time consuming and was an activity I dreaded in the past prior to brew day. Propper Starter makes things easy, which motivates me to get my starter(s) going and prepare for a successful brew.
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