normzone

Recipes 

Alright...no excuses here, just a request for some counsel...

I failed to make my starter, cooked up a seven gallon batch of 1.089 and pitched two tubes of Whitelabs California Ale 001.

It's evidently fermenting 8 hours later - should I leave well enough alone or would I be advised to pick up a tube on the way home from work and add it to the mix?

Sorry to bother you folks with these pleas, thanks again for all your help.

Norman, aka normzone

EDIT: Okay, I just remembered Mr. Malty. He advises me to get at least two more tubes.

slarkin712

Recipes 

Depends on the beer style. If it's a style that needs to be clean, and depends on high attenuation I'd probably get more yeast asap. You need to get the new yeast into the wort before the ABV gets very high (and other environment conditions) or it will shock the yeast and the new yeast may not ferment anything, rather just drop out. If you don't mind more esters, and possibly lower attenuation let it go with the yeast you already pitched. Letting it ferment at a slightly higher temp may help with the attenuation as well. If you pitched fresh, healthy yeast it may come out just fine. I've seen a number of threads with underpitching that came out just fine.

normzone

Recipes 

Thanks, [slarkin712]. I decided to go get a couple more tubes. It's an IIPA, Port Brewing Mongo clone-ish. Mr. Malty suggests 4.4 tubes or a two tube starter. That oughta teach me not to neglect my beer chores. I figured I was on the edge of the comfort zone and there's enough ingredients investment I'd be foolish not to pitch again. It will be about twenty hours between the two pitches, I should get away with it.

cockybitz

Recipes 

You could also add oxygen after the fermentation has started. The oxygen promotes more budding from the already present yeast. Yeast multiplication falls off once the oxygen is gone. Of course, you would want to make sure there was still enough maltose for them to eat.