Single WL vial for a 2L starter?

I am making my first starter for a 10 gallon batch. Mr. Malty recommends a 1.7L starter for 11 gal. of 1.051 wort. I am using a stirplate. Can I just make a 2L starter, dump in the vial, and call it good? Do I need to step it up from 1L? Thanks. Al

I wouldn't think you'd need to step it up. Just make sure all your sanitation is good and then just dump the vial in and throw it on the plate. How old is the vial?

Are you using one vial or two? Just doesnt seem like enough yeast with 1 vial to me.

I would just toss it in: I've made 1800ml starters from one vial with no problems. Anything over 2L, IMO, would need to be stepped up.

nefarious_1_ said:

I would just toss it in: I've made 1800ml starters from one vial with no problems. Anything over 2L, IMO, would need to be stepped up.

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+1.

Anything under 2L, I just use one vial.

Phunhog said:

I am making my first starter for a 10 gallon batch. Mr. Malty recommends a 1.7L starter for 11 gal. of 1.051 wort. I am using a stirplate. Can I just make a 2L starter, dump in the vial, and call it good? Do I need to step it up from 1L? Thanks. Al

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I think you need to check the pitching rate calculator again... 10 gallons of 1051 need 357 billion cells. You will need a little bigger starter than that... Unless you are only talking for the amount to pitch into half the batch (one carboy). If not, you are better off doing 2 vials into a 3.7 liter (about one gallon) starter.

As far as stepping up, I think that is unnecessary. The yeast are not going to be overwhelmed by 1040 wort. There may be a lot of replication, and therefore your starter will not have the best taste, but you're not making the starter for taste, only to grow yeast. As long as you decant, you are fine.

I plan to make a 5.5 gallon batch of 1.105. I think I need over 400 billion cells, so I made a 3 gallon batch of 1040 English bitter to use the yeast cake, rather than buy several vials or waste starters. I pitched one vial. Do you think one vial isn't enough to ferment that? Why wouldn't one vial be enough to ferment 2500 mL of starter?

Cheers

MrMalty also says how many vials/packages to pitch. If you check it again, it might say to pitch 2 packages into a 1.7L starter. I did something like this for a barleywine recently.

I made the starter last night for a scheduled Wed brewing session. I will let it sit on th stir plate for 36 hours and then crash it. thanks for all your help!!