How do you actually measure your yeast before pitching

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davekippen

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I cant seem to find any real answers on this one...

I want to know how you actually measure your yeast before you pitch. If you "wing it", please save that for another post.

I want details, pictures, process maps - whatever you have that actually describes how you measure your yeast before you pitch it.

Do you pour it into a graduated cylinder? Weigh it? Is it decanted slurry? Full starter?

I have been washing yeast and making starters for the last few brews and still cant figure out how to actually know how much to use. I know the calculators tell you how much, but how do you actually measure it!!!
 
I marked the mason jars, and assume it's accurate enough. Viability is an estimate. The end result of a starter is an estimate. It really doesn't make sense to have too many significant figures on volume measurement unless you can precisely measure the others.
I assume if I start with x ml of well compact slurry of age t, add to 1.040 wort of y volume on a stir plate, I'll have approximately what is predicted without being too far over or under. I don't have time for serial dilutions to gauge turbidity.
 
Probably not the answer you're looking for but I'll add it to the pile:

I use dry yeast and weigh out 11g for a 5 gallon batch. I add it to about a half cup of room temperature water to rehydrate or proof the yeast. I do this about half way through my boil so it gets about an hour or so of hydration. This is added directly to the carboy BEFORE racking or transferring from the boil kettle. As the beer is entering the carboy I shake vigorously to oxygenate and then let the beer drop from the line at the height of the opening of the carboy. Positive pressure and activity between 6 and 12 hours.
 
I repitch slurry. I don't transfer hops or much break material to my fermenter so I just dump what is at the bottom of the fermenter, after kegging, to a jar.
I then weight this out for pitching. I use Mr Malty for a baseline on how much yeast I should pitch. It tells me 100ml, I usually measure out 100g because I didn't have a way to measure volume.

I did notice the other day that 1/2 cup is 125ml so I measured a cup of slurry and it was 125g exactly, this will depend on the thickness of the slurry.

This has worked good for me, Just use measuring cups to get your volume to pitch.
 
Oh yeah my mistake, my 1/2 cup says 125ml google says 118ml.
 
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