Nom nom nom yeasties

So I'm about to make two big beers first up is a belgian, http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_42_164&products_id=1934&osCsid=96b58a5f7b0b94bd9dbc4eae2f74d464

I have one smack pack and i'm looking for help on how to make my starter. I haven't quite got my stirplate to work properly so I will be shaking it throughout the day.

What temps do I need to leave the starter at?

How big should my starter be? Do you build up to that amount of starter or do you boil the whole amount from the beginning.

I have also heard of cold crashing, is this recommended?

I'm looking to make this on Sunday so when should I start?

Your help is appreciated!!!!

You can run the starter at room temps. The goal is to grow healthy yeast, not make beer, so you can ignore the manufacturer's temp recommendations. When you're done with the starter, you can cold-crash it, then pour off the liquid and pitch the slurry at the bottom.

Go to http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html to figure out how big of a starter you need to make. You'll have to input your gravity, batch size, aeration method etc... For a huge beer like this one, you'll need about a one-gallon starter. I'd give it about 2 days. Reading http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php will answer a lot of questions.

First let me say Mr. Malty .com is an excellent resource for starter size in the future. Helps take the guess work out of starter size. That's a big beer so if I was doing it I'd make a one step starter with two packs of yeast, however you said you have one. I would make a starter per usual tonight or in the morning. Let it go at room temperature for appx. 24 hours then place it into the fridge for 24 hours. Yeast cake will form at the bottom. Then decant the spent clear wort off the top by slowly & carefully pouring it off. Let the yeast cake warm to room temp while you make another batch of starter wort. Cool that starter wort to room temp and pour it onto the yeast cake. Again let it go at room temp for appx. 24 hours and stick it in the fridge until brewing morning. Then take it out and decant off the excess liquid off the yeast cake minus alittle which you can swirl prior to pitching or you could pitch the whole thing. Let it warm up to room temp prior to pitching. Good luck.

Depends on your yeast, but my last starter continued at high krausen for 3 days. I ended up cold crashing at krausen because it just kept going!!! I usually do my starter Tuesday/Wesdnesday for a Saturday brew day.