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oooFishy

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Wanted to get some of your guys input on what I'm doing:

I'm making 5.25 gallons of 1.050 lager. My plan was originally to brew 10.5 gallons, but I do not have enough yeast since I'm brewing Sunday. I have 3 vials of white labs yeast that is 6 months old (only 14% viability according to Mr. Malty!). According to JZ, the pitch rate for a lager at this SG is 18.75 millions cells/ml:

(1.5 million cells)(50 GU * GU/4 deg. plato) = 18.75 million cells/ml wort @ 1.050 SG

Like many have said before, this seems quite high, especially since Wyeast reports that 6 million cells/ml is standard for a lager at this SG.

ANYWAYS, my plan is to make a 3 gallon starter on a stirplate with my 3 vials to achieve a pitch rate of 14.11 cells/ml, according to the Wyeast yeast growth calculator. Obviously I am planning on crash cooling and decanting before pitching.

This will be my first lager, and I want it to come out the best it can be. Also I'd really like to brew this Sunday, so unless absolutely critical a 2 step starter is out of the question.


Does this sound OK to you guys?
 
A single step will work. It is not ideal but will work out fine for that original gravity.

Be sure to have a controlled fermentation temperature and that will make up for some of the sins of underpitching.
 
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