Yeast Starter

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doublehaul

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I want to make a 1.5L Yeast starter from a WYEAST smack pack - 1098 British ALE.

The OG for the beer I'm making is 1.071 and I punched the numbers into yeastcalc.com and it says the DME amount is 5.09oz.

The Palmer book example says to add 1/2C DME to a PINT (470ML) - so the ratio from yeastcalc seems a little low?

Also, If make this tonight (Thur) should it be ready to pitch by Sat. afternoon?
 
To make a starter of any volume use the ratio of 1 gram DME to 10 mL of water to get a gravity of 1.040. So for a 1.5L starter you would need 150 grams of DME for 1.5L of water. (150 gram = 5.29 oz) If you make it tonight it should be ready on Saturday. It usually takes 24-48 hours for a starter to complete its growth phase so that there is the number of cells calculated on yeastcalc.
 
You want to make a starter with an OG of about 1.040. The easiest way to do that is by using the metric system and a 10:1 water to DME ratio. So for a 1500ml (1.5L) starter you simply need to move the decimal one place to the left, or 150 grams of DME.
 
Damn, I just cant ever type fast enough to be the first to respond. I give up!
 
How old is the yeast and do you use a stir plate? If you choose simple starter with mrmalty then you will need 3.6L. If you choose intermittent shaking then you only need ~2L. With a stir plate you'll need 1.5L or less. If you don't have a stir plate then you should intermittently shake the starter. Set the starter somewhere warm and where you walk by often. Everytime you walk by give it a good shake or swirl. This will release the C02 and help the yeast grow. Once you get tired of this you'll want a stir plate.
 
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