Can I use half of the yeast from kit?

Hi,

I've just purchased a Muntons gold imperial stout kit online. It come with two cans of 1.5kg extract and a pack of dry yeast (5-7g), 5 gallon batch.


My question is can I use half of the yeast that it came with if I brew 2.5 gallon? (one can of extract)


I've read that dry yeast shouldn't be use a starter, but is there way i could "multiply" or "boost" the cell count??


Thanks

You could. What are you saving the other half for? Pitch it all.

5 grams is barely enough for 2.5 gallons. Use it all. If it's 7 grams, that's better.

Thanks for the response, I'm planning to do two 2.5 gallon batch, one with 1.5kg extract + oats, and the other just the 1.5kg extract.

Is this a good idea? or should I just do 5 gallon in one batch without messing it?

Yooper said:

5 grams is barely enough for 2.5 gallons. Use it all. If it's 7 grams, that's better.

Click to expand...

If 7 grams is enough for a 5 gallon brew why would 5 grams not be enough for a 2.5 gallon brew?

You might want to hold off on the cereal grains unless you can do a partial mash. Oats need enzymes from some base malt to convert the starch, otherwise you might end up with a hazy brew. If you want to experiment with a couple smaller batches, use some cocoa powder, vanilla or coffee after primary fermentation is over and skip the oats.

C-Rider said:

If 7 grams is enough for a 5 gallon brew why would 5 grams not be enough for a 2.5 gallon brew?

Click to expand...

It's not. Normally, you'd use 11 grams for a 5 gallon batch.

Thanks a lot for the tips,

I was thinking of a simple partial mash - soak about a pound of oat in hot water then boil and mix with extract. This will add body/creamy finish to the beer am I right?

and more about the dry yeast... if yeast can be washed from the fermenter why can't it grow from the starter right before start??

Cheers

Without getting into too much chemistry, The oats need to be mashed with malt...not just steeped in water. You won't get any conversion from the starch. If you can get your hands on a pound or two of two row malt to steep with the oats, youll be in business.

A good idea if you want to wait a couple weeks between brews, save the yeast generated from the first half batch and use that for the second beer.