Two packs Wyeast instead of starter?

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nasmeyer

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My next beer will be a double I.P.A. with a starting gravity of around 1083. Rather than make a starter, would it work to just pitch two pouches of Wyeat #1056? Yes it would cost a bit more, I was just wondering if there were any potential problems doing it.
 
Thats what I did with mine. 2 packs of (hydrated) wyeast and all went woosh.

Smells so damned tasty!
-Me
 
From a strictly technical sense, 3 very fresh packs would give you the ideal pitching rate, but 2 packs is a whole lot better than one. Especially with an IIPA where you really need good attenuation. Oxygenate/aerate very well and pitch 2-3 packs.

EDIT: Make sure you get the freshest packs possible, if you're pitching directly from the tube you want as high of a viability as you can get. The freshness date on the package is 4 months after the production date, so if you can find some vials with an expiration in January you'll be in pretty good shape.
 
DME + Stirplate FTW! A big brew from a single smack pack.

Multiple Wyeast/White Labs gets expensive fast... :(
 
It will be fine but the starter is cheaper and really not much work
 
It would be far cheaper to make a starter. It costs about $1/liter in DME to make a starter, which is far cheaper than the $6-8 for another pack!
 
I would recommend a starter, if for no other reason than knowing how to do one. However, if you've done starters before, and just don't feel like worrying about it, and you're willing to spend the extra bucks, go for it.
 
Jamil's pitching rate calculator says you should pitch 4 packs or make a 2.7 l starter with 2 packs or a 4.4 l starter with one pack. (assuming a 5.5 gallon batch)

http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

On top of that, you are probably assuming excellent viability when plugging those numbers into Jamil's calculator. What if this guy's LHBS hasn't had a yeast shipment in a month? Now you are talking, what, 5-6 Wyeast packs? That's $36 for yeast alone! That's another batch!

The nice thing about yeast and starters is that you can "make a silk purse out of sow's ear". Take an old smack pack with 10% live cells and use it in a starter and you'll have a nice healthy pitch again.
 
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