Doubling yeast in an extract recipe?

Late last year I made Northern Brewer's Belgian Dubbel extract kit and it was fantastic. People liked it so much that they asked me to make another batch and sell them some. Which I did, but they said it was "meh". My buddy made the same thing and I sampled it tonight. Compared to my first batch I have to agree it was meh. Unfortunately I lack the palate and vocabulary to properly describe the differences in taste, but I did recently remember that there was a difference between my first attempt and the subsequent ones. The first time I brewed it I used a Wyeast smack pack, which I smacked and set aside the morning I brewed. The pouch barely got puffy over a period of several hours. I realized I was missing a grain sack before I got started so I went to my LHBS to get one and bought a vial of White Labs yeast just to be safe (they were out of Wyeast). I used both yeasts.

So my question is, for a high gravity ale does can it hurt to use double the yeast? Assuming that the original Wyeast pack was partially viable, should I make the next batch with 1.5 times the yeast?

You should check the calculator at Mr.Malty
Mr Malty Pitching Rate Calculator
That will give you an idea of what you should pitch. Probably pitching 2 packs of yeast is still below what it suggests. Don't get me wrong you can make great beer with just 1 pack of yeast but many people will say under pitching is one of the most common problems(weaknesses) a homebrewer makes. Use the search function, there are many threads dedicated to people under pitching their wort. It would take some serious effort to overpitch using liquid yeast and not use a starter. Basically use as much yeast as you want, to save yourself some money make a starter, which the equipment to do so will only cost you a couple packets of yeast.

Thanks, Yunus. I should have searched first as this question was easily answered that way. I am definitely going to make a yeast starter for my next high gravity batch!

badun said:

People liked it so much that they asked me to make another batch and sell them some.

Click to expand...

Were any of the buyers from the ATF?