25 Gallons of Dopplebock...

I'm stepping up my game and brewing a 25 gallon batch of doppelbock. I haven't brewed too many lagers, and never in this quantity. According to Mr. Malty, I need a 7 person hot tub full of yeast as a starter. I'm thinking I just pitch a couple of smack packs into a 5g carboy of wort, then decant and go from there.

Is this reasonable? How should I time when to pitch?

I really like to keep it simple, so this would be a reasonable method. I also have a stirplate, so would it be worth starting in a 2l flask before pitching to 5 gallons?

Thanks!

Why don't you call a local microbrewery and ask if you can buy yeast off them? They may even just give it to you.

ClarnoBrewer said:

According to Mr. Malty, I need a 7 person hot tub full of yeast as a starter. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Just spit coffee all over my monitor

Similar to your 5 gallon and decanting, but can't you just brew 5 gallons of lower gravity lager?. Send that over to a carboy for lagering and use the yeast cake for your dopplebock? I'd hate to see you decant off 5 gallons of scrapped beer, when you could get drinkable product with a little aging.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many breweries around that are doing lagers, at least not with a suitable yeast. That would certainly be easiest, and is what I've done for some of my ales.

I suppose that brewing a small batch of lager would work. Somehow, it seems like a lot more work, but I guess it's really not. It's probably a smarter, more efficient way to do it.

Thanks!

The simplest thing for you to do will be to pitch rehydrated dry lager yeast, like Fermentis W-34/70. Two to three 11.5 g packs per five gallons for a doppelbock, depending on your gravity. Rehydrated if you are pitching at fermentation temperatures, otherwise you can sprinkle and cool.

I have a doppelbock going at 45 degrees right now with that yeast. It's my workhorse lager strain and has yet to let me down!