Mr. Malty vs. YeastCalc vs. Beersmith 2.0

I'm getting ready to make a starter and looked at three different sources. Mr Malty calls for 1 liter of starter with 2 yeast packs (too expensive), YeastCalc calls for 1.9 liters with 1 pack (too big for my flask, but I just ordered a 3000ml) and BeerSmith 2.0 calls for a .53 liter starter with one pack. That one doesn't seem right.

Details:
Yeast date 11/15/11
Volume 5.5 gallons
OG 1.073

What is your opinion on the disparity above?

check this out...

"So how do you determine the number of yeast cells to pitch? Lets do some some simple math. Lets say you have a 5 gallons of 1.035 wort and we selected a pitching rate of 0.8 million cells/ml/º Plato. First convert gravity to Plato scale. Divide the last two gravity points by four to get that number:

º Plato = 1.035 gravity / 4

Plato = 8.8º

Next, figure out how many millimeters are in 5 gallons of wort. Since 1 gallon has around 3785 mls that would be 18,925 mls. Now multiply all the numbers together to get your total number of cells needed to ferment the batch of beer:

Cells needed = (pitch rate) * (mls of wort) * (º Plato)

=(800,000) * (18,925) * (8.8)

= 133 billion yeast cells"

Step it. Start with 800ml and step to 1000ml. This is assuming your using a stirplate of course.

My advice is to use your own judgement and experience as a brewer. Personally, I prefer the Wyeast calculator. Mainly because it is easier to figure out multiple steps that yield your target pitching rate. Plus I brew exclusively with Wyeast so it makes things simple. I've always disliked Mr. Malty's use of multiple vials or packs for building starters. I think a better approach would be to make a smaller starter and step it up rather than pitch 2 or 3 packs of yeast at $8.00 a pop. Once you make enough starters, you'll get a feel for what works best for your beer. Until then, just pick the calculator that you think is best and roll with it.

The one drawback to the Wyeast Calc is that it doesn't take viability into consideration. Other than that, I think it is pretty accurate.

Spartan1979 said:

I'm getting ready to make a starter and looked at three different sources. Mr Malty calls for 1 liter of starter with 2 yeast packs (too expensive), YeastCalc calls for 1.9 liters with 1 pack (too big for my flask, but I just ordered a 3000ml) and BeerSmith 2.0 calls for a .53 liter starter with one pack. That one doesn't seem right.

Details:
Yeast date 11/15/11
Volume 5.5 gallons
OG 1.073

What is your opinion on the disparity above?

Click to expand...

On Mr. Malty, if you move the Growth Factor slider, at the bottom of the screen, all the way to the right. It says 1.85 liters of wort with 1 yeast pack. Same as YeastCalc.