Heineken
Well-Known Member
I will be using a Weihenstephaner 3068 smack pack for a upcoming Hefeweizen. Do I need to use a starter? I've never used a smack pack before or a starter.
The Activator is designed to be pitched directly into your wort. Assuming it's just a 5 gallon batch. If you are making more than 5 gallons then you would need to pitch more yeast. You can always search to find a pitching rate calculator to get the right amount needed.
http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.htmAccording to both White Labs and Wyeast, a White Labs Pitchable Yeast vial and a Wyeast ACTIVATOR™ 125 XL Smack Pack both contain an average of 100 billion cells and are enough to pitch directly into 5 US gallons (18.9 liters) of an ale wort at 1.048 SG (12°P). This is a pitching rate of 5.3 million cells per milliliter, which is close to the pitching rate many professional breweries begin with when starting a new pitch of ale yeast. This rate works well because the health and vitality of fresh laboratory cultured yeast are superior to yeast harvested from normal fermentation. Both companies also concur that higher gravity worts, especially once they exceed a specific gravity of 1.060 (15°P), larger wort volumes, and lager fermentations all require higher pitching rates (or a starter) for optimum results.
Not really, the Activator pack provides about 100 billion cells, which is enough yeast for a 5 gallon batch at 12P (1.048). For most ales, even wheats, you want to pitch .75 million cells, per milliliter of wort, per degree Plato.
(0.75 million) X (milliliters of wort) X (degrees Plato of the wort) From the Mr. Malty website...
Fourteen Essential Questions About Yeast Starters
I suppose Wyeast Labs is "Not Really" able to make a directly pitchable product and then able to post their recommendations on their website.
People sure can be rude on the internet. I was simply stating that even though it says that, it is a statement geared towards homebrewers, the majority of whom do not know how to properly make a starter (HBT members excluded), and it can't be used for any 5 gallon batch. If the professional pitching rate is (0.75 million) X (milliliters of wort) X (degrees Plato of the wort) for ales, and 1.5 million for lager, then how could the same pitching rate be applied to such a wide range of OG's. Proper pitching rate is a crucial part of flavor development in the beer. Also, most professional brewers wouldn't advise pitching a lager warm, but for homebrewers it helps assure the yeast gets a good foothold.
Don't make a starter if you don't want to, your beer will be fine, but it will be better if you follow the correct pitching guidelines.
OK this is getting ridiculous. Either way the original poster will be making beer. Yay! That being said if the original poster makes a starter he or she will be making better beer than without a starter. period...
The funny thing about this argument is that it was caused by the_Roqk's avatar.
I read a lot of forums and have found that an aggressive avatar is always the starting points of most disagreements.
As an outsider - yes - that is what the Wyeast site SAYS but that does not mean they are 100% correct. Just like many "professional" instructions are dummied up for the lowest common denominator.
Question authority and if you have an aggressive avatar expect to be challenged.
It's pretty common knowledge by now that the Wyeast Activator or White Labs vial are not enough to correctly pitch...but that is their claim and you certainly can get away with it. For years I got away with 1/2 qt. starters using a Propagator pack (even less yeast).
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