c-note
Member
I have a question about yeast starters. I've been doing 10-gallon lager batches lately and have been doing about a 2-gallon starter for the 10 gallons. I originally had only one 5L (~1 gallon) flask so I would do a 1 gallon starter, let it ferment completely and settle out, decant the liquid, and then pitch another 1 gallon of wort onto the yeast cake. That is a total of 2 gallons but done in two steps.
My understanding of yeast is that they multiply until they reach some critical density and then reproduce no more, but do continue to ferment.
If that is true, then in the above process when I pitch the second gallon of wort on the yeast cake, won't the yeast simply ferment the wort without much reproduction - since the yeast will already be at the critical density? So the amount of yeast before pitching the second gallon of wort is about the same as after the second gallon has been fermented? I know that not all yeast settle out once fermentation is complete - this question is more qualitative than quantitative.
What I am currently doing is using two 5L flasks. I'll ferment the first gallon as described above, then split it between the two 5L flasks, and then split another gallon of wort between them.
Do the two processes described above produce the same amount of yeast? Or does the second method produce more yeast?
My understanding of yeast is that they multiply until they reach some critical density and then reproduce no more, but do continue to ferment.
If that is true, then in the above process when I pitch the second gallon of wort on the yeast cake, won't the yeast simply ferment the wort without much reproduction - since the yeast will already be at the critical density? So the amount of yeast before pitching the second gallon of wort is about the same as after the second gallon has been fermented? I know that not all yeast settle out once fermentation is complete - this question is more qualitative than quantitative.
What I am currently doing is using two 5L flasks. I'll ferment the first gallon as described above, then split it between the two 5L flasks, and then split another gallon of wort between them.
Do the two processes described above produce the same amount of yeast? Or does the second method produce more yeast?