Imperial Stout... How Much Yeast?

I am about tho order an Imperial Stout from Morebeer.com ( https://morebeer.com/view_product/18344/beerwinecoffee/Imperial_Stout-_Extract ) and plan on using the SA-04 dry yeast. I see the estimated OG will be around 1.094 so I was wondering if I need two 11.5g packs of the yeast to do the job properly? I know as a rule of thumb that the higher the OG is the higher you need your yeast count. Just don't know how much I will need.

So, would it be wise to go ahead and pitch 2 packs of the dry yeast?

Also, if I do pitch more yeast than what is actually needed what kind of effects can I look for? (weird flavors, poor fermentation, etc...)

Thanks for any input....

Mr Malty Pitching Rate Calculator

Looks like it's around 1.6 of those packs....so 2 gives you some leeway. With dry yeast, I like to make a small mini starter when I'm hydrating.

I would just go with the 2 packs. A big beer like that needs lots of healthy, happy yeast for complete fermentation. I prefer to ferment big beers on yeast cakes, but 2 packs should do the job as well.

I brewed an Imperial Stout back in early December and for whatever reason failed to add the two packs, which was recommended. My OG was 1.08 and it never got down below 1.03. It tastes fine but after being in the bottles for around three weeks I'm still keeping my fingers crossed there are not bottle bombs.

Two packages and aerate as well as you can. If you plan on doing big beers I highly recommend getting an O2 stone kit and bottle.

along with the two packs, I HIGHLY recommend you rehydrate properly. Pitching dry yeast straight into wort reduces its viability by at least half.

Edcculus said:

Pitching dry yeast straight into wort reduces its viability by at least half.

Click to expand...

Source for that quote?

I can't remember exactly, but jamil and palmer talk about it pretty extensively in different episodes of the Jamil Show and Brew Strong.

Thanks for the advice yall. I just read the very same thing today in Palmer's "How To Brew" book Edcculus about re hydrating the yest before you pitch it straight into the wort. I got he book right here in front of me.

--Quoted From The Book--
"Dry yeast should be rehydrated in de-aerated water before pitching. Do not just sprinkle it onto the wort, as the manufacturer's instructions often suggest. Usually, the concentration of sugars in wort is so high the the yest cannot draw enough water across the cell membrane to restart their metabolism."


I went ahead and ordered two packs of yeast and plan on using both of them just to be safe. I'll let yall know in 6 months how it turned out....:rockin: