Yeast info

I'm kind of new here. I started playing around with beersmith today and noticed that it was telling me to use 3 packages of yeast if i were to use liquid and 2 packages of yeast for dry. Now i was just playing with it and selected a random yeast. But, then I started thinking about the batches I have brewed in the past. Altough they taste good, I have only been using 1 vial of liquid yeast. How do I know how much yeast I should be using? Is beersmith accurate? Recently I have just used the recipes they have on the wall at the LHBS and haven't really tryed to make one of my own.

Sorry if this topic has already been discussed but I have no idea of what to search for in this part of the forum.

you can use this to calculate how much yeast: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

if you've only been using 1 vial, you should be making a starter for anything >1.04 @5gals

here's some info on starters & other pitching info if you're unfamiliar:

http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.php

http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php

After reading that info I have definately not been using enough yeast. The articles don't mention benefits frim using 2 vials or using a starter other then money? What have I been doing to my beer by not using enough yeast?

from Wyeast:
How Does Pitch Rate Affect My Beer?

Pitch rates make a dramatic difference in the final flavor and aroma profile of any beer. Ester production is directly related to yeast growth as are most other flavor and aroma compounds.

A low pitch rate can lead to:
•Excess levels of diacetyl
•Increase in higher/fusel alcohol formation
•Increase in ester formation
•Increase in volatile sulfur compounds
•High terminal gravities
•Stuck fermentations
•Increased risk of infection

High pitch rates can lead to:
•Very low ester production
•Very fast fermentations
•Thin or lacking body/mouthfeel
•Autolysis (Yeasty flavors due to lysing of cells

another option is using dry yeasts. anything you use white labs 001 or wyeast 1056 on, you can use fermentis S-05 for much cheaper and dont need to make a starter.
http://www.fermentis.com/FO/60-Beer/60-10_home_brewing.asp

So the math is telling me that on average it takes 300 billion yeast cells to properly ferment 5 gallons at 1.048 so at 100 billionish cells it would take 2 to 3 vials of liquid yeast with out a starter and at 20 billion per gram of dry appeox 6 to 7 packs of dry would be needed. more for higher gravity beer is this a normal amount that brewers will pitch?
Thanks for the links they had alot of good info!

300/20=15

That's 15 grams of dry yeast to get 300 billion cells, or 3 5-gram packets or a little more than one 11.5-gram packet.

aug0202 said:

So the math is telling me that on average it takes 300 billion yeast cells to properly ferment 5 gallons at 1.048 so at 100 billionish cells it would take 2 to 3 vials of liquid yeast with out a starter and at 20 billion per gram of dry appeox 6 to 7 packs of dry would be needed. more for higher gravity beer is this a normal amount that brewers will pitch?
Thanks for the links they had alot of good info!

Click to expand...

I would suggest in just making a starter. It's REAL simple! Get yourself a 2000ml erlenmeyer flask, 5 lbs of light DME and some tin foil. Mix 1000 ml of water, a cup of the DME (or what ever is called for on mrmalty), boil for 15 minutes, cover with tin foil and cool. Pitch the yeast and swirl when ever you walk by it. You'll have a ton of vialable yeasties in 24 - 48 hours and it becomes infinitely cheaper than always pitching 2 vials...

Do that 1 or 2 days before you brew, then after your done just dump the whole thing in! You'll get a nice, healthy fermentation pretty quickly!

FYI...this is a great site. You can get addicted to reading! And the people on here are very helpful and knowledgeable. RDWHAHB! Enjoy your delicious beer!

Cheers!

Yeah, one of the humps for young brewers is doing a starter because you think it's gonna be hard. It's actually the easiest thing, especially if you use a stir plate, basically set it and forget it. Mr. Malty does the calc and then you just make that size. The more you learn about brewing, the more you realize how important each aspect of the fermentation is, and yeast health is number 1. A starter will make sure you got that covered everytime.

Well... A starter and good temperature control for yeast health

Is it too late too pitch another vial of yeast I brewed a batch on saturday and mr malty said I should have added more yeast fermentation is starting to slow down

If you're thinking of repitching, why not make a starter and repitch with that? That way you can ensure that you're pitching enough healthy yeast.

I wouldnt add more at this point, just wait to see where it finishes. most of the issues with under-pitching occurs in the first 48 hours or so. if it ends up stuck, add more, otherwise let it be.

Definitely don't bother pitching again unless you don't hit you FG by multiple points. If it's an ale and not an Imperial something you should make FG no problem, you're just going to have a few more esters. Depending on the yeast, you may not even notice. What a starter is going to do is get you re right pitch rate and ensure good viability every time.

Now with the yeast health oxygenated better and all 300 billion of those blessed little creatures I could expect more activity during primary fermentation right? would I need a blow off tube or would a regular air lock suffice? I use a 6 gallon plastic bucket for primary and a 5 gallon carboy for secondary. My first few batches i was getting an eruption out of the carboy because i was using that for primary and when i switched i had now more messes to clean up. Will it start clogging the 6 gallon container? I have about 4-5 inches "ISH" of space for the krausen stuff is that enough?

Every ferment is different. I've gotten some monster kraeusen on a 4.6% lager, even.