How to step up a starter?

How do you guys step up your starters? According to the pitching rate calculator at Mr Malty, my batch requires a 4 quart starter, or 8 quarts if I do a double batch. I don't have a container big enough to handle that size. Do I decant the spent wort off and add fresh wort for each step and pitch the slurry in the end?

thanks,

What and how much beer are you making?

10 gallons of a Scottish Wee Heavy. 1.080 OG.

Kinda the same question that I was thinking about today -

Does making a 1000mL starter, fermenting, tipping off starter beer, adding 1000mL wort, letting it ferment = equivalent amount of yeast as a 2000mL starter?

Cheers.

Oxygen. Lots and lots of oxygen. That's how yeast grows.

what yeast are you going to step up??? Liquid or dry?
I will be happy to give you my recipe.
JJ

When I need a really big starter I step it up in a carboy. I make a gallon of 1.040 DME with nutriants or mash grain at 1.040 to start with a full vial of yeast and aerate with pure oxygen although you could just shake it every so often or use an aquarium pump. Let that build for a day or 2 and then pour off the wort from the settled yeast add more wort and keep aerating it. Once you have enough you are good to go and can pour off the liquid and then add your new cooled batch of wort to this same carboy. I sometimes make 4 gallons and then shake it and use it in 4 carboys. I store mine in a dark place at room temp with sanitized foil over the top.
Note: you can pitch yeast liquid and all if you want but remember that you are diluting the batch a bit.

denimglen said:

Kinda the same question that I was thinking about today -

Does making a 1000mL starter, fermenting, tipping off starter beer, adding 1000mL wort, letting it ferment = equivalent amount of yeast as a 2000mL starter?

Cheers.

Click to expand...

Yes, I believe this would be considered a 2-liter starter.

I'm not sure why 'stepping up' is so important...I frequently do 2-liter starters in one step with great results.

YMMV

Yes, when you step up you are creating more new yeast to go with what you already have.

denimglen said:

Kinda the same question that I was thinking about today -

Does making a 1000mL starter, fermenting, tipping off starter beer, adding 1000mL wort, letting it ferment = equivalent amount of yeast as a 2000mL starter?

Cheers.

Click to expand...

Not exactly. Remember that not all the yeast will flocculate and depending on the strain there could be quite a bit still in suspension. In this case, you are pouring off all the yeast in suspension so you'll wind up with less than you would if doing a full 2000ml starter.

I halfway agree with WBC on building up a big starter in a carboy if you don't have a 2000ml or larger flask, but I would say you would want to add more wort without pouring off the first round for the same reason.

After you've built up the starter, crash cool it to flocculate all the yeast, pour off the excess wort, then on brew day allow it to raise back to fermentation temperatures with a small bit of wort added back on the starter. This will wake up the yeast, get their metabolisms rolling and you'll be ready to pitch.

I highly recommend the following Brewing Network shows featuring the guys from White Labs (along with every other show The Brewing Network does except "that other show," Lunch Meet, which is not for the faint of heart).

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/dwnldarchive08-12-07.mp3

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/dwnldarchive08-20-06.mp3

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/dwnldarchive01-22-06.mp3