Wyeast Starter

I just made a 1.084 OG breakfast stout and pitched using a 1 quart starter from a Wyeast American ale smackpack. The FG only got to 1.030, or about 60% attenuation. I was shooting for 1.020 or so. I think I should have used a bigger starter, but am not sure how you step a starter up...couldn't I just make, say, a 2-4 qt starter in the Primary fermentor pitched with a smackpack, decant the starter wort and put my beer wort on the cake? Those packs are supposed to be able to innoculate a whole batch of low-gravity beer, so couldn't I just go from smackpack to four quart starter without stepping up from a small starter?

Stir it up and make sure the temps are in high 60's. This could kick the fermentation back in and finish that beer up.

Check out this site for the future http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php. This has helped me out with my starters. It recomends using a 1L starter and then pitching it into a 4L starter, which is close to what you had thought.

If you want it for this beer +1 to what Homercidal said.

Right on!!! Well, too late to fix the beer, my buddy already racked it to the secondary for me. Oh well, I might gain a few points there, but nothing wrong with a 1.030 7.5% breakfast stout, either. Thanks guys, and I'll remember the starter advice!