gio
Well-Known Member
Your starter sounds about right, (stirplate?). Do you use Servomyces?
For all intents stepped decoction mashing should not increase BE but it does...it does in our mashes also. Let us know how the ferm goes.
I did not use Servomyces but I made the starter in three steps over a week so it should be very healthy. I don't have a stir plate but I swirled it every chance I got. I calculated the starter size using mrmalty based on a 3.3 gallon batch and since I ended up with 4 gallons the starter might be a little small.
Fermentation looks good so far. I'm not adding any external heat although I insulated the fermenter. Temperature was up to 74 this morning, about 36 hours after pitching. Is it rising too fast?