First yeast starter, first pilsner.

O.k,

A few questions.......

1. Today I'm brewing a pilsner, OG 1058. On Thursday night I made a starter (3.5 litres according to mr malty). It started fermenting pretty quickly. I gave it a couple of shakes and went to bed. Woke up put it in the fridge and went to work. I took it out of the fridge today and the yeast had not settled. The airlock was still bubbling. I went to the store this morning and bought and extra vial of yeast, just in case the starter is somehow not good enough.

1. Can I pitch the whole starter (water and all) into the fermenter?
2. The fermenting temp is 10 degrees Celcius. Do I have to cool the wort to 10 degrees?
3. Is it possible to pitch too much yeast? I'm thinking of pitching the starter and the extra vial.

Thanks in advance for your answers!!!!

If you just made your starter Thursday (21/06/2012) and the airlock is still bubbling, that is a good thing! It means your yeast is alive & happy, and they are not ready to settle down yet !

Pitch the whole starter -- that's basically what you are doing when you pitch yeast from a purchased vial/smack pack with liquid in it.

Since the fermenting temp is 10 C (50 F), you would want your wort to be as close to that as possible when you pitch your yeast. Additionally, you may want to take your starter out of the refrigerator and let its temperature rise closer to your wort's temperature before you pitch it to reduce the possibility of thermal shock.

It is technically possible to pitch too much yeast, but your starter plus the vial probably wouldn't be too much. Too much yeast can reduce your fermentation time some, and as a result alter the flavor from the desired profile.

Good luck!