Belgian Beer starter

Brewing a Belgian beer for the first time (og 1.082), so three days ago i made a starter (wyeast 3787) with 1 pint water per 1/2 cup of dme. I let that sit (stirring it up when i could) for the day and then the next day I added another batch of 1 pint water to 1/2 cup dme. Last night i put it in the fridge so that the yeast would drop out of solution and i could see how much i grew.

Obviously I want to know if this is enough yeast to pitch in my belgian, but i am also worried about there still being enough yeast in suspension at bottling time in a month or so and having to repitch. So i didn't know if i should save some from this starter to repitch when i go to bottle it. I attatched a pic with what i would estimate to be 1/2 inch of yeast settle out on the bottom of the growler i made my starter in. How much (i dont have a scale) should i pitch initially and how much would i need to pitch at bottling time?

Thanks for the help,

This might help

Mr Malty Pitching Rate Calculator

I dont really understand how to read the pitch rate calculator. I was going to decant the liquid off the top and pour in the pure yeast. Is the # of liters of starter the choice i look at? and how much liquid per yeast does that account for?

You don't have to step it up with two pints like that, it's actually better to start with the full quanitity.

at this point should i decant the liquid off then ad a little of my cooled wort to the yeast before pitching? should i worry about saving some of the slurry for bottling time?

ackgod said:

I dont really understand how to read the pitch rate calculator.

Click to expand...

Well, you plug in the variables you have, and then you play with the sliders that you can't possibly know the answer to, like "growth factor" and "yeast concentration" and "non-yeast percentage", until you get the answer you want.

If your going to be brewing belgians build or aquire a stir plate and stirbar for your starters. You can just leave 'em sit on the plate and it will constantly be stirred so you dont have to shake it or swirl it every time you walk by. I just used the one I made (about $30 total) yesterday for a double brew day. I made two starters using the plate, and I must say it is much more convenient than having to hand swirl. Stirplates are also supposed to make for healthier yeast and larger reproduction rates due to the continous gas transfer.

I had a Belgian Dubbel that I brewed, and I made a 1.5 Liter starter in a growler (should have been 2 Liters, but I didn't have a larger container and I never know if I will have a krauesen on a starter so I didn't want to risk it in my 1/2 gallon growler) I hand swirled it every chance I could for 48 hours. My fermentation got stuck and I had to kickstart it with some yeast nutrient. It spent a total of 7 weeks in the primary. OG 1.078 FG 1.019 Attenuation ~74% (bottom end for WLP540 Abbey IV). The experience sucked, but the sample tasted real good, I just hope I don't get any bottle grenades.

This experience is what made me make a stirplate. It was inexpensive, easy, fun, and will increase convenience and make healthier yeast for a better overall fermentation.

Schnitzengiggle said:

I just hope I don't get any bottle grenades.

Click to expand...

I don't believe in bottle grenades. I have never seen them happen and I tried to make one buy adding a large amount of priming sugar directly to one bottle!

Until I see something like the trying to carb in a growler thread.....It's like a ghost until I see it I can't believe in it!

rtbroze said:

I don't believe in bottle grenades. I have never seen them happen and I tried to make one buy adding a large amount of priming sugar directly to one bottle!

Until I see something like the trying to carb in a growler thread.....It's like a ghost until I see it I can't believe in it!

Click to expand...

That is encouraging, it was my first stuck fermetation, and like I said I only got about 74% attenutation from my yeast and that is the bottom of the attenuation for that yeast in particular.