First time creating starter, 1 packet, 11 gals

I tried a quick search and didn't find an exact answer to my question, so I apologize if this has been answered a million times before. This is my first time making a starter (always use dry yeast).

So if the title doesn't explain it well enough, I plan on using in packet of Wyeast 1335 to make Yooper's Oatmeal Stout. This beer has an expected OG of 1.053 and I would like to make a starter big enough to split for an 11 gal batch. I have a stir plate and a 2000 ml flask.

Can anyone help guide me as to how they would do this? I tried using Mr Malty but for some reason it won't calculate for me. Do I need to step this up, or can I just make a single large starter? I will be brewing this on Sunday (5 days from now).

So Beersmith says that I can only get about 220 billion of the 408 billion cells I need for 11 gals. How do I get the cell count higher in a 2 L flask?

Have a look at this one
http://billybrew.com/stepping-up-a-yeast-starter

Thanks. I just found that before you posted. It looks like I can only step it up twice to 300 billion cells, but that doesn't factor for the use of a stir plate. I think I'll just make a 2L starter, let it go for 24 hours, chill and decant, then step it up with another 2L starter. That should get me close enough to 400 billion cells to make a great beer.

Here is what I would do.....Make a 1L starter first. If you don't have a 1L flask use something else that can be sanitized and will work with a stir plate. Let it do it's thing and you should roughly double your yeast from 100 billion to 200 billion. Crash the starter. Make a second starter with the 2L flask and pitch the yeast from the first starter into it. When your second starter is done you should have roughly 400 billion cells. You can get to 400 billion because the pitching rate stays the same and you are using a stir plate.

So I "stepped up" the starter tonight (both the original and this one are 2L, so it's not technically a step up, but whatever) after crash cooling it and decanting the beer, and this thing started fermenting IMMEDIATELY. I mean in like 1 minute and it had bubbles and krausen. It of course then blew off and continues to do so.

So my question is, since the step up had zero growth phase, am I actually creating more yeast?

sudsmcgee said:

So I "stepped up" the starter tonight (both the original and this one are 2L, so it's not technically a step up, but whatever) after crash cooling it and decanting the beer, and this thing started fermenting IMMEDIATELY. I mean in like 1 minute and it had bubbles and krausen. It of course then blew off and continues to do so.

So my question is, since the step up had zero growth phase, am I actually creating more yeast?

Click to expand...

Maybe you were overpitching a little with the 'step up' to 2L. I would think you were probably putting 300bn cells into 2L. I am not sure what the maximum number you could expect from this ratio but do suspect you have well and truly exceeded the 411Bn you needed for this batch. That may have contributed to rapid lift off.