Confused on yeast starter

[bd2xu]

I am getting ready to make a Brewer's Best Imperial Pale Ale that has a starting gravity of 1.081 - 1.085 and will use Wyeast 1056 activator (125 ml) smack pack. According to the Wyeast pitch rates for an Ale over 1.075 you need 18 million parts per ml, which by my calcs is 2 billion, 250 million (125ml * 18M). So if have 100 billion cells to start in the smack pack, how big of a starter and how many steps do I need to do?

I made a starter once before but just did 1/2 cup DME and a pint of water (per Palmer's book). All of the articles i read about making a starter say to repeat the process to create more yeast. Do they mean just add the same amount of wort to the same container, or a different amount? Or pour it off first?

 

[Golddiggie]

Go with the 100g DME to 1L water ratio for the starter. Using volume measure for DME is unreliable at best. How about when you want to make a 1.4L starter first followed by a 1.8L starter. Sure, I might be splitting hairs, but being able to put 140g or 180g of DME into the mix is a lot better than trying to use measuring cups. It also makes for far easier math. Liquid/water measuring cups also list Liters. Dry measuring cups don't show grams. For bread making, dry measure can be ok, but when you're doing this, I'd rather have more precision. Dry items/sugars by weight. Water by volume.

Also, use either the yeastcalc or the mrmalty sites to figure out the size starter you need. You need to enter in the batch size, OG and how old the yeast pack is. Get as close as you can to the size starter they call out, with your aeration method.

Do realize this though, with a stirplate you can make much smaller starters than without. You can also do a two, or three, step starter set and end up using less starter wort (overall) than using a single large starter.

I've been making two step starters of late, getting the yeast colony size needed for my batches this way. One set was two 1.5-2L starers that got me the colony size that would have otherwise taken me at least a 6L starter. When I do a stepped starter, I let it finish, cold crash (24 hours in the fridge), decant spent starter, then pour fresh (chilled) starter into the flask before putting it back on the stirplate. It takes less than 24 hours on the stirplate to finish. It takes longer without a stirplate.

 

[WhiteEagle1]

In my opinion the 1/2c DME & pint of water should be fine. If you want to "step it up", make your starter....after a day or so put it in the fridge and let the yeast settle. Pour off most of the liquid on top. Leave whats left on the counter, covered. Once up to room temp make a second DME starter and pour the yeast from your first into it.

 

[bd2xu]

great calc on yeastcalc.com thanks. I understand that one, the wyeast one was hard to figure out. So I'm doing a 1.5 liter starter in a growler (1/2 gallon), hope it doesn't blow over. I'll crash it, decant and then can I just add another 1.5 liters of cooked and chilled (to my ferm temp) wort right to the growler with the residual yeast cake and shake it up good? Or should i pitch the yeast from the first starter into a net new container with the second wort?

 

[Golddiggie]

Place sanitized aluminum foil over the top of the growler. Issue I see with using a growler is they're not clear. It's more difficult to see how close you are to pouring the yeast cake, before it starts coming out the opening.

Are you doing a two step starter, or just one? If just one, decant as much as you can, leave a little spent starter behind, and get the yeast into suspension of that. If you want to add some of the wort you've brewed, and chilled, for the batch, that can help get it into suspension too.

I do find that using flasks are a lot easier. Plus they work really well on stirplates. Most of the time, I've been using either my 2L or 3L flask. I have a 5L flask, for when I need it.

 

[bd2xu]

Planning on a two step. After I decant the first starter can I then add another 1.5 liters of wort to the growler for step two?

Am using sanitized foil, yes.

Would like to invest in a clear erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate at some point.

 

[Golddiggie]

Planning on a two step. After I decant the first starter can I then add another 1.5 liters of wort to the growler for step two?

Yes.

Am using sanitized foil, yes.

Would like to invest in a clear erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate at some point.

Just do it. Using a stirplate is one of the best things you can do for making starters. Either make a stirplate, or buy one. Get a graduated flask, so that you have a better idea of the volume in it. You can/will seriously reduce the length of time a starter needs to finish once you have a stirplate.

Personally, I don't boil in my flask. I know you're supposed to be able to, I just can't bring myself to do it. It's easy enough to chill 1-2L of starter wort via a cold water/ice bath in the kitchen sink.

 

[duboman]

Planning on a two step. After I decant the first starter can I then add another 1.5 liters of wort to the growler for step two?

Am using sanitized foil, yes.

Would like to invest in a clear erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate at some point.

Yes, after first step crash and decant and then add second step of wort onto the yeast and ferment again.

 

[bd2xu]

Well I'm in the second stage of fermentation and it's working well. Only issue is that 1.5 liters in a 64 oz growler it's pretty full and it blew off during the second stage. It's bubbled over a couple times, I've lost some yeast but there's still a ton in there. Each time it blew off I sanitized the growler cap, screwed it on, and shook the hell out of it. Then removed the cap and replaced with sanitized foil. will wait 24 hours thill this is done then cold crash again, decant, and pitch.