brentt03
Well-Known Member
Well I know you all are going to say to make a starter, but I don't think I have the appropriate supplies to make one. I ordered 2 Wyeast Smack Packs...think this will do the trick? (*Please say yes*)
Too many factors not mentioned to give you an answer. What will the OG be? What is the age of the yeast packs? Using Mr. Malty will help you answer your question.
If your OG is 1.055 with smack packs at 95% viability you would want 6 smack packs. Get some DME and a sanitary vessel and make a basic starter.
brentt03 said:Well I know you all are going to say to make a starter, but I don't think I have the appropriate supplies to make one. I ordered 2 Wyeast Smack Packs...think this will do the trick? (*Please say yes*)
BigRob, how did you caclulate this, just add it up in beersmith??4.5lbs of your grain, mashed at 148 or so using 14.5L liters of water.
Boil it for a half hour or so. You're shooting for 1.040 OG on the starter.
Using Wyeast 1084; the local homebrew store which is 2 hours away, only had 2 packets of the 1084 and one of the wlp004Curious what strain you are using?
Get some DME and use 100g per liter of water to make the starter. IMO, better to use DME than burn through wonderful grain.
Also, IF you select 'intermittent shaking' the size starter you'll need will go down quite a bit (8L). Not as far as if you used a stir plate, but much better. This starter type is one where every time you go by the starter, you give it a good swirl/shake. I would also cover the top/opening of the jar/flask/whatever you use to hold it with sanitized aluminum foil. That way the starter will degas and get aerated when you shake/swirl it. Swirling is also a safer option compared with shaking, IMO.
I made a starter earlier tonight for a brew I'm making on Saturday. With a stir plate, and expecting an OG of between 1.060 and 1.065 for 6.5 gallons of wort, I only needed to make a 1.67-2.0L starter. So I made a 1.75L starter and have it going with the yeast in it.
IF you REALLY want to make the starter by using your grain, then you'll need to figure out what you need to get the volume at an OG of 1.040. Seems like a lot of work, to me, just to make a starter. Especially when you can cold crash and decant it before pitching the slurry. That way you get mostly yeast, with very little starter spent wort in with your batch. Also, using DME is a fast way to get a starter going. You only need to do a quick boil and then chill it down (I use a cold water bath in the kitchen sink). Of course, I'm usually only making 1.5-3L starter sizes. At least while I'm getting 6.5-7 gallons into primary.
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