How large can my starter be?

[Ineedaride2]

I'm planning on doing a couple of IPA's this weekend, both using White Labs WLP001. One of the recipes calls for double pitching, so I would need three test tubes of yeast total for the two brews.

If I just buy one test tube of yeast and make one large starter to split between the two batches, am I spreading one tube of yeast too thin, or does it matter?

If so, should I make a smaller starter, and then increase it once it starts to ferment?

 

[TipsyDragon]

it doesn't matter. the point of making a starter is to increase the yeast cell count.

i would start small and build up to the size you need. you can try this site to see exactly what size starter you need.