I'm planning on brewing my second beer this weekend. It's an IPA and it should be about 1.076 OG. I'm using a White Labs California Ale yeast. I've heard two different theories regarding the starter's OG. Should my starters OG match that of my brew's OG or should it be lower (around 1.04-1.05)?
My first yeast starter
- Thread starter Gats
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No. Definitely not.
1.040. 1 cup of DME per 4 cups water. Boil. Cool. Add yeast. Shake often.
1.040. 1 cup of DME per 4 cups water. Boil. Cool. Add yeast. Shake often.
pkpdogg
Well-Known Member
If you're brewing this weekend, best to get started first thing Thursday morning. You want to give them a few days to multiply. Three to four days is usually good, but don't fret if you only give two ... it'll be enough to ferment the IPA down as long as you're good with keeping your temp within target range.
Well, I'm gonna start it tonight and I'll brew Sunday afternoon so it will have about two and a half days. My first brew stayed right at 68 F even at night when the temp of my apartment would drop so I think I'll be all set. Thanks!
If you ask the people at wyeast they will tell you more than a day is too much
Start listening closely around the 50 second mark
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BackBayBrewing
Well-Known Member
Ideally you would pitch your starter at High Krausen when the yeast are actively fermenting the starter wort and ready to rip through your batch.
Do you have a stir plate? How big is your batch? How old is the yeast?
Generally, if you're just trying to wake your yeast up and stretch their legs before they get started working on your brew, then you can pitch 3 smack packs into a .5L wort of DME at a 1.040 gravity. And pitch that in 5-6 hours
For a 5gal batch if you are trying to grow yeast from 1 smack pack, pitch 1 smack pack into 2.5 to 3L of starter wort. Let that ferment out 24 hours shaking it intermittenly. Let it sit for 8 hours. Slowly chill it down in your fridge. Then on brew day, let it warm to room temperature. About 4-6 hours before you are ready to pitch, decant the wort and add about .5L of fresh starter wort. This will get the yeast active and ready to pitch when you are.
Pitching Rate Calculator
14 essential questions about starters
Generally, if you're just trying to wake your yeast up and stretch their legs before they get started working on your brew, then you can pitch 3 smack packs into a .5L wort of DME at a 1.040 gravity. And pitch that in 5-6 hours
For a 5gal batch if you are trying to grow yeast from 1 smack pack, pitch 1 smack pack into 2.5 to 3L of starter wort. Let that ferment out 24 hours shaking it intermittenly. Let it sit for 8 hours. Slowly chill it down in your fridge. Then on brew day, let it warm to room temperature. About 4-6 hours before you are ready to pitch, decant the wort and add about .5L of fresh starter wort. This will get the yeast active and ready to pitch when you are.
Pitching Rate Calculator
14 essential questions about starters
KevinW
Well-Known Member
yeah that's what I usually do. I give the starter about 18-24 hours and have no problems.
One option is to let it ferment out in about 3 days then put in the fridge the night before and let the yeast crash. When ready all you need to do is carefully decant the liquid off the top and pitch just the yeast.
I have a stirplate and highly recommend them to anyone thinking about making starters. I got mine for my birthday from the SWMBO but they can be made pretty cheap if you are handy!
Good luck
I began my first starter last night for a brew I am doing on Saturday (NB Bourbon Barrel Porter). I boiled 7 oz. of Briess DME in 2000 mL of water and cooled it down to 65, and got a gravity of 1.037, right in the range of 1.035 to 1.040 that I aimed for.
Long story short, as a tip from one new brewer to another, leave some head space in your starter container. I didn't account for the volume of liquid yeast and the nutrient in a Wyeast pack, and ended up filling the flask a little high. Came home today to a mess all over my stir plate and a starter at exactly 2000 mL.
Long story short, as a tip from one new brewer to another, leave some head space in your starter container. I didn't account for the volume of liquid yeast and the nutrient in a Wyeast pack, and ended up filling the flask a little high. Came home today to a mess all over my stir plate and a starter at exactly 2000 mL.
I began my first starter last night for a brew I am doing on Saturday (NB Bourbon Barrel Porter). I boiled 7 oz. of Briess DME in 2000 mL of water and cooled it down to 65, and got a gravity of 1.037, right in the range of 1.035 to 1.040 that I aimed for.
Long story short, as a tip from one new brewer to another, leave some head space in your starter container. I didn't account for the volume of liquid yeast and the nutrient in a Wyeast pack, and ended up filling the flask a little high. Came home today to a mess all over my stir plate and a starter at exactly 2000 mL.
Nice...thanks for the tip. I'm brewing the exact same beer this weekend, and I also have a 2L starter flask. Good info.
Thanks everyone for all the good advice. I ended up keeping it simple- 2 liter starter, 1.04 og, pitched at 24 hours. My beer began a violent fermentation in about two or three hours! I'm not sure exactly how long since I had a little "nap" after brewing.
Do you have a stir plate? How big is your batch? How old is the yeast?
Generally, if you're just trying to wake your yeast up and stretch their legs before they get started working on your brew, then you can pitch 3 smack packs into a .5L wort of DME at a 1.040 gravity. And pitch that in 5-6 hours
For a 5gal batch if you are trying to grow yeast from 1 smack pack, pitch 1 smack pack into 2.5 to 3L of starter wort. Let that ferment out 24 hours shaking it intermittenly. Let it sit for 8 hours. Slowly chill it down in your fridge. Then on brew day, let it warm to room temperature. About 4-6 hours before you are ready to pitch, decant the wort and add about .5L of fresh starter wort. This will get the yeast active and ready to pitch when you are.
Pitching Rate Calculator
14 essential questions about starters
Pardon the newb question, but the numbers inside the blocks in the chart... Do they refer to the number of packs of liquid yeast required? Or am I forgetting about another variable?
Yes. And the top numbers are the amount of starter wort. The numbers on the left are the amount of yeast cells that will be replicated.
For instance, 3 vials or smack packs added to 3L of wort @ 100% viability should yeild approximatley 450 billion yeast cells.
It is explained in this video Stepping up your starter
