No yeast starter

[HBDrinker008]

This sunday I tried my first partial mash a recipe from Radical Brewing:

India Red Ale

5 # Light Munich
.75# Med Crystal
.5 # dark Crystal
2 oz black patent
6.5 # light DME

1.5 oz cascade 60 min
1.5 oz cascade 30 min
2 oz EKG 5 min

All hops were pellets

yeast Wyeast 1056 american ale

I didn't make a starter because I was'nt going to brew on Sun but I was excited for the partial mash when I woke up and just went right into it. Mashed with 2.25 gallons sparges with another gallon pre-boil gravity was 1.021 so i feel that I was close with my efficiency final gravity ended up as 1.070. (the TG was 1.065 according to the book)

This is where my concern happened since that was a fairly high gravity with no starter, but I saw this coming and had already decided to say screw it and just go ahead as planned. I have high hopes for this batch and want to make sure I hit my FG. The same day I bought a EPA kit from northern brewer that came with another Wyeast 1056 yeast.

So my plan is to make a big starter (volume not gravity) with the kit yeast and then when fermentation for the Red appears to be done, take a reading. If the gravity is not where it needs to be pitch some of the starter to finish it off.

I felt like a tool getting 2 packages of the same yeast when I could have just re-used it but it looks like it was probably a good idea. Any thoughts?

 

[StewJo]

Hi HBDrinker008--

First off, many brewers don't like to repitch due to risk of infection, wild yeast, etc., and some homebrewers choose to spend the extra $6 for a double pitch. Homebrewers tend to be rugged individualists with lots of reasons for doing lots of different things, so I think most home brew supply stores are simply happy to sell you what you ask for without analyzing it. No need to feel like a tool.

No yeast starter generally works out fine, even for high grav ales such as the one you are brewing. Maybe a little higher risk due to a longer delay, maybe a slightly different flavor profile, whatever. The beauty of home brew is the uniqueness of each batch. RDWHAH.

I don't see a need to repitch-- your yeast culture should grow to an appropriate size for your batch, go through its normal life cycle, and most likely bring the FG down to the right level all by itself. The yeast population gives up the ghost when its consumed as much sugar as it can and built up the alcohol to its limiting level. I don't see that adding fresh members to the population will change the dynamics of when the yeast shuts down. If you pitched a different strain of yeast with higher attenuation, then yes, the new population would take over and bring the FG to a lower level.

Anyway, that's my take on your question. Hope it helps.

 

[brewt00l]

Homebrewers tend to be rugged individualists with lots of reasons for doing lots of different things

http://www.icomefromreykjavik.com/halli/archives/myndir/brawny.jpg

 

[HBDrinker008]

Thanks stew, the activator pack was practically bursting when I pitched and I had air lock activity within 8 hours so I think I will be fine. But that is my contingency plan if all else fails. I am a strict believer in RDWHAHB so I take everything as it comes. I could probably afford to worry a little more acutally.

 

[FlyGuy]

I bet it is fine. The worst thing that is likely to happen is that your yeast loses its vitality before it finishes out, and you don't quite ferment down to your target final gravity. This will lead to a slightly sweeter beer.

You can help it along by ensuring the fermentation is at a really steady temperature, probably closer to the top end of its temperature range (don't let it cool below its mid-point of the range once fermentation begins to slow or it might floc out). You can also help it along by GENTLY agitating the fermenter near the end of fermentation to get a bit of yeast back into suspension (occasionally this helps).

Best of luck!