Starter Size and Mr. Malty

[MisterGreen]

I'm about to brew a 1.076 ale and was checking the MrMalty calculator for pitching rate. It says to use 2 packs for a 1L starter (assuming the yeast was produced between 1/2 and 3/8). I typically use 1L starters for a single pack. This ratio seemed odd. Does this seem right?

 

[giraffe]

Sure that seems right. You can also move the slider at the bottom and it will tell you to make a 4L simple starter, or 1.6L with a stirplate, for a single pack. With 2 packs you need to grow less additional yeast, so a smaller starter will work.

 

[MisterGreen]

Thanks giraffe. And I'm assuming that 1L isn't accounting for the media in the pack, correct?

 

[flars]

The Mrmalty calculator seems to exaggerate viability loss over a period of time. I prefer to use the Brewers Friend pitch rate and starter calculator.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

 

[giraffe]

Thanks giraffe. And I'm assuming that 1L isn't accounting for the media in the pack, correct?

I always assumed not.

 

[MisterGreen]

Well, speaking of other calculators, I checked mrmalty, yeastcalc and brewersfriend and the number of cells needed varied: 273, 366, 366 respectively. That's quite a difference.

 

[user 141939]

I hate these calculators. They never add up to me. I usually let my starters ferment completely out. If I do a stir plate starter and let it ferment all the way, then measure the slurry my calculations always seem to be way off from my measured amount of slurry. My measured slurry almost is closer to what I would get having used the no shaking option for a calculation.

Like if I make a starter that should yield me 300B based in the stirplate calculations, and split into three jars. I'm supposed to have 100B in a jar, I'll measure the slurry and I'll get like 18 mls per jar, after a few days of cold crashing, which I'm guessing is nowhere near 100b.

I've started just taking good notes on what I do and assessing the outcome and not worrying about the numbers as much, since no one seems to agree on what they are.