Stepping up a yeast starter

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Hi all, quick and hopefully easy question.

I'm brewing a 1.052 lager on Sunday, and am working to build up to the required yeast cell count I need.

My question is, when stepping up a starter, do you have to refrigerate and decant the first step, or can you boil, cool and pour in the second step right on top of it? I'd like to brew this on Sunday afternoon, and I don't think I'll make that deadline if the 2L starter I made last night has to cool before I decant and add the 1.5L additional step up.

Thanks!

 

[zam216]

You don't have to decant it. The only reason you would want to is to give the yeast a better environment to propagate. When you pour more on top of it you are leaving the alcohol and other yeast bi products in the starter. When you decant and poor on top it is fresh wort. I am stepping up a conan yeast now and I started it at 1.020 200ml and just poured 400ml of 1.040 on top of it. I will decant and pour my full starter volume on what is left from that step. I can say the yeast is doing just fine with the second step and it took off quickly. You should be fine.

 

[tschafer]

Your correct and you can do it. 3-6 hours in the fridge is plenty of time to settle the yeast down.

 

[Terek]

1052 is awfully small for a 2 liter starter. I do 1 liter starters for everything at or below 1070. Then bump up if im going over 1071

 

[eadavis80]

OP said it's a LAGER, not an ale, so that's probably the reason for the big starter.

 

[tschafer]

OP said it's a LAGER, not an ale, so that's probably the reason for the big starter.

agree

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Yep! it's a lager, so yeastcalculator.com tells me if I do a 2L starter and then step up with another 1L, I'll be at the 400billion or so cells that I need.

Glad to hear I can add on top without decanting, cheers!

 

[Terek]

missed that, my head not on right today.......think im gonna go home