Too much yeast?

[TacomaHomeBrew]

I have seen and heard people use 2 white lab vials of yeast for a 5 gallon batch. Why would they do that? Pros/cons?

 

[Double_D]

Pros:
Closer to optimal pitching rates with out using a starter and propagating the yeast.

Faster

Cons:
More expensive than making a starter

Plus I know there's a troll out there that says if you don't make a starter you don't have any respect for the beer and you're doing it wrong. So take that with a grain of salt too.

 

[TacomaHomeBrew]

Pros:
Closer to optimal pitching rates with out using a starter and propagating the yeast.

Faster

Cons:
More expensive than making a starter

Plus I know there's a troll out there that says if you don't make a starter you don't have any respect for the beer and you're doing it wrong. So take that with a grain of salt too.

Great, and thank you. I am pretty new to home brewing and want to get a few more under my belt before trying to make a starter. Until then, would you recommend using 2 vials? I don't mind the extra cost for now. Thanks again.

 

[usfmikeb]

There's an "ideal" number of yeast cells that should be pitched into wort, based on the gravity. The yeast packages that are commercially available don't have the correct number of yeast cells, which is why many brewers create a starter. Underpitching yeast can (stress can) lead to different issues with your beer, such as the potential (stress potential) for off flavors or a higher final gravity. There's a great tool online at mrmalty.com that can help you to understand what your target yeast cell count should be, and what size starter should be used. Also, Chris White and Jamil Z wrote a great book on yeast, aptly titled "Yeast". That book isn't for beginners, it is pretty in depth.

 

[revco]

You can use one vial/package of yeast and technically, you'll be fine with almost any beer. You might not finish as low as you could and could get off flavors if you pitch with less than the ideal amount...but it's not that huge of a deal for most beginners.

Ideally, any beer will improve with a starter or multiple packages/vials...but beers over 1.040 OG will greatly benefit from using a starter or multiple pitches. They would be almost necessary in large beers, over about 1.070-1.080 OG.

It's much cheaper to use starters and they are really super easy. You can do it with a stove, pot, growler, stopper and a bubbler, stuff you probably all ready have. It takes about 20-30 minutes the night before you brew. You can add a stirplate and flask later, if desired, and that will greatly increase your yeast counts.

 

[zeg]

Another pro is that it's a test of the yeast on less than a full batch of beer. It's unlikely with reasonably fresh yeast these days, but it's possible that a badly mishandled vial of liquid yeast could be very low in viability. In this case, a starter won't fully restore the cell count, but it will bring you back toward a more reasonable pitching rate.

I've done a starter three times---twice with a new vial of yeast and once with some washed yeast from one of those batches. It's really quite simple. In fact, I was sure I'd done something wrong the first time because there was so little to it.

I'm planning to do a high gravity lager, and for these, the pitching rates can require as much as two gallons of starter if you use a single vial. In these cases, you might have to make your starter with two vials if you don't want to do multiple steps up. The vials are designed to give you enough to get the job done on a typical beer, but they won't necessarily do it all that well, especially at higher gravities.