Yeast Pitching Question

[joetothemo]

OK, so I am planning on brewing this weekend.

I am doing a 3 Gallon extract + grains batch of Amber Ale (OG should be ~1052).

This is my first time pitching liquid yeast (WLP001 California Ale Yeast)

The question is...

Should I pitch the whole thing? Jamil's Pitching Rate Calculator doesn't seem to care.

Further, if I don't pitch the whole thing...what to do with the rest?

 

[COLObrewer]

OK, so I am planning on brewing this weekend.

I am doing a 3 Gallon extract + grains batch of Amber Ale (OG should be ~1052).

This is my first time pitching liquid yeast (WLP001 California Ale Yeast)

The question is...

Should I pitch the whole thing? Jamil's Pitching Rate Calculator doesn't seem to care.

Further, if I don't pitch the whole thing...what to do with the rest?

Pitch the whole thing, it will be a hair short but should be ok, I would make a starter with all white labs vials for anything over that though.

 

[joetothemo]

Thanks.

 

[djonas]

For a beer with your starting gravity, I am pretty sure that pitching the whole thing will be fine. At one point I was pretty lazy and didn't make a starter for a starting 1.071 Saison, so I just tossed in the contents of a single liquid pack and it ended up fully attenuating.

 

[COLObrewer]

Thanks.

Another thing starters do for you is gear up the yeast so there is less lag time, when you pitch dormant yeast, they take a while to "assess the situation" sometimes up to four days.

 

[balzern]

Just a quick aside about starters - they rock. I used 2 starters last week for a porter and a dunkelweizen each had gravities in the high 1.050s - WOW! Within about 8 hours those suckers were creating havoc inside the fermenter. Like a hurricane of fermentation LOL. It was awesome to see and making a starter is super simple. You can search on here how to properly make one and I have read it really increases the quality of beer. It decreases lag time, and for me at least, created a super aggressive fermentation which needed blow off tubes in both cases. Just something to think about in the future - I know I will continue making starters for ALL beers I brew.

 

[joetothemo]

Thanks for all the input, guys!

I think I will simply pitch the whole vial on this batch. I'll save the lessons in making a starter for a larger batch.

Besides, this is just my third batch and I am still trying to nail down process and sanitation.

 

[djonas]

Yeah, I have made beers that have been very well received down at the olde homebrew shoppe without making starters! I'm sure it will be a great beer. On anther note, do you need help with sanitation techniques?

 

[sjbeerman]

Just a quick aside about starters - they rock. I used 2 starters last week for a porter and a dunkelweizen each had gravities in the high 1.050s - WOW! Within about 8 hours those suckers were creating havoc inside the fermenter. Like a hurricane of fermentation LOL. It was awesome to see and making a starter is super simple. You can search on here how to properly make one and I have read it really increases the quality of beer. It decreases lag time, and for me at least, created a super aggressive fermentation which needed blow off tubes in both cases. Just something to think about in the future - I know I will continue making starters for ALL beers I brew.

Hail to the starter gods!!

 

[SKMO]

Another reason to make a starter (other than high OG wort) is if your yeast is getting a bit old. There will be a "best before" date on White yeast, and a mfg date on Wyeast. If you get near the 6 month period, or go beyond the dates I'd make a starter.

That said, I just got Wyeast 1388 from Northern Brewer that was manufactured 13 days prior to my receiving it. Nice short shelf life means a lot.