yeast starter and harvesting questions

[jpakstis]

Hi everyone - I'm about to brew a lager this weekend and so over the next couple of days I'd like to make a starter. I'm using Saflager W-34/70 from a dry 11.5g packet and some of the stuff I've read online seems to be conflicting as to whether its even a good idea to make a starter from dry, i.e. that it might actually reduce the viability of the yeast. According to the Mr. Malty calculator, I'd need 1.6 packets of dried yeast, but would using a starter reduce the number of packets? (I only have 1 packet).

Also, I was thinking of harvesting some of my starter yeast and saving it for future use. Would that even be feasible? I was going to try the Brulosopher method of pouring some of the starter from the stir plate a day or two before brew day to a storage container. I was wondering if I poured the harvested amount but kept the starter going, would the yeast build back up?

I'm a complete novice when it comes to yeast preparation and using these online calculators gets a little slippery for me.

 

[jddevinn]

Most people do not do starters for dry yeast as it is so easy to pitch the correct amount with a packet and so cheap to buy a second if needed.

 

[DurtyChemist]

You could do a starter with one pack then save yeast from the starter if you wanted.

 

[jpakstis]

So I made 2 liter starter and harvested about 7.5 ounces of it (about 1/4 of a liter). There were no problems with fermentation on the lager and it looks like a good amount of harvested yeast.

I subsequently did the same on a Safale US-04 and that really produced a good starter and harvest.