Overpitching yeast

I've been reading these forums a lot and am trying to learn as much as possible. I've noticed some of you guys have mentioned over pitching yeast. I did a search and can't find anything specifically stating how that affects the outcome of the beer. Could someone please explain what that will do exactly? I'm very curious about this as I look to prevent as many mistakes as possible.

 

Over pitching is pretty hard to do, unintentionally. It generally occurs when you pitch on top of an old yeast cake.

Common results of over pitching include reduced ester formation, faster fermentation times (due to less growth), thin body and potential off flavors from unhealthy yeasts.

Best bet is to chose an online yeast calculator you like, and try to pitch the target cells. Wyeast offers one, and you have yeastcalc and MrMalty too to determine the optimal pitching rate based on beer gravity and volume.

 

Underpitching is vastly more problematic than overpitching. Given the choice, I would much rather overpitch than underpitch.

 

I always pitch big and never had problems. I typically make step starters and pitch between 4000- 5000 ml for anything from a 10 gallon to 30 gallon batch.

"If you're having yeast problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but a pitch ain't one."

 

Good info thanks guys

 

LoLz!