3 Gal Starter?

[brewmaster48]

Brewing a 14 gal batch of IPA, starting gravity 1.063. Using three Wyeast American II, mr.malty calls for 3 gal starter. 3 gals Seems excessive, any feedback would be appreciated. My conicle is only 18 gals.

 

[Hex23]

Brewing a 14 gal batch of IPA, starting gravity 1.063. Using three Wyeast American II, mr.malty calls for 3 gal starter. 3 gals Seems excessive, any feedback would be appreciated. My conicle is only 18 gals.

If you don't want to make such a big starter, you can always start with multiple packs. Depending on what you entered into Mr. Malty (yeast age, and starter type), 3 gallons doesn't seem that far off base for a 14 gallon batch. Check to make sure the viability % is correct and that you're choosing the right type of starter (stirred, continuously aerated, intermittently shaken, etc).

 

[CGish]

You are starting with three packs of yeast? How old is the yeast? With a December 1st production date and 3 vials, I am only showing a one gallon (four liter) starter ... That is easy to accomplish in a 5L flask or a 2 gallon bucket from Lowes or Home Depot.

Are you trying to do this with out a stir plate? If so, even intermittent shaking would cut the 10.66 liters down to 6.15 or 1.6 gallons.

 

[LLBeanJ]

For a batch size like that, why not brew a 5 gal batch of something in the 1.050 range with the same yeast and use the slurry to ferment your IPA. If you have to make a starter that big, you might as well get some beer out of it.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

You could propagate the same way breweries do it with a single step propagation in the fermentation vessel. Pitch the vial into 1/10th of the wort of the same gravity as the beer you are making. After a couple of days add the remainder of the wort and aerate.

http://www.mbaa.com/meetings/distri...S, Yeast Propogation A Practical Apporach.pdf

 

[brewmaster48]

Thank for the input. I did recalculate with mr.malty and my date was wrong on my yeast. It nows calls for 4 pack and a 2 gal starter, that will work. Not going to have enough time for yeast to settle, how much off flavor will starter wort add to my beer?

 

[grrickar]

I'd decant and pour off anything that isn't yeast cake, else you are going to be dumping some stale stuff in your fermenter

 

[WoodlandBrew]

Keep in mind that if you do decant without cold crashing you will be pouring off yeast that may be active depending on the stage of fermentation.