4 Vials vs. 2 With Starter - Imperial Stout

[Brewchug]

Next batch is going to be an Imperial Stout (OG 1.092) that I don't plan on drinking until around Christmas, but I'd like to get it going asap to give it time to condition in bottle.

When brewing bigger beers in the past I've just used Beersmith or MrMalty to calculate a proper pitch rate without a starter (just because I'm too lazy to make a starter). But this time the yeast calcs are showing that I would need 4 vials of WLP007 if I don't use a starter.

Question #1) Would there be any downside other than cost to pitching 4 vials without a starter?

Question #2) If I chose to make a starter, how in the world do I make one in the 2.25L - 2.4L range?

 

[poptarts]

Thats alot of wasted money if you pitch over 1 vial, buy some dme. You can make a starter crash decant and add fresh wort as many times as you like if your container isnt big enough. My abyss clone I made, link in the sig, was around that OG, i used a pitcher to make my starter in, was close to a gallon in size. The night before brewing just tossed the entire thing in the fridge, right before pitching, pour off all the liquid and dump in your yeast cake.

 

[Brewchug]

That beer looks delicious.

And 1 vial of WLP007 would be enough to get the job done with a starter? Why do both of those yeast calcs tell me that I'm going to need 2 vials?

 

[Weizer]

That beer looks delicious.

And 1 vial of WLP007 would be enough to get the job done with a starter? Why do both of those yeast calcs tell me that I'm going to need 2 vials?

The yeast calcs aren't accounting for the fact that you can decant your starter and add fresh wort to keep growing more yeast. Also, are the yeast calcs taking into consideration how fresh your yeast is? Beersmith defaults a vial of yeast to 2011. The fresher the yeast, the more viable yeasties you have. That will drastically change the size of the starter you need as well.

 

[Brewchug]

The yeast that I get from my LHBS is usually very fresh, so maybe Beersmith is off in that respect.

This is fairly new stuff for me so please excuse the naivety here, but what you're saying is...

For a big 1.092 OG beer, rather than buying 4 vials of WLP007, I could just:

1) buy 1 vial of WLP007
2) make a 2L starter
3) cold crash and decant
4) cook up 2L of new fresh wort and add to original starter's yeast cake
5) cold crash and decant
6) pitch like usual

Is that correct?

 

[Weizer]

The yeast that I get from my LHBS is usually very fresh, so maybe Beersmith is off in that respect.

This is fairly new stuff for me so please excuse the naivety here, but what you're saying is...

For a big 1.092 OG beer, rather than buying 4 vials of WLP007, I could just:

1) buy 1 vial of WLP007
2) make a 2L starter
3) cold crash and decant
4) cook up 2L of new fresh wort and add to original starter's yeast cake
5) cold crash and decant
6) pitch like usual

Is that correct?

Exactly. You will get your best results by using a stir plate, and blasting the starter with O2 as well. I go to Smokin Beaver up in Esco, and they have em for like 40 bucks. It is WELL worth the investment. Definitely adjust the date in beersmith for your yeast, it will change how big of a starter you actually need. Look at the best by date on the vial, and subtract 4 months, that is the date it was bottled.

Side note, make sure you save your labels from your white labs vials. You can return 10 of them to the tasting room and get a free vial of yeast!

 

[JustLooking]

Or make a 2-3 gallon batch of 1.050-1.060 beer using one fresh pack and no starter. Use the slurry on the Imperial Stout.

Have homebrew to drink while waiting for the Imperial Stout to condition.