Big Enough Starter

[Lodovico]

I've decided last minute to brew a Belgian Triple. I'll be using the WLP500 Trappist yeast. The OG for this brew will be around 1.080.

Do you think I would get good results from a 24 hour, 1 liter starter or is this not going to be enough?? I tried to use the Mr. Malty calculator but I don't always trust that I'm doing that the right way.

What do you think?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

A 1L starter isn't near big enough for that beer, but it'll help. Go for it.

 

[janzik]

I've never worked with that specific yeast and I don't make Belgians, but, based on what Mr Malty says, if you play with the sliders, a 1.088 with 1 vial will need a 3L starter for 5.5 gallons, 2.41L for 5 gallons, *IF* you have a stirplate.

If you do not have a stirplate, Mr Malty says you will need between a 3.7 and 4.62L starter. (5 or 5.5 gallons). Yikes.

I suppose any starter is better than no starter, but I don't know how much benefit it will be compared to doing a ~3L one. You want this high gravity beer to be good, take the time and make a bigger starter.

You can probably make your 1L starter and then after you get some activity, you can step it up to a larger starter as well.

 

[Lodovico]

Ok. That's a no go. Thank you.

 

[Lodovico]

So, I wanted to brew this beer on Sunday.

There is no way for me to get the appropriate sized starter ready even if I did it tonight right??

 

[allanmac00]

If you have a big enough vessel you could try going for a 2L starter right off the bat, rather than trying to step it up.

 

[Lodovico]

If you have a big enough vessel you could try going for a 2L starter right off the bat, rather than trying to step it up.

So do you think I could do a 2L starter in a 1 gallon growler starting tonight and just let it go until sunday and pitch the whole think in on sunday morning? I mean without decanting or refrigerating.

 

[janzik]

So, I wanted to brew this beer on Sunday.

There is no way for me to get the appropriate sized starter ready even if I did it tonight right??

I think you can.

First, we need to establish how big of a vessel you can make your starter in. Do you have a 1 gallon wine jug or something? If not, you can always go to the liquor store and find the ****tiest, cheapest jug wine and utilize that jug. You can make Sangria-hooch with the ****ty wine.

You can take 2 routes...
1. do 1 3.5L starter (1 gallon is 3.78L) and let it do it's thing until your ready to pitch Sunday.

2. do your 1L starter now and on Friday night (or Saturday morning, even), step up and make your second, stepped up starter in the 1 gallon jug of hooch wine you bought, and hopefully consumed to make this exercise a little more fun.

I've never done larger than a 2L starter in my 1 gallon jug, and have never had to step up, so I don't know how volatile the yeast will be, so you may want to put your jug in a turkey pan or bucket or something, just so it doesn't go crazy all over the place.

The reason I suggest option 2 is based on you not having a stirplate (I'm assuming). This will give you better activity (after the stepping up phase) since you won't be able to just let the jug/flask/whatever sit on a plate and stir for a day or two.

 

[allanmac00]

So do you think I could do a 2L starter in a 1 gallon growler starting tonight and just let it go until sunday and pitch the whole think in on sunday morning? I mean without decanting or refrigerating.

If you did it tonight you might still have time to refrigerate it. It shouldn't need more than 48 hours. So you could cold-crash it on Saturday night, decant in the morning, and let it get to room temp. while you're brewing. If you're hell-bent on brewing this Sunday (and who could blame you) then that might be the best you can hope for.

 

[Lodovico]

Ok thanks. What if I just calculated for adding that big of a starter (total brew volume wise) and just started it tonight and let it stay at room temperature until Sunday morning and just pitched the whole thing?

Is there a reason this wouldn't be a good idea. Would this be too long without chilling the starter?

I brew really early in the morning so this would be pitched at like 10:30-11:00 on Sunday morning. Any reason this couldn't work?

 

[janzik]

So do you think I could do a 2L starter in a 1 gallon growler starting tonight and just let it go until sunday and pitch the whole think in on sunday morning? I mean without decanting or refrigerating.

Sometimes I've dumped 2L starters in and sometimes I've cold crashed and decanted. Based on my other posts, above, I think you should be making a larger starter, but that will challenge the limits of a 1 gallon jug. I think you can get away with a 3L stater, just have the jug in something, (bucket, tray, whatever).

 

[Lodovico]

Sometimes I've dumped 2L starters in and sometimes I've cold crashed and decanted. Based on my other posts, above, I think you should be making a larger starter, but that will challenge the limits of a 1 gallon jug. I think you can get away with a 3L stater, just have the jug in something, (bucket, tray, whatever).

This is a good idea. Thanks.

 

[joety]

So do you think I could do a 2L starter in a 1 gallon growler starting tonight and just let it go until sunday and pitch the whole think in on sunday morning? I mean without decanting or refrigerating.

Agreed, I wouldn't worry about decanting in a big belgian. Also, your OG is 1080, not 1088 as another poster noted in the Mr. Malty calculator. Make sure you oxygenate the cr*p out of that beer. Helps turn your whole fermenter into a stirplate. I'd inject about two minutes of pure o2 if you have the setup.

 

[Lodovico]

Agreed, I wouldn't worry about decanting in a big belgian. Also, your OG is 1080, not 1088 as another poster noted in the Mr. Malty calculator. Make sure you oxygenate the cr*p out of that beer. Helps turn your whole fermenter into a stirplate. I'd inject about two minutes of pure o2 if you have the setup.

This is another good thing for me to think about. I don't have the setup to do that but I do have the power drill/carboy stir setup and I plan on raging it for quite awhile before I pitch.

I'll almost certainly need a blowoff for this brew right? I've never done a Belgian but I know you have to really watch that the temps don't spike on you too, right?

My basement is a pretty constant 62 degrees this time of year and upstairs stays at 67, so I'm trying to decide the best strategy for fermentation temperatures.

From what I've read, 62 seems to be too cool and 67 with a vigorous fermentation could easily get too warm. Not to mention the SWMBO blowoff tube in our dining room factor.

What do you recommend given my house temperature options?? Thanks!

 

[janzik]

Agreed, I wouldn't worry about decanting in a big belgian. Also, your OG is 1080, not 1088 as another poster noted in the Mr. Malty calculator. Make sure you oxygenate the cr*p out of that beer. Helps turn your whole fermenter into a stirplate. I'd inject about two minutes of pure o2 if you have the setup.

Doh, I misread that. 1.080 with intermittent shaking needs a 3L starter as per Mr Malty. So, to update what I was saying, if you can get a 3L starter in your 1 gallon jug, then just put it in a turkey tray or bucket and you should be ok. (BTW, if you have a stirplate, you only need a 2L starter)

 

[joety]

This is another good thing for me to think about. I don't have the setup to do that but I do have the power drill/carboy stir setup and I plan on raging it for quite awhile before I pitch.

I'll almost certainly need a blowoff for this brew right? I've never done a Belgian but I know you have to really watch that the temps don't spike on you too, right?

My basement is a pretty constant 62 degrees this time of year and upstairs stays at 67, so I'm trying to decide the best strategy for fermentation temperatures.

From what I've read, 62 seems to be too cool and 67 with a vigorous fermentation could easily get too warm. Not to mention the SWMBO blowoff tube in our dining room factor.

What do you recommend given my house temperature options?? Thanks!

You could start downstairs. After a few days when the temp drops, bring it upstairs, then another few days later put a heating pad under it and bring it up to the mid seventies. Watch the activity and use your judgment.

I always use a blowoff tube. Why ever chance it?