Can I have too much yeast

[sdal]

I brewed an IPA yesterday, all-grain. According to the calculator, with a 75% efficiency, it was supposed to have an OG of 1.066 so I pitch two-packs of Wyeast 1272.
I took my OG reading after topping off with 1 gal of water and stirring well but it was only 1.052:
were the two Wyeast packs too much?
What effect will the extra yeast have on flavor, etc?

 

[janivar123]

Id say you spent twise the $$ on yeast
at that amount overpitching should not be an issue

How fresh was the yeast packs?
I would recomend measuring OG before topping off and calculating instead
as top of water will give you a faulty reading 9 out of 10 times

 

[944play]

Two packs in 5 gallons of medium-gravity wort is just about ideal pitch rate if the packs are very fresh. A single pack in a starter is a cheaper way to get the same cell count and possibly healthier yeast.

 

[Bewbzout]

I would recomend measuring OG before topping off and calculating instead
as top of water will give you a faulty reading 9 out of 10 times

Mabe i have some learning to do but dont you want to take a gravity reading after you have reached your total volume? Isnt your target gravity based on a certain volume?

 

[Yooper]

There is NO way you overpitched! Depending on how fresh your yeast was, you still may have underpitched by a small amount. I just looked at the yeast pitching calculator on mrmalty.com, and if the yeast was made on September 21, with a 5 gallon batch of 1.052 and no starter you need 2.2 packages of liquid yeast.

Most people severely underpitch. I would say it would take extraordinary effort to overpitch!

 

[beowulf]

I would agree with Yooper....I had problems when underpitching long ago, but I've also overpitched, probably severely by some peoples' standards and never had a batch turn out bad because of it.

 

[sdal]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. To me paying the extra $7 for the additional yeast pack is no biggee compared to a couple of dollars for DME and time making a starter.
Funny how Wyeast says 1 pack is enough for 5 gallons of wort up to 1.060.

Janivar, would it be a true reading if I take the OG reading prior to topping off? Isn't the final 5 gallons, after top-off, my true wort/volume?

The yeast packs were both dated 9/27/11.

I have brewed about 6 batches since getting back into it.(used to brew 20 years ago but man how things have change) I have only used 1 Wyeast smack pack for each previous batch and all but one have been very good beers.

 

[944play]

Funny how Wyeast says 1 pack is enough for 5 gallons of wort up to 1.060.

Remember the 2000 Flushes guy saying his product lasts "UP TO FOUR MONTHS"?

 

[JonK331]

The problem with taking OG after top off is that it's difficult to adequately mix in the top off water, especially when using a carboy. The top off water tends to float giving you a lower reading than it would actually be if it were completely mixed. You don't have much of a choice though when you top off, you took the gravity at the right time. You pitched a perfect amount of yeast too.

 

[janivar123]

The idea is getting correct gravety for the undiluted volume and doing the maths that will tell you the OG

Take the gravety points and multyply with the original amount eg 65x4=260 and divide that with the total amount 260/5=52
This will give you a more correct reading (if the measurement is correct)