Can you overpitch?

[BigErn]

Is it possible to overpitch a beer? On all of my brews I have been using 2 dry yeast packs and just rehydrating them before pitching them.

Just curious as to what the effects of using more and more yeast would be?

Also what would be the difference in yeast count be with 2 dry yeast packs vs a yeast started?

 

[SumnerH]

Yes, you can overpitch. The primary problem you can get from too much yeast is a lack of new yeast growth, with the accompanying ester production. This can be a bad thing for a beer where the esters are part of the profile (e.g. a Honey Weizen) or a good thing for a beer where esters are a drawback (e.g. an Irish Red).

Use http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html to figure out the yeast count for 2 dry yeast packs vs. a starter (varies based on the source of the starter yeast and how the starter is made).

 

[doobliebop]

Great thread on this here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/why-not-pitch-your-yeast-cake-166221/

 

[Clonefarmer]

Is it possible to overpitch a beer? On all of my brews I have been using 2 dry yeast packs and just rehydrating them before pitching them.

Just curious as to what the effects of using more and more yeast would be?

Also what would be the difference in yeast count be with 2 dry yeast packs vs a yeast started?

If you are brewing 1.060 and under beers one pack is sufficient. Over that and two packs is fine.

Using two packs is technically over pitching, but you probably won't have any issues from it other than having to buy twice as much yeast. If you pitched 3 or 4 that may cause issue. I've never pitched enough yeast to over pitch so I can't say for sure what could happen.

A dry packet is probably close to a 1 liter starter.

 

[jldc]

BYO did a test where brewers pitched from 1/4x to 4x the recommended amounts with no discernible difference. I do believe you can overpitch, but I think you probably need 10x too much to make a difference in most beers.

There WILL be differences of opinion on this topic.

 

[BigErn]

I know there is a sizeable difference in Cell counts between the dry and the activator packs. So maybe single pitch the dry but still double up the activator packs. Im just lazy and dont feel like messing with a starter. Im sure its a good idea but it just seems like another step to possibly mess up your beer with an infection.

 

[snipper_cr]

If ever I use dry, I just use one package. The yeast cell count in dry is usually quite high and I always get good activity out of it.

I always make a starter with liquid yeast mainly just to check make sure it's good and to repopulate in case any yeasties died during transit.

I often just go with dry because, well, I'm lazy too. Dry doesn't give as many options that liquid yeasts do so when I am making specialty beers, I'll go with liquid (usually White Labs) and make a starter anyways, regardless of the gravity I am trying to ferment. I made a starter for a 1.045 that is fermenting now so hopefully it wasnt over pitched.

 

[Brewman79]

Breweries use 1 vial per gallon......

 

[beerjunky828]

Breweries use 1 vial per gallon......

where do you get such top secret information?

 

[Brewman79]

A local brewerie told me so,we get lots of local brewpubs and such getting supplies at our store.So we get some info others dont.

 

[Clonefarmer]

Breweries use 1 vial per gallon......

The equivalent to 1 vial per gallon? I can't imagine a brewery pitching hundreds of vials.

 

[jldc]

The equivalent to 1 vial per gallon? I can't imagine a brewery pitching hundreds of vials.

It's really not that much and it's not as though they're actually pitching vials. Most starters must double or triple the cell count of the yeast, so you're pitching the equivalent of at least 1/2 a vial per gallon if you make a starter for a 5 gallon batch. If you have good quality yeast slurry available, it sounds like a reasonable rate and much less than pitching on a yeast cake.

 

[Clonefarmer]

It's really not that much and it's not as though they're actually pitching vials. Most starters must double or triple the cell count of the yeast, so you're pitching the equivalent of at least 1/2 a vial per gallon if you make a starter for a 5 gallon batch. If you have good quality yeast slurry available, it sounds like a reasonable rate and much less than pitching on a yeast cake.

I realize pitching the equivalent to 1 vial per gallon is a reasonable rate. Breweries tend to use higher rates of pitching than any home brewer would.

Breweries use 1 vial per gallon......

What I wanted to clarify is this comment made it seem like they were pitching actual vials.