Cell count and Ester Production

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shauntraxler

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Geez I sure hope someone is awake...lol

I am getting ready to pitch my Wyeast Activator pack of Weizen 3068 into my Weizen-bock. The problem is, using Mr. Malty's calculator, I only need barely over 1 billion cells to complete fermentation as I am brewing 2.25 gallons. The smack pack comes with 1 billion cells. I read that if the yeast have no need to multiply, they never produce esters and therefore, I won't get my subtle banana and clove tones which we so love in our hefes and wits.

So my question is, can I just pour 1/2 to 3/4 of the smack pack into the wort and toss the rest? Will this produce any ill side effects? I don't see why it would, but I am proven wrong on a daily basis.

Pleaaaaaaaaase someone be awake.. lol..
 
I don't know where you're getting your numbers from, but if I remember correctly you need about 1 million cells per mL per degree plato. That means you need 6 billion cells for 1 LITER. An activator pack is supposed to have 100 billion cells, but in practice it actually has less than that. You are not going to be overpitching by any means, so definitely add the whole pack.

Next time, though, I would make a properly sized starter.
 
I think you are confused on the 1 billion number, but you understood the part about pitching less than one pack properly. If you want a little bit extra of esters it would not be a bad idea to slightly underpitch. Maybe 3/4 of an Activator pack, or a whole Propagator pack
 
I apologize... I meant to say 100 billion.. My bad guys lol.. It was late. :(

Theredben had in mind what I was thinking, I just didn't know if there would be consequences to only pitching 3/4 of the activator pack with 100 billion cells.
 
Well, I pitched the night I posted this... and I just went ahead and pitched the entire activator with 100billion cells. I hope to get some good esters though... I'm fermenting a bit higher, 66-68 in hopes of more banana and less clove, but we'll see.
 
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