SouthBayBrewer31
SouthBayBrewer31
It’s my first starter and it doesn’t look like much to me. It’s 1 pack WLP001 in a 1500 ML starter, OG 1.034.
What was the package date of the yeast (viability?)? How long did you leave it on the stir plate? I usually give my starters a 1.040 gravity to start with, and keep them at room temp for 48 hours. Also, is this for a 5 gallon batch or something larger? What kind of beer is this going into (wort gravity)?
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It’s my first starter and it doesn’t look like much to me. It’s 1 pack WLP001 in a 1500 ML starter, OG 1.034.
You'll be fine. In all honesty, you shouldn't need a starter at all for that beer. The calculator pitching rates are extremely conservative in their estimates. For any 5 gallon ale 1.060ish or less, with relatively fresh yeast, I just pitch it directly and typically see activity in 12-24 hours.
As a point of reference, I made 6 gallons of 1.054 American wheat beer last weekend using Wyeast 1010. The yeast pack was from mid-August, and I inflated it the weekend before last intending to brew then. I didn't get around to it, so stuck it back in the fridge until this past Sunday. Accepted wisdom is that this yeast was near deaths door and required a double imperial turbo charged mega starter to bring it back to life. Thing is, I pulled it from the fridge and pitched it right into the beer. 24 hours later it was popping away happily.
That isn't to say that pitching old yeast in small amounts is the right thing to do. If you leave your wort exposed to the air you are likely to get a wild yeast. It will ferment the beer. But?????? I read that early brewers stirred their "wort" with their magic stick which had some yeast cells on it from the last batch.
My personal threshold for not making a starter for liquid yeast is 1.040. Since I have never done one that low when using liquid yeast, I have yet to not make a starter. My average lag time with starters is about 6 hours....
The question is whether what I did was actually underpitching. I've done this quite a few times now, and without any negative characteristics or signs of what might be described as underpitching. I have seen activity in 6 hours as well, but it's usually 12+ hours, which I prefer as the moderate increase in lag time suggests new cell growth.
It's worthy of note that the manufacturer recommends this procedure, unless the yeast is many months old or has been stored improperly.
But cell growth in the wort is what you do not really want. If it is a little, that is OK. If it is a lot that is where off flavors are produced. It is generally accepted that manufacturers do suggest straight pitching - for some reason... It is also generally suggested that for beers that are more than low gravity, you need more yeast than are in the package. Thus the need for a starter. The maximum gravity where a direct pitch is OK is debatable.
A small amount of cell growth is desirable, but I agree not too much. I use the Wyeast activator packs, and their recommendations are available here: https://wyeastlab.com/smack-pack-activator-system
They state that the pack contains a minimum of 100B cells, and only suggest making a starter for high gravity (1.060+) or low temperature situations (lagers). I've taken to following their recommendations and I haven't been let down yet.
The calculator that I use says a 5.25 gallon batch of 1.030 would need 112 billion cells, a 1.050 batch would need 184 billion cells. And that is for a very fresh package.... I rarely brew anything much under 1.050 so I make a starter EVERY time. It works for me. I don't have to worry at all about stressed yeast, stalled fermentations, days of lag time, etc. YMMV.
It's a good idea for 1.060+ strong beers, I agree. A question for the manufacturers is whether this "100B cells" claim is for fresh yeast, or if it's what the pack contains when it reaches you after being used as a football by the postal service and left out baking in the sun for a few days. I suspect it's the latter, as they state 100B as the minimum amount. My observations support this.
Most of my beers are 1.045 - 1.060, but occasionally higher and lower. I used to make starters religiously, and one day decided not to as I didn't have the time to do so ahead of brew day. What surprised me is how fermentation kicked off very fast, sooner than many batches made with starters. It convinced me that when they say activator packs are designed for direct inoculation, they really mean it.
I am not convinced that you get the 100B cells AFTER age, heat, cold etc. Even if that is minimum it is still just over half of what most will say is needed to pitch the proper amount of cells in my average beer. Will it ferment the beer? - yes, no doubt about that. A wort will ferment from yeast cells in the air getting into the wort. Is that the best? Not in my opinion. I prefer to pitch plenty of healthy yeasts to give my beer the best chance of being great. Pitching yeast that might have been badly handled is not my style.
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