Did the kit contain enough yeast?

[Senior Monkey]

We're brewing our first beer soon. This first time we're using a kit to make sure we get the basics under control. The recipe is for an IPA with an initial gravity target of 1.063.
Mr. Palmer's How to Brew book suggests we will need about 304 billion yeast cells for 5 gallons of fermentable work. (16 plato points * 20 liters * 1 billion) The kit contained 1 package of dry yeast. I checked the manufacturer's (Fermentis) website and found that the package contains 69 billion viable cells. I'm thinking we need at least two packets of yeast. Am I doing the math wrong or not understanding something?

 

[mongoose33]

What specific yeast is it?

It's good you're thinking about this, but if it's a standard packet of yeast, just pitch it. It'll be fine.

Good for you for doing a kit first, it's a good way to focus on process and not the other elements while you figure it out.

 

[IslandLizard]

For many years 1 sachet of US-05 or S-04 was plenty to inoculate a 5-5.5 gallon batch of 1.060-some ale.
Proper rehydration was always recommended, as well as good aeration (e.g., shaking, pouring wort back and forth) and I've brewed many beers successfully just like that. Didn't even know about yeast calculators, just followed the recipe's guidelines. It would usually take a good 2-3 days before visible krausen formed.

As long as the sachet of yeast is within date and has been stored at least refrigerated (freezing is even better) for most of its life, and is unopened, it should work fine as it says. There may well be many more cells in that package, but the manufacturer may not guarantee it, hence the discrepancy?

Here's a yeast calculator that includes dry yeast usage, with lots of extra information on the bottom about yeast cell counts in dry yeast packages. An interesting read.

Fairly recently the manufacturer started to recommended pitching dry by just sprinkling it on the wort surface, no more rehydrating is necessary. Not sure what they changed in the yeast formulation, if they did, it could be for simply for convenience sake. I have not seen any conclusive research on the validity of it. Yes, I'm a sceptic.

Do you have an LHBS nearby you could obtain another (or a few) more packets of (that same) yeast, just in case?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Fairly recently the manufacturer started to recommended pitching dry by just sprinkling it on the wort surface, no more rehydrating is necessary. Not sure what they changed in the yeast formulation, if they did, it could be for simply for convenience sake. I have not seen any conclusive research on the validity of it. Yes, I'm a sceptic.

Nothing wrong with being skeptical. And the instructions for using dry yeast from many of the dry yeast labs (Fermentis, Lallemand, Mangrove Jacks) provide instructions both pitching dry and rehydrating.
Just be sure to add the yeast before closing the fermenter!

 

[ncbrewer]

Fairly recently the manufacturer started to recommended pitching dry by just sprinkling it on the wort surface, no more rehydrating is necessary. Not sure what they changed in the yeast formulation, if they did, it could be for simply for convenience sake. I have not seen any conclusive research on the validity of it. Yes, I'm a sceptic.

The Fermentis website goes on to say "Ideally, the yeast will be added during the first part of the filling of the vessel; in which case hydration can be done at wort temperature higher than fermentation temperature, the fermenter being then filled with wort at lower temperature to bring the entire wort temperature at fermentation temperature."

I'm beyond skeptical. This procedure doesn't work with my process, so if I pitched dry, it wouldn't be best practice. I've reluctantly continued rehydrating for that reason.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

...This procedure doesn't work with my process, so if I pitched dry, it wouldn't be best practice. I've reluctantly continued rehydrating for that reason.

I interested in listening to other opinions and personal best practices. Personally, I've always had good results pitching dry (by sprinkling on top). I haven't tried rehydrating for a couple of years - but maybe it's time to give it a try again.

 

[camonick]

I interested in listening to other opinions and personal best practices. Personally, I've always had good results pitching dry (by sprinkling on top). I haven't tried rehydrating for a couple of years - but maybe it's time to give it a try again.

I always pitch dry and always end up with beer in a couple weeks. I mostly use Nottingham and 34/70 depending on style.
And to answer the OP, an 11g packet should be sufficient for a “normal” ale.
Slainte

 

[Alex4mula]

I have done four brews with s04 and s05. Both I pitched dry out of packet into wort in carboy. By next day (12-18hrs) I have krausem start. I do add O2 with stone but did not on 1st one. All came out great.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Recently, I've been a proponent of looking at vendor product information sheets (and using that information as a starting point). So let's do that for US-05. Currently, the link to the product information sheet is here: https://fermentis.com/en/fermentation-solutions/you-create-beer/safale-us-05/ (and the actual PDF is https://fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/SafAle-US-05.pdf). And the full paragraph (which was partially quoted above) is:

➢Direct Pitching
Pitch the yeast directly in the fermentation vessel on the surface of the wort at or above the fermentation temperature. Progressively sprinkle the dry yeast into the wort ensuring the yeast covers all the surface of wort available to avoid clumps. Ideally, the yeast will be added during the first part of the filling of the vessel; in which case hydration can be done at wort temperature higher than fermentation temperature, the fermenter being then filled with wort at lower temperature to bring the entire wort temperature at fermentation temperature.

Again, my point here is that vendors provide good starting points for use of their products. Products can change (generally for the better) as time goes on, so it may be reasonable to review product information sheets occasionally.
Rehydrate or pitch it dry. eEther way, just be sure to add the yeast before closing the fermenter!

 

[Senior Monkey]

I thank all of you for these thoughts about yeast. We're gonna brew on Wednesday, re-hyrdrate 2 packages of US 05 dry ale yeast, keep notes and see what happens.

 

[IslandLizard]

I thank all of you for these thoughts about yeast. We're gonna brew on Wednesday, re-hyrdrate 2 packages of US 05 dry ale yeast, keep notes and see what happens.

As I said before 1 package should be enough. I never used more (I did rehydrate) and brewed many 1.060-1.070 ales that way.
If you decide on rehydrating, follow that manufacturer's outlined process exactly. I never did the 30' (minutes!) stir at the end, just one minute or so, enough to make a homogenous thin slurry. Then pitch it.

Controlling your ferm temps is important to make good beer. 66-68F is ideal for US-05, raise a few degrees (to 'normal' room temps) toward the end.

Omit secondaries, leave where it is until bottling.

 

[kh54s10]

Fermentis says 6 x 10 to the ninth per gram. By the math, and I am no good at math, it seems in the neighborhood of 66 billion.

I was always under the impression that an 11 gram pack contained about 200 billion.

That said I always use one pack for average beers. I would be in the neighborhood of a 1.090 beer before I would pitch two.

I have sprinkled and pitched dry. The longest it took was about 36 hours. I don't know if that one was dry or rehydrated.
My usual time to see fermentation is as follows:
Rehydrated = between 4 hours and 12 hours.
Dry = Between 4 hours and 12

I usually pitch late in the afternoon. Rehydrated often starts before I go to bed. Dry sometimes starts before I go to bed.

 

[IslandLizard]

I thank all of you for these thoughts about yeast. We're gonna brew on Wednesday, re-hyrdrate 2 packages of US 05 dry ale yeast, keep notes and see what happens.

When that batch is ready to be packaged, you can save the yeast cake, and use part of it for a subsequent batch. About 1/4 of it is plenty to pitch into a similar gravity ale. You can store it in pint size mason jars and must be refrigerated. Keep good sanitation of course. Use harvested yeast within 2-6 months. Longer is possible.

Read up on harvesting yeast.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Yeah, Fermentis are pretty cautious on their specifications, although they specify 6 billion cells per gram for most of their beer yeasts, people have found 20-25 billion cells per gram. Also dry yeast are ready to roll, they come with everything they need to replicate ~3 times, whereas wet yeast need to absorb oxygen to make sterols before they can replicate.

TLDR - you're OK with one packet. It won't hurt to add a bit of another packet, but there will be little if any benefit either.

 

[BarleyStanding]

I interested in listening to other opinions and personal best practices. Personally, I've always had good results pitching dry (by sprinkling on top). I haven't tried rehydrating for a couple of years - but maybe it's time to give it a try again.

I've used 05 in my IPAs for years; usually pitch 2 packs dry on IPAs north of 1070 and always ferment clean and attenuate well.