I was having a discussion over in the One Gallon thread and it was suggested I post my query here.
So far all I have made is cider, fruit wines, and one batch of mead. When looking at the directions for wine and cider yeast the pitch rates are pretty simple. About one gram per gallon. But when I looked at the directions for beer yeast it used a more complex formula that is dependent on the gravity of the wort. Usually something like "X number of cells per liter/ degree plato."
Why are the wine yeast pitching directions so much more simple? A gram a gallon basically works out to about 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. Since I am doing one gallon batches that makes it pretty simple. And it makes a five gram packet of yeast stretch pretty far, even if I double the pitch rate.
Someone suggested the specific gravity of wine/cider/mead must is less variable than wort. But I have pitched yeast into fruit wines of different SG and ciders of different SG and ran into no issues and haven't read about any issues inherent in doing this.
So why is the determination of how much yeast to pitch for beer so much more complex than other concoctions?
I know that wine and beer yeasts are (probably) different species and therefore different organisms.
This question is partly out of curiosity and partly because calculating "X cells per liter/degree plato" sounds like kind of a pain in the butt. Especially considering my hydrometer doesn't measure the plato scale. It does specific gravity, brix, and potential alcohol.
Thanks in advance.
So far all I have made is cider, fruit wines, and one batch of mead. When looking at the directions for wine and cider yeast the pitch rates are pretty simple. About one gram per gallon. But when I looked at the directions for beer yeast it used a more complex formula that is dependent on the gravity of the wort. Usually something like "X number of cells per liter/ degree plato."
Why are the wine yeast pitching directions so much more simple? A gram a gallon basically works out to about 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. Since I am doing one gallon batches that makes it pretty simple. And it makes a five gram packet of yeast stretch pretty far, even if I double the pitch rate.
Someone suggested the specific gravity of wine/cider/mead must is less variable than wort. But I have pitched yeast into fruit wines of different SG and ciders of different SG and ran into no issues and haven't read about any issues inherent in doing this.
So why is the determination of how much yeast to pitch for beer so much more complex than other concoctions?
I know that wine and beer yeasts are (probably) different species and therefore different organisms.
This question is partly out of curiosity and partly because calculating "X cells per liter/degree plato" sounds like kind of a pain in the butt. Especially considering my hydrometer doesn't measure the plato scale. It does specific gravity, brix, and potential alcohol.
Thanks in advance.