Gravity for a starter

[Rob2010SS]

I'm beginning to look at more of the finite details of my starters. I've done a few starters thus far but on my starter that I'm going to do tonight, I'm going to overbuild it to save some for future use. I'm using WY1318 and based on Homebrew Dad's Yeast Calculator, I need 251 billion cells.

My dilemma is that I don't have enough space in my 2L flask to overbuild by 100 billion (Brulosophy's Method) based on a starter gravity of 1.037. However, if I bump it up to 1.039 gravity, I then hit my overbuild target.

From what I've ready thus far, a starter gravity between 1.030 - 1.040 is perfectly fine. Is this still the case? I don't want to stress the yeast and I know I ultimately need a bigger flask. Will I be OK with the starter gravity at 1.039?

How do you guys harvest yeast from starters?

 

[Smellyglove]

You'll be fine. 2 points difference is nothing. Besides looking at numbers in a starter which has two points difference is fine-picking it very much and starter calculators are just a ballpark, as is the viability of the yeast you entered into the calculator, so the 2 points is just one of few different factors which is "ballpark".

I usually just decant it, leave enough wort in the flask so I can swirl the flask and get the yeast into the wort, and divide the volume equally into x lab-glasses.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Ok, so another starter question, but not related to gravity.

Is a 1.25L starter going to affect the flavor of final product if I dump the whole thing in a 6 gallon batch? Should I be decanting?

I'm going to get the starter going tonight, maybe 9ish. I'll throw it on the stir plate and let it go for at least 24 hours. I'll steal the yeast that I'm planning on harvesting and will let the remaining 1.25L starter go on the stir plate until pitching time (at least this was my plan). I will probably be pitching around 4pm on Sunday evening. Do I need to decant this or is it a small enough starter where I shouldn't have an issue?

 

[Smellyglove]

Ok, so another starter question, but not related to gravity.

Is a 1.25L starter going to affect the flavor of final product if I dump the whole thing in a 6 gallon batch? Should I be decanting?

I'm going to get the starter going tonight, maybe 9ish. I'll throw it on the stir plate and let it go for at least 24 hours. I'll steal the yeast that I'm planning on harvesting and will let the remaining 1.25L starter go on the stir plate until pitching time (at least this was my plan). I will probably be pitching around 4pm on Sunday evening. Do I need to decant this or is it a small enough starter where I shouldn't have an issue?

Can't help you on that one, I have always been decanting. I believe Palmer said that 5% starter wort of total volume is ok. But if you'd ask me I always decant) that's somewhat degrading the quality. But I'm a nitpicker. The way I see it is that if there's an upper limit to what you can toss into your beer, then it must also give off flavors at lower volumes, even if it's not directly percievable.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Ok. How long do you chill the starter in order to get a good decant then? Given my time frame, would you say I have enough time to chill and decant?

 

[Smellyglove]

I wouldn't put it in the fridge at least. You'd be taking the yeast in and out of activity in a very short timeframe. Maybe decant, but decant from room-temperature. I wouldn't cool it down to fridge temps with that timeframe. Don't break the feel-good flow of the yeast, sort of.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Understood. Thanks man. We'll see if I decant warm or not. I'm just a hair over the 5% of total volume on that starter. I'll let it sit and see if it settles out enough on brewday.