Have I got enough Yeast

[Clementine]

HBTers,
I'm making my first batch with my own yeast harvested from slants and I'm getting nervous. I have two 1L conicals that I have each filled with stepped starters that I canned in my pressure cooker starting with 50ml -> 150ml -> 500ml then 900 ml on a stir plate (note 900ml on a stir plate in a 1liter conical makes a mess by morning). After the fermentation in the starters has been completed at each stage I have put them in the fridge to cool and then decanted the wort use wort in between step ups. Both conicals are in the fridge to drop the yeast from suspension and I plan on putting both into 3 liter (plastic jug+ O2 and lots of shaking) starter Saturday morning for a Sunday brew for a 10 gallon 1050ish West Coast Styled Pale Ale.

I have read and read about this but I just wanted someone else who ranches their yeast to tell me it will work. I know I need 370 Billion Cells I'm not sure if I have enough. 1000ml of starter should have 80 million/ml or 80 billion cells or just short of a vial of white labs per conical, so pitching that into a 3liter starter should give me 350billion cells... does that sound right???

Clem

 

[Clementine]

I'm trying to attach a photo of one of the conicals, the penny is for scale

 

[Clementine]

I know there are other yeast ranchers out there, can anyone lend an opinion

Clem

 

[EROK]

Imagine what is in a Wyeast or WL vial of yeast. (the little amount in there)

If you have that much or a bit less, just do a yeast starter and you will be fine.

No sweat. I do it. The key is healthy yeast, so grow them then let them go to work. 2L starter when in doubt works for most batches.

Peace. -EROK

 

[emjay]

Not entirely true. White Labs, for instance, compacts their yeast much more densely than is possible simply by settling... 100billion yeast cells on the bottom of a fermentor or E-flask is going to take up a fair bit more space than the 100bil cells you can see in a WL vial.

 

[Clementine]

Thanks Erok, I'm going to give it a shot

I was thinking about the white labs vial as a measurement but I was read somewhere that white labs (my only yeast experience, the hawaii home brew store does not stock wyeast) centrifuges their vials and have incredible cell density. (oops I was writing this when I saw emjay's response)

My thought was if this was washed yeast from a cake then I could use Mr Malty calculate and guesstimate my volume of yeast in the conicals and take that as a basis for my pitch rates and that way I should be way ahead of the curve as this yeast should be 99% viable and a lot more healthy than yeast that has just been through a complete fermentation cycle.

Clem

 

[phenry]

Whenever I use bottle cultured yeast for brewing, I put the dregs of about 3-4 bottles into a ~300mL starter, let that ferment out, then step it up to 1L starter on a stir plate. Both times I've done this it has turned out fine (for 5 gallon batches that is).

 

[Clementine]

Just an update, brewed my double batch with my first yeast from slant, 10hrs after pitching yeast one of the fermenters is going 1" of krausen the other is just starting (I hope). I had to split my 3 liter starter between the two carboys. I shook the yeast starter like crazy trying to make the yeast get fully into suspension but I think the second carboy got most of the yeast. Worried the first one that is only just starting to ferment might be a bit under pitched.

Will report with photos tonight.

Clem