How do I step up my yeast starter

[TylerDurden]

I am planning on brewing an extract clone of Pliny the Elder tomorrow. Last night I made a yeast starter with 2 cups water and 1/2 cup DME. I pitched 100 billion cells with the WYest 1056 (American ale) smack pack.

After some reading I realize this small of a starter will not multiply enough to reach the 262 billion cells I need for proper attenuation. How do I step up my starter to achieve the proper cell count? Will it be ready by tomorrow if I do it today?

 

[duboman]

Make up another starter in another vessel, cold crash and decant the original vessel and add the second starter to the first and let if ferment out, crash and decant and pitch when ready.

Ready for tomorrow? Probably not

 

[billl]

It's not ideal, but you can always just add some more wort. Boil up 3 more pints and mix it all together. You won't get the same growth rate as a true "step up", but a 2 liter starter will grow more yeast than 1 pint.

 

[jflongo]

Also, are you going by and shaking it all the time? Using a Stir Plate?

But yes as others have stated, make up another 3 or 4 pints of a starter. Put your other one in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours or longer to cold crash. Decant it carefully, pouring off as much wort as you can without any yeast coming with it, when it's up to room temperature, put the new starter into it, and swirl it well again.

 

[NTXBrauer]

I always make a starter of 2 liters minimum to reach the 200 billion yeast cell count, and usually 48 hrs prior to brewing. This has worked well for me thus far.

 

[kh54s10]

I suggest looking at yeastcalc.com for information on making step starters. You can enter what you have already done as step 1.

Also, get a scale to weigh your DME. Volume is quite inaccurate since the DME can be loose or tightly packed into the cup.
Another point is that the Wyeast pack might not even contain 100 billion cells depending on the age. Calculators ask for the production date and adjust for predicted viability.

If you want to brew tomorrow you will have to add the step up wort then pitch the entire starter, you will not have time to let it run then chill and decant the liquid.

 

[NTXBrauer]

As mentioned above yeastcalc.com is a great reference as well as mrmalty.com, to ensure you are hitting the optimal pitching rate.

 

[TylerDurden]

What if I just made a second yeast starter with another yeast pack today?

 

[kh54s10]

What if I just made a second yeast starter with another yeast pack today?

You could but one of the purposes of making a starter is so that you don't have to purchase multiple packages of yeast. Thus saving $$

 

[NTXBrauer]

I would use your existing yeast starter. Check one of the pitching calcs, and boil some more DME with the appropriate amount of water to make up the difference in what you need. Cool down and add your starter. The yeast cells are already multiplying, and would get you closer to the 200 billion mark, than pitching a new yeast packet. IMO

 

[billl]

"What if I just made a second yeast starter with another yeast pack today?"

That would work as well or better than trying to step up your current starter on short notice. The only downside is the cost. If an extra 6 bucks is no biggy, then go for it.

 

[Grannyknot]

I would advise against decanting anything from your starter, even with an overnight cold crash.
With 1056, It would take a minimum of 3 days in the fridge to drop the yeast out of suspension.
If you cold crash in the fridge overnight, then decant what you think is wort, chances are, you are pouring good yeast cells down the drain.

I would just pitch your current yeast starter.

My opinion with starters is that if you are going to do a true "step up", you need to start the process a week before brew day, in order to have adequate time to decant twice without loosing good yeast cells.

 

[TylerDurden]

I'm fine with buying another yeast pack. Say I pitch the new yeast pack at 80 - 100 billion and the starter at 150 billion that should put me around my target. Is there any downfall to this method? I really want to hit my FG mark.

 

[NTXBrauer]

I'm fine with buying another yeast pack. Say I pitch the new yeast pack at 80 - 100 billion and the starter at 150 billion that should put me around my target. Is there any downfall to this method? I really want to hit my FG mark.

You should be fine with this approach.

 

[jflongo]

Yep go for it, and next time just make a larger starter. Also, if you don't have a stir plate, you can get them in the $40 - $50 range, or make your own cheap if you have some used computer fans and cell phone or router cords laying around. You generate a ton more cells using a stir plate, so can use smaller starters with them.

 

[Seven]

I am planning on brewing an extract clone of Pliny the Elder tomorrow. Last night I made a yeast starter with 2 cups water and 1/2 cup DME. I pitched 100 billion cells with the WYest 1056 (American ale) smack pack.

After some reading I realize this small of a starter will not multiply enough to reach the 262 billion cells I need for proper attenuation. How do I step up my starter to achieve the proper cell count? Will it be ready by tomorrow if I do it today?

What is the OG of your recipe? And depending on the manufacture date of your original yeast packet - you probably didn't start with 100 billion cells. Recently I dropped my 3L yeast starter that I had prepared for my Pliny clone and, in an emergency, I had to pitch 4 packets of liquid yeast to even come close to the amount of cells needed. You'll most likely be fine going with your current starter and an extra packet or two.... but you should try to pitch the correct amount of yeast to give your beer the best chances to hit your target FG.

Another option would be to pitch your starter along with some dry yeast like US-05.