How much wort do you make for a starter?

[themack22]

You should have used dry yeast instead of 1056. Many other yeasts don't have an equivalent dry yeast, so in those cases you would need to use liquid. Belgian yeasts are a good example.

It's what came with the kit.

 

[Golddiggie]

Stirplates make a HUGE difference. I can get far more cells with a stirplate and have the starter finish faster.

As mentioned, you have more variety with liquid yeasts. I use a few UK based yeast strains for all my brews. I also have them fully active quickly without issue with the combination of pure O2, nutrient in the boil and a proper sized colony being pitched.

 

[themack22]

I need a bigger flask and my problems will be solved. I'm going to figure something out in the next day or so. I am just going to pitch this slurry after cold crashing into a 2L something/flask/jar and let that do it's thing.

 

[Golddiggie]

Get a stirplate too. Well worth the expense to buy/build one.

 

[themack22]

Yeah, gotta see what my budget will allow. Called a chemistry supply store near my work and a 2L flask is $60!! It's just glass!

NB has them for $22, but I kinda need it today. Don't really have time to schlepp down to the HBS. Any other ideas for the moment?

 

[Golddiggie]

Take the time to go to the LHBS since it will be far cheaper than the lab place. Or order it onky with fast shipping. I would get a stirplate too. Most of the online vendors have.at least one listed. Just be sure to get one that lists being able to handle a 2-3L flask.

 

[themack22]

Ok.

So why buy all this equipment when you can just pitch dry yeast? Lag time?

 

[Golddiggie]

I like the variety of liquid yeast and what I get from the strains I use. There are more that enough people that only use dry yeast too.

 

[kh54s10]

According to yeastcalc.com even with 3 steps and intermittent shaking/aerating, I will only be at 155 bil.

So why don't people just buy two smack packs and pitch them? They're only 5-6 bucks. And why don't people just use dry yeast?

The 3 brews that I made with dry yeast took off and required me to use a blow-off.

This seems like a pain, but I guess if I had gotten a larger flask to begin with, I wouldn't be having this problem.

If you build a stirplate you should be able to do it for less than $25. I had old computers so I made mine for $7.45.

Smack packs usually cost me $6.25 plus shipping from Northern Brewer or $7.99 for White Labs at my LHBS. So $12.50 - $16 or more for multiple fresh yeast. Making a starter only adds a couple of dollars.

Dry yeast is fine, but the selection of styles is very limited. Some people use only dry yeasts.

I have started freezing vials of yeast so I can get hundreds of brews out of a single yeast pack if I wanted to. (4 vials from the pack - 4 new vials from each frozen vial for 4 generations = 256 brews!) Cost = a couple of dollars of DME for each starter. Even less if I get some extra wort from a brew.