How much yeast to pitch?

[mmlipps]

Made my first yeast starter for a dark cherry stout 5 gallon batch OG 1.052. I made my first starter using the info in how to brew beer by John Palmer, I started it the day before I brewed it. Prior to pitching, I chilled the starter in the fridge to settle the yeast, then dumped off the beer and pitched the entirety of the yeast. 24 hours and now onto almost 48 hours later I am seeing the most violently active fermentation I've ever seen. Krausen is up inside the blow off tube and basically maintaining in the tube or just below and then blows back in. I pitched at about 76F and have been maintaining about 62-66F as read on the sticker fermometer. Does it matter how active the fermentation is? Can u add too much yeast?


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[LLBeanJ]

No, it doesn't really matter how active/inactive the fermentation is. You could brew this same recipe next week doing everything exactly the same and it could quite possibly ferment completely differently. Every fermentation is different.

And yes, you can add too much yeast (aka over-pitching). Make it a habit of using one of the online yeast calculators (mrmalty or yeastcalc) to get a ballpark idea of how much yeast you should be pitching.

 

[flars]

Some yeasts just start out as very active fermenters. What yeast did you use?

 

[mmlipps]

Some yeasts just start out as very active fermenters. What yeast did you use?

Danstar Windsor ale yeast.


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[mmlipps]

No, it doesn't really matter how active/inactive the fermentation is. You could brew this same recipe next week doing everything exactly the same and it could quite possibly ferment completely differently. Every fermentation is different.



And yes, you can add too much yeast (aka over-pitching). Make it a habit of using one of the online yeast calculators (mrmalty or yeastcalc) to get a ballpark idea of how much yeast you should be pitching.

What are the negative effects of over pitching???


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[LLBeanJ]

What are the negative effects of over pitching???

Thin, less flavorful beer.

Here is a nice write-up on a pitching rate experiment...

http://sciencebrewer.com/2012/03/02/pitching-rate-experiment-part-deux-results/

 

[deuce40]

Great article, i over pitched on my last batch and was afraid that i was going to get some off flavors. It was an IPA so maybe an over pitch would be better for it cause it ferments cleaner, according to the article.


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[mmlipps]

When the Mr Malty app asks for %viability, what does that mean, how so I know?


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[flars]

When the Mr Malty app asks for %viability, what does that mean, how so I know?


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Yeast begins losing viability on the day it is produced. Longer time from production the lower the percentage of viability.
Mrmalty has a box you can check and the app will calculate % viability based on the production date of your yeast.
Wyeast prints the production date on their packs. White Labs prints an expiration date on their packs. WL production date is 4 months before the expiration date.
Brewers Friend has a yeast pitch rate calculator which can also interpolate % viability.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

Both of these sites have additional information on the defaults they use in the calculators.