is this enough???

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

docmoran

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 5, 2008
Messages
132
Reaction score
2
Is one vial of white lab yeast enough for 5 gallons brew or should I make a starter???
 
Liquid yeasts have lower cell counts than dry yeasts, so it is almost always beneficial to make a starter to get the yeast count up.
A 1000ml or 1 US qt starter with 3/4 to 1 cup of DME is usually a good size starter. Give it 24-48 hours for the yeast to wake up and multiply.
 
Have never made a starter witha vial of White Labs and every batch has been great. There is certainly no harm in making a starter at any gravity.

Over 1.06 I use dry yeast. If I ever brew over 1.08, I will do a starter.
 
Here's the way I personally look at it. Besides the fact that those vials do not technically contain enough yeast for proper pitching rates, I like making starters because I'm actually doing something brewing related. Honestly, I can only brew once or twice a month, max. That's only two days worth of brewing... but making starters makes me feel like I'm being more "involved" in my hobby. Kinda gets the anticipation of the big brew day going too.

I'll start my starter up about 2 days prior to the brewdate. That's like a whole weekend of brewing related activities and sounds. (Ever had a stirplate put you to sleep?? I have!) And to top it off, I wash my yeast. That way I get a nice little project about 2 weeks after my big brew day. Plenty of stuff to do in between brewing. That's why I love starters and this hobby in general.
 
I toss in one vial when I use the yeast-in-a-tube. I've only had one take 2-3 days to get rolling, the rest started fairly quickly.

I'm going to start using dry yeast just due to cost unless I get a kit that comes with tube/smackpack yeast.

If you want to make a starter, go ahead like the other guys have said but it's not necessary.
 
Back
Top