large amount of liquid yeast...do i need a starter?

[beargrylls]

If I have enough liquid yeast, do I need to make a starter before pitching?

I have 1.5 cups of chico liquid yeast from flying dog brewery that I got 4 weeks ago, and it is still very active when I take it out of the fridge (the plastic water bottle it is in keeps expanding).
Is this enough liquid yeast for my 5 gallon batch or is a starter needed?

 

[KISS Brew]

It depends mostly on how thick the yeast is and how high your OG is. You could be fine, or you could be severely underpitching.

The easiest way to find out is to check the yeast calculator at Mrmalty.com.

 

[duboman]

If I have enough liquid yeast, do I need to make a starter before pitching?

I have 1.5 cups of chico liquid yeast from flying dog brewery that I got 4 weeks ago, and it is still very active when I take it out of the fridge (the plastic water bottle it is in keeps expanding).
Is this enough liquid yeast for my 5 gallon batch or is a starter needed?

Are you sure it is 1.5 cups of pure yeast or is there wort in there as well? 1.5 cups is a lot of pure yeast and IMO you would be over pitching for a 5 gallon batch.

Personally I would cold crash it for a few days and see if the yeast settles out and separates from the possible wort. Then you can decant and see what you've got left and compare that amount to perhaps a previous starter you have made.

Or you can do what I do and spread out all the yeast on a large table and begin counting them individually

 

[beargrylls]

i had it in the fridge and it was about half and half separated, so probably about 3/4 cup of pure yeast. i took it out and it immediately started to foam up and activate again, so i didn't have a chance to decant. i ended up just pouring the whole thing into my carboy and visible fermentation started within 4 hours (fastest i've ever had, but i've only done 3 batches with dry yeast). i guess that was too much yeast. will this contribute to any off flavors?

how's that spreading method workin for ya?

 

[stubbornman]

at 4 weeks viability becomes a concern and I would probably make a starter to be safe. The flip side of that coin is Chico is cheap and easy to get so if you had a long lag time or anything you could always pitch more...

 

[duboman]

i had it in the fridge and it was about half and half separated, so probably about 3/4 cup of pure yeast. i took it out and it immediately started to foam up and activate again, so i didn't have a chance to decant. i ended up just pouring the whole thing into my carboy and visible fermentation started within 4 hours (fastest i've ever had, but i've only done 3 batches with dry yeast). i guess that was too much yeast. will this contribute to any off flavors?

how's that spreading method workin for ya?

Yea, I always get a chuckle with the counting thing................

As for off flavors, no there should be no issues but IMO I would not consider saving the yeast again. Each time you re-use yeast, without complete washing, there is an accumulation of dead cells that continue to be re-pitched. In addition, there is no way of knowing the overall health of the yeast being used and you may begin to encounter issues with poor attenuation in subsequent batches.

 

[beargrylls]

how would i do complete washing of the yeast? i know how to wash yeast but would that be sufficient for separating the dead cells? i do like to save my yeast.

 

[duboman]

how would i do complete washing of the yeast? i know how to wash yeast but would that be sufficient for separating the dead cells? i do like to save my yeast.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/