Large enough starter?

[wfowlks]

So I just made my stirplate, (Thanks HBT DIY Forums), because I was tired of shaking the starter, and I like building things.

But back to the question. This is my first lager and I want to do it right. I bought a single vial of WLP820 (Oktoberfest Lager Yeast). I have just made a 1 gallon starter (16 cups of water, 4 cups DME) because all the forums I have read so far say make a large starter for Lagers. Large is somewhat vague... I didn't know if the 1 gallon would be enough to grow the yeast from a 5 gallon to a 10 gallon size as well as have enough for the starter.

So I was wondering if that would be enough for a 10 gallon batch, or should I decant and make another starter. And if the answer is another starter, how big should it be?

I am fermenting the starter at about 55 degrees in a mini fridge with a stir plate. The lid of the pot doesn't have a hole on the top, its just a lid. Will that be ok or do I need foil?

Edit:
Final starter Stats:
OG: 1.047
Vol: 1.3 Gallons

 

[duboman]

http://mrmalty.com
http://yeastcalc.com
Visit either one of these sites and plug in the numbers and it will give you what you need for a starter, Yeastcalc site allows for stepping up, Mr. Malty does not.

 

[wfowlks]

http://mrmalty.com
http://yeastcalc.com
Visit either one of these sites and plug in the numbers and it will give you what you need for a starter, Yeastcalc site allows for stepping up, Mr. Malty does not.

Thanks for the resource. I liked the yeastcalc

 

[duboman]

Thanks for the resource. I liked the yeastcalc

That's the site I use religiously for all my starters

 

[wfowlks]

it seems to me, that it may have been cheaper for me to have just ponied up the extra $6.50 instead of using all the DME to try to grow the yeast from one vial.

 

[kh54s10]

it seems to me, that it may have been cheaper for me to have just ponied up the extra $6.50 instead of using all the DME to try to grow the yeast from one vial.

Not quite.

For a lager you would need at least 3 vials or more depending on the gravity of the recipe.

A pound of DME costs about $5
So the math to me is starter = about $8-$10
Without the starter = $19.50 - $24

 

[wfowlks]

Yeah it's $4 / lb at the lhbs for dme. $6.65 per vial.

 

[wfowlks]

It has also been a day wants I still have no krausen. It's fermenting at 58 degrees, I haven't done lager before so is this normal

The recipe is 1.068 projected OG, a 10 gallon batch

 

[jigidyjim]

It has also been a day wants I still have no krausen. It's fermenting at 58 degrees, I haven't done lager before so is this normal

The recipe is 1.068 projected OG, a 10 gallon batch

Lagers can take awhile to get going if they aren't pitched enough. My first lager took 3 days to start fermenting, and I've seen many threads here with the same results.

Also, don't forget that lagers are bottom fermenters - so it will look different than an ale.

Just wait awhile longer...

 

[jigidyjim]

Lagers can take awhile to get going if they aren't pitched enough. My first lager took 3 days to start fermenting, and I've seen many threads here with the same results.

Also, don't forget that lagers are bottom fermenters - so it will look different than an ale.

Just wait awhile longer...

Oops - did you mean that your starter has no krausen?

Fwiw - I do my starters at room temp even for lagers.

 

[wfowlks]

I did my starter in a 5 gallon stainless pot. I cant see anything other than what happens on top. I didn't know if it would all happen on the bottom.