moving on to five gallons
- Thread starter brady123
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
My first batch was a 5 gallon but the easiest way to jump from a 1 to a 5, I'm assuming your doing extract brews would be to get an already put together extract kit from your lhbs or online. Most come with step by step instructions to help you out as a beginner.
kpr121
Well-Known Member
Just multiple your recipe (that turned out great) by five!
huesmann
Well-Known Member
Except you prolly don't need to quintuple the yeast.
Yes, increase the yeast too...1 gal batches come out great because a single packet of 5 gm yeast is actually a proper pitch rate for 1 gal of standard strength mead. You might not *need* to quintuple the yeast, but I'd recommend at least 15 gm yeast for 5 gallons.
TheBrewingMedic
Well-Known Member
biochemedic said:
To echo biochem on this one definitely increase the yeast. Just because the packets say they can ferment "up to" 5 gallons it doesn't mean it will do it effectively without stretching it thin and stressing it out... I like 1 pack for 1 gallon, 2 for 3 gallons and 3 for 5 gallons
roadymi
Well-Known Member
I have a question on this theory. Wouldn't making a good active starter
with the same fermentables as the brew accomplish the same thing? You put the yeast in some water with a lil fermentable sugar and they multiply like rabbits.
completelyuncorked
Active Member
you do not need to add extra yeast, I use a single packet of champagne yeast on 6gal and it works just fine, if you take your yeast packet and make a starter with 1/4 cup water @ 105-110 degrees and a bit of honey you will be just fine, yeast multiplies! just as in makin mead you need patience with your yeast, increasing the amount doesnt make it better or faster
Ugh, I feel like I'm hijacking the thread here, but here goes...
Yes, you can do this, and it's absolutely what you should do if you're using liquid yeast, to increase your cell counts to proper pitch rate. However, you don't really need to do it with dry yeast, which is essentially "ready to go" once rehydrated. All you need to do is add more grams of yeast, which is what TheBrewingMedic and I have been talking about.
It's not to say you couldn't make a starter from a single yeast packet, but overall I think it's easier to just add more packets. But, if you were really strapped for cash, say, or just couldn't get to the shop to get more yeast and only had one packet...an extra day or three, a half gallon of low gravity must (~1.040 OG) and you will accomplish the same thing.
FWIW, you could just pitch more than one packet or tube of liquid yeast too, but not many people do that as it would be prohibitively expensive with liquid yeast costing 3-4 times as much per unit as dry... However, the starter also has the added benefit of making sure the yeast is active before you pitch it (which could be more important with a White Labs pitchable tube than the Wyeast activator packs). The more important thing though, is the quantity of yeast that you pitch.
I think the keys to the above reply are the words that I've emphasized in blue.
Furthermore, and no offense meant, but I believe the final statement is just plain wrong.
Proper pitch rate is one of many keys to good fermentation management that will ultimately reduce the time it takes for mead to be truly great, and not "just fine." If you *start with* (not build up to) a good healthy yeast population, have good oxygenation/aeration, degassing, and staggered nutrient additions, you will have an OPTIMAL fermentation that will be less stressed, and produce less off-flavors and fuesels. Mead doesn't have to take years to be drinkable...it will always be better in years, even given the best of techniques, but mead made using the above techniques is routinely very drinkable in just a few months.
Finally, and yes this is a bit semantic, but what completelyuncorked is describing is not a starter, but rather a technique for rehydrating the yeast. A starter implies a much greater volume of low gravity must/wort that is pitched with a smaller quantity of yeast, and allowed to ferment to completion in order to increase the active yeast mass. You will not get any significant increase in cell count during the rehydration process, even if you add a small quantity of fermentable sugar.
Yes, you can do this, and it's absolutely what you should do if you're using liquid yeast, to increase your cell counts to proper pitch rate. However, you don't really need to do it with dry yeast, which is essentially "ready to go" once rehydrated. All you need to do is add more grams of yeast, which is what TheBrewingMedic and I have been talking about.
It's not to say you couldn't make a starter from a single yeast packet, but overall I think it's easier to just add more packets. But, if you were really strapped for cash, say, or just couldn't get to the shop to get more yeast and only had one packet...an extra day or three, a half gallon of low gravity must (~1.040 OG) and you will accomplish the same thing.
FWIW, you could just pitch more than one packet or tube of liquid yeast too, but not many people do that as it would be prohibitively expensive with liquid yeast costing 3-4 times as much per unit as dry... However, the starter also has the added benefit of making sure the yeast is active before you pitch it (which could be more important with a White Labs pitchable tube than the Wyeast activator packs). The more important thing though, is the quantity of yeast that you pitch.
I think the keys to the above reply are the words that I've emphasized in blue.
Furthermore, and no offense meant, but I believe the final statement is just plain wrong.
Proper pitch rate is one of many keys to good fermentation management that will ultimately reduce the time it takes for mead to be truly great, and not "just fine." If you *start with* (not build up to) a good healthy yeast population, have good oxygenation/aeration, degassing, and staggered nutrient additions, you will have an OPTIMAL fermentation that will be less stressed, and produce less off-flavors and fuesels. Mead doesn't have to take years to be drinkable...it will always be better in years, even given the best of techniques, but mead made using the above techniques is routinely very drinkable in just a few months.
Finally, and yes this is a bit semantic, but what completelyuncorked is describing is not a starter, but rather a technique for rehydrating the yeast. A starter implies a much greater volume of low gravity must/wort that is pitched with a smaller quantity of yeast, and allowed to ferment to completion in order to increase the active yeast mass. You will not get any significant increase in cell count during the rehydration process, even if you add a small quantity of fermentable sugar.
