my first yeast starter

[FreeLordBrewing]

this will be my first yeast starter I am using the brewers best kit Imperial Pale Ale. target OG = 1.081-1.085.

based off beersmith.com, I need a starter of 340 billion yeast. from this equation, which is the 4 billion per point of gravity. (4 billion x 85=340 billion.)
To hit target gravity of the starter(1.040) I should need 3.5-4 oz of DME per litre. also I should be at a 4 litre starter after 2 stage starter is done, recommended by beersmith.

My question:
What DME is recommended? Does this sound right? Should I create less or more starter?
I will not be using a stirplate. What's another recommended vessel for the 4 litre batch after the 1st stage 1 litre? How often should I agitate the mix?

 

[cheier]

What DME is recommended?
I use Briess light DME

Does this sound right?
To make life eaiser, I guestimate 100 grams DME to 1L water

Should I create less or more starter?
Better to overpitch than underpitch. I do recommend getting the stir plate. One thing I have done before for a pilsner is build up. Do a 2L starter, give it a few days, throw in the fridge to let the new yeast settle. Decant the beer, but salvage about 75% of the yeast into a sanitized mason jar. Repeat until you have tons of yeast. This way, you're not doing a massive starter then throwing over a gallon of beer into your fresh wort.

What's another recommended vessel for the 4 litre batch after the 1st stage 1 litre?
Milk jug?

How often should I agitate the mix?
As often as you can. Maybe every time you walk by it or something? The key is to keep oxygen in the wort while the yeast are trying to propagate, usually in the earlier stages. Pay most attention to it in the first 12 hours or so.

 

[mvcorliss]

I used an empty growler before I got a flask and stir plate.

 

[ETCS]

I use a standard of 1/2 cup of DME and a 2 cups of water.

 

[FreeLordBrewing]

Ended up using the 100 grams per 1 liter formula, used 200 grams of Muntons plain light DME added to a newly purchased/sanitized (starsan) 2000ml flask. Added enough water to bring it to 2 liters, boiled for 15 minutes, at the last 10 min of the boil added 1/8th teaspoon of yeast nutrient. cooled down to 71 degrees F and pitched in 2 swollen packs of Wyeast american ale 1065. thats 200 billion yeast cells that should double to some where +/- 400 billion (I needed 340 billion for this batch based on mrmalty/beersmith). after pouring some of the wort out to fill my hydrometer tube, and checking gravity I found it dead on at 1.040 (+ .001 for difference in temp.) after shaking the hell out of it it to incorporate as much o2 into it, I ended up pouring the two yeast packs in, the addition of the yeast brought it back up dead on to the 2000ml mark so far things are going perfect!! air lock is bubbling at a good pace!! I Did not end up using a stir plate but just agitated it for the first couple of hours to incorporate as much of o2 as possible pulling air lock out each time. I will be brewing my Imperial pale ale tomorrow and I can't wait!! thanks for all the replies!! so far I think I am doing everything correctly but please inform me if I already did something wrong I hope not, and I don't think I did thanks again - Shawn

 

[mvcorliss]

Don't worry too much about the SG of the starter wort. As long as it is in the general ballpark (1.030 to 1.040) you are fine. Follow the mixing ratio and you really don't have to do a hydrometer check. I probably would have cooled the wort a bit more (65F) maybe) but I don't think it's that critical.
Did you use a fermentation lock on top of the flask? I did the first time I did a started but I've since read in a number of places that sanitized foil or foam are better because you want to O2 be drawn in.

 

[FreeLordBrewing]

i did use an air lock, I will use foil the next time for sure!! thanks for the tip!

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I use 4 cups water and 1 cup DME, light, in a 2 L flask. Provides plenty of head space for the krausen. If no stir plate, just shake the P*&^ out of it every time you walk by. I put on my kitchen counter under the lights to keep the temps in a yeast friendly range.

 

[cheier]

I'll second the sanitized foil. I haven't used an airlock on my flask primarily because of what I read about trying to get oxygen in as much as possible. I do have a stir plate, but even before that, I was still using foil in top as I shook the flask.

 

[Dukeman9988]

Yea, with the airlock on it is basically pointless to shake it since you are not allowing any new oxygen to be disolved

 

[crackhead7]

be careful the next time you shake it, it will have co2 in suspension and 2 ltrs in a 2000ml doesn't leave you very much head room and you will proabably end up with a gusher and lose a lot of your stater volume. I usually max out staters in a 2000ml flask at about 1600-1800 ml because of this very problem you might want to sanitize another container and split that stater in half!

 

[cheier]

A drop of fermcap-s or defoamer can do wonders for that issue. I had a similar issue and it was taking over an hour to try and degass the starter because of that issue. Put a drop of defoamer in and it kept the blowout at bay.

 

[crackhead7]

A drop of fermcap-s or defoamer can do wonders for that issue. I had a similar issue and it was taking over an hour to try and degass the starter because of that issue. Put a drop of defoamer in and it kept the blowout at bay.

yeah that is a good alternative I just threw this out for the OP because of preious experiences i have had. I currently do 11 gal batches so I step my staters anyways. with normal gravity it works out well for me to start 1800ml split to three flasks and add and additional 600 -900ml or starter wort per flask never have a problem witht he gushers with this method even with out the fremcap.

 

[FreeLordBrewing]

yeah I had a slight gusher the last time i shook it up, but I did remove the air lock every time waited for the foam to go down, and then re-installed air lock here are some pics of the starter

dead on at 1.040!!

I will look into the defoamer thanks for the heads up every one!!