Question about starter

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burntchef

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So I am moving into my fourth brew day. Everyone is getting better. The last batch I made it to 5% by using a starter I made, mashed to cool. I have 2 quarts of yeast left from batch number 3. I did not wash it but cold crashed bottom of fermenter stuff and poured off the beer when separated. Sunday I am going to run another batch and want to make a starter with left over yeast. Last starter I had fresh 007 yeast and 1.5# of DME. How much DME do I need for a 11 gallon batch of beer and how much left over yeast do I pitch to that DME. My porter recipe should have a expected OG of 1.060 and a finish of 1.015. Help?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Eric
 
How old is your yeast slurry? If it's a couple months or less, you can pitch it directly without a starter. As for cell counts, I estimate 1.5B cells/ml of fresh slurry, with ~15% cell loss per month of cold storage. The online calculators are handy, but they are overly cautious in their estimates and are less accurate the older the slurry gets.

When you're using a fresh pack, you can save time and money by not making a starter (assuming 5-6 gallons ale @ 1.060 or less). It's a common myth that starters are needed for standard-sized batches, unless the yeast is really old or has been abused while in storage. That said, in the case of your 11 gallon batches, you would for sure want to make a starter to obtain the required cell count.
 
My yeast slurry is 3 weeks old, and was fresh from the first go. Yes I drink a lot! lol The brewers friend says that pitching 2 quarts at my og and desired fg is good to go. Being new to all this I was thinking of making a starter with one qt. of yeast just to prove it's viability rather than risking an entire batch. Brewers friend says that a 1 qt. yeast should take 1/2 pound ish of dme to make a starter for my batch. Being a new guy I am going to make a starter using 1 qt. of old yeast and let it fly.
What is the volume of 1/2 # dme to water to boil for 1 qt. old yeast to build a starter?
Thanx for all the replies, I realize that I am way out over the ends of my skis, but every batch is getting better!
Eric
 
Pitching a quart of yeast would be a massive over pitch unless you are brewing 10 or more gallons. Do you mean the amount of yeast you collected in a quart jar? A picture of the harvested yeast in the jar would help. Yeast harvested three weeks ago usually will not need a starter. Are you brewing ales or lagers?
 
DSCN0686.JPG I am brewing a porter. The original starter yeast was 007. I am also brewing 11 gallons into the fermenter. The jar is a 1 gallon pickle jar. So after it settled out I have 1.75 quarts of yeast and some beer on top. Thinking of just warming the whole thing up on Sunday and pitching it all. Comments?
Eric
 
So just an update. I can't believe no one commented on my yeast porn pic. Anyway I pitched on Sunday and it off to a nice start. Improvements to this batch is the beer shed is now climate controlled and I am anxious to taste the difference.
Eric
 
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