San Francisco Lager Yeast - Starter?

[Culln5]

Hey guys,
I plan to brew a California Common and will be using WLP810 San Francisco Lager Yeast. With a starting gravity of 1.055 BeerSmith is requiring 408 billion cells as a LAGER, but only 204 billion cells as an ALE. I will be fermenting at 65*.

What is the correct number in this case (408 or 204)? I would like to make my starter (1L or 2L) today, but don't want to over-pitch if I can avoid it.

Thanks!

 

[Canuck137]

302?

 

[m00ps]

overpitching is really not an issue at a homebrewing level. Unless you are pitching on top of an entire yeast cake (where people still havent had issues), just make sure you pitch ENOUGH yeast

 

[d3track]

I'd still shoot for lager pitch rates, especially since you'll be at the very top of the temp range for that strain.

 

[DevilNuts]

This confuses me... I thought lager and ale were necessarily two different types of yeast - how does increasing the pitch rate change your yeast from one to the other?

 

[andy6026]

If I'm not mistaken, the higher pitch rate amount is required for the colder fermentation temperatures typically required of a lager. I'd guess that the colder temperatures have a tendency to stress or make dormant a much higher amount of the yeast, so the higher pitch rate would allow you to overcome that discrepancy. Since 65 is a good ferment temperature for ales, the yeast count need not be so high.

I'm only making an educated guess here, so someone else ought to confirm or correct me.

 

[DevilNuts]

I think I misinterpreted the OP. I see what's going on now.

 

[UndeadFred]

If you are going to use the yeast at Lagering temperature you need the bigger pitch. It is hard to overrpitch at the homebrew level and even harder with lagers. I'd go with as much starter as you could make. But that is me...

 

[UndeadFred]

California Commons are an exception. They are commonly Lager yeast at low Ale temperature. Before the days of refrigeration Lager temperatures were difficult in CA! "Steam" beer is the more common name but since Anchor tends to sue anyone who uses that, hence the generic term is California Common.

If using a lager strain (I'd have to actually look it up at the manufacturer) even at the higher temperature I'd use the larger pitch rate, and even for an "ale" the 2x overpitch likely will have no negative consequences.. I'd go for the biggeun...

 

[Culln5]

This confuses me... I thought lager and ale were necessarily two different types of yeast - how does increasing the pitch rate change your yeast from one to the other?

Technically I would be pitching a lager yeast at ale temperatures.

 

[Culln5]

I went with the lager pitch rate and made a 2l starter..... I guess better safe than sorry.