Starter Help

[cgrivois]

I was thinking of making a starter for the first time, but Im blown away by the size the calculator is telling me I need to make.

Beer Helles Bock
OG 1.060
Yeast is Wyeast 2038 Born on Date Aug 26 2014

Calculator is telling me I need 500 B Cells, thats a 16 L starter using 61oz of DME using a shaking method, I dont have a stir plate. Im assuming Im supposed to decant the beer off of the yeast cake before I pitch the yeast, otherwise there is no way in hell thats going to fit in my ferm bucket. Also, I was planning on brewing this tommorow morning, how long does it take for a starter to be ready to pitch. Am I way off base here?

 

[flars]

How many gallons are you brewing?

 

[cgrivois]

6 Gallons into fermentor

 

[chickypad]

Calculation of 500B looks right for a 6 gal batch. At normal innoculation rates for a starter it should be done in about 24 hrs, but what you're planning isn't really a starter it's brewing a batch of (underpitched) beer. If you're going to be making lagers on a regular basis I would really get a stirplate, otherwise the starter size required is just silly. Or you can actually just use the yeast cake from a lower gravity beer, kind of like you were planning there.

 

[cgrivois]

I wasnt planning anything. In reality I was just going to pitch the single pack of wyeast I have. I just so happend to look into starters and was blown away at the size. How should I go about this brew if I want to use the correct pitch rate, with or without a stirplate.

 

[flars]

Using the Brewers Friend calculator, a 15 liter starter at 1.036 would propagate the yeast you need. If you are planning a lot of lagers I would suggest getting a stir plate.

With stir plate, a 3 liter starter would propagate the cells you need.

 

[ram5ey]

But the easy thing would be to just make a starter with more than one pack of yeast. That would cut it down.

 

[cgrivois]

Using the Brewers Friend calculator, a 15 liter starter at 1.036 would propagate the yeast you need. If you are planning a lot of lagers I would suggest getting a stir plate.

With stir plate, a 3 liter starter would propagate the cells you need.

I just busted apart an old desktop here at the house, trying for a redneck stir plate. Just need to find a stir bar now.

 

[cgrivois]

All right, threw this together today, think Im just going to do a 2L starter and call it good. Does the vortex typicaly bounce up and down like this.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_6jxdT8rIg[/ame]

 

[flars]

A strong vortex will create quite a bit of turbulence. The vortex won't need to be that strong for an effective starter.

 

[Malticulous]

I just brew a lower gravity batch and repitch half the cake for bock strength lagers.

 

[cgrivois]

After reading up on stepping starters, Ive changed plans again. I plan on doing a 1L starter, let it run for 24 hours, cool it, decant the beer off, then dump another 2L on top of that. Let it run its course, cool decant and pitch9. Acroding to the calculators that should give me the desired yeast count.

 

[Bassman2003]

How do you figure out the cell number from the double starter method? I have been doing this for a while, 2L starter, decant, add another 2L of wort but I never knew how much yeast was being made.

 

[flars]

How do you figure out the cell number from the double starter method? I have been doing this for a while, 2L starter, decant, add another 2L of wort but I never knew how much yeast was being made.

I use this calculator for starters. The calculator has the automatic calculations for adding step 2 and step 3.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

You can also select different pitch rates for the calculator to use.

 

[cgrivois]

I use this calculator for starters. The calculator has the automatic calculations for adding step 2 and step 3.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

You can also select different pitch rates for the calculator to use.

Thats what I use as well. I also use brewers friend to tweak my recipies.

 

[Bassman2003]

Awesome. Thanks for the link! What a great calculator.

 

[podz]

I just busted apart an old desktop here at the house, trying for a redneck stir plate. Just need to find a stir bar now.

what are you using for a stir bar?

 

[cgrivois]

My LBH had some 1" bars. I may get a bigger one to try out as well.