starter Q

[TheCollector]

Is it ok to make a starter with 4 cups of water and 4 oz of extra light DME and one Vail of WLP001 California ale? Last time I did a 2 step starter that I started with a 1000 ml starter then stepped up to a 2k ml. I just skipped the first step right? Same difference? Thanks!

 

[freisste]

Is it ok to make a starter with 4 cups of water and 4 oz of extra light DME and one Vail of WLP001 California ale? Last time I did a 2 step starter that I started with a 1000 ml starter then stepped up to a 2k ml. I just skipped the first step right? Same difference? Thanks!

Can you? Yes. Not a problem.

Should you? Depends on your situation.

No size starter is "wrong." However, there is some optimization of total cell growth based on starter size and pitch rate. You can play around with yeastcalc.com where you will find a stepped starter tool. You will quickly find that there are more efficient and less efficient ways to use your DME (and time) when making a starter. For example, a 1L starter followed by a 2 L starter will get more yeast cells than a single 3L starter.

Also, it is generally better to measure by weight rather than volume because it is more accurate. However, you will likely see a pretty small change just going by volume as you have described.

 

[HBngNOK]

It depends. What's the expected Specific Gravity of your final product? How big of a batch are you making? Ale or lager? What's the production date of your yeast?

What does yeastcalc or mrmalty say?