Stepping up my starter - what am I missing

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tenbrew

Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
29
Reaction score
5
I'm trying to brew a 1.072 OG Pumpkin Stout (Yummy! Out of my thread pumpkin haters!). I'm using yeastcalc.com and it says I need 261 B cells to make this beer. Using the calculator, it seems I can make a single 2L starter to yield 255 B cells or I can make two 1L starters and yield 265 B cells.

I feel like I'm missing something. I have a 2L vessel. Why would I go through the hassle of stepping up the starter for an extra 10 B cells? Or if I'm going through that work, why wouldn't I just do two 2L starters? Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
The only reason to do the step in your example is if you only have a 1L jar/flask. Make a 2L starter and be done if you have a big enough flask.
 
If you have a 2l flask, just watch out for krausen overflow when you do a 2l starter. I've had it happen once or twice - pushed the foam stopper up and out. It's great to get it done in one shot, but more annoying because you have to monitor it more closely.

I found it better to do 1l or 1.5l starters. Put it on the stir plate and let it do its thing overnight. Decant and repeat.
 
Back
Top