Urgent: Can I pitch liquid yeast into cider without starter?

[hammy48]

Hello,

I have my graff cooling as I type... I have a vial of liquid yeast from a new commercial yeast producer that has started up in my area.

I have not made a starter.

The OG (FYI) for Brandon O's Graff is supposed to be 1.050. If this was beer then the liquid yeast would probably just be adequate... but this is cider we are talking about and I am unfamiliar with the differences.

I have a packet of Safale 05 as a backup but I wanted to try this new yeast.

 

[BigFloyd]

It totally depends on how many billions of viable cells are in that vial of yeast you have.

Beer vs. cider doesn't matter so much as the gravity and the volume of the wort.

 

[hammy48]

Well lets hope it is the same as a White labs vial then...

 

[boydster]

How big of a batch is this? Does the yeast producer give you any idea of how much yeast they provide in the vial?
For a one-gallon batch with 100 billion cells (like White Labs would have), you need less than half the vial, and pitching the whole thing would really be fine. For a 5-gallon batch, you are under pitching but it'll still ferment.

 

[hammy48]

It's a 5 gallon batch.
So I probably under pitched huh... Should I add a little safale5 tomorrow? I want it ready by thanksgiving and don't want to miss my gravity... Would rather waste the $3...

 

[boydster]

I would just ride it out, the yeast you pitched has already gone to work. It doubt it stalls. You just might notice a bit more yeast character, or you may not notice anything at all.