Wow, thats a lot of yeast!

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dukes7779

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So, I used Mr. Malty to get my pitch rate.........I am planning on doing a clone of the DFH 90 min. IPA that has an OG of 1.088. Mr. Malty says I need 2 smack packs to get 314 billion cells in a volume of 2.25 liters. Sound right? Any way to do it with 1 smack pack with 2L of "wort" made with 2 cups DME? This is my first starter BTW. Thanks for your time.
 
I just did a DFH clone, 18 lbs total grain bill and an OG of 1.086 and it finished out to 1.015 with 1 single smack pack of activated American Ale. Only took 8 days... Mr. Malty overdoes everything concerning yeast.
 
If it were me, here is what I would do. I would do a 2L starter with the single smack pack. Let the starter ferment completely out. I would then cold crash the starter in the fridge for 24-48 hours. I would then make another 2L starter. Decant the fermented beer off the yeast from the first starter and pitch this yeast into the new second 2L starter. I would then pitch this starter into your brew when it reaches high krausen. This won't get you to the 300 billion cells, but it will get you closer than a single smack pack with a single starter.

I also don't think the Mr. Malty calculator over does everything. However, it should be used as a guide and not something set in stone. I have noticed a drastic increase of the quality of my brews when using proper pitching rates and proper fermentation temperatures. There is a lot more to fermentation than just throwing a few yeast cells into wort. Yes, they will ferment, they will multiply, they will turn your wort into beer. Proper pitching rates and temperature just lead to a healthier higher quality fermentation.

Edit: after looking at the MrMalty calculator, you might be able to get away with a single starter with one vial. It looks like you are border line of needing one or two vials with an SG of 1.088. If you are using a stir plate, you could probably getaway with using a single vial 2L starter.
 
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