wyeast smack pac

[uglygoat]

the big one... it says 100billion cells or some nonesense. the guy at the byo place where i bought it said i don't need a starter, but i don't believe him. i've always made a starter, though this smack pac is twice the size of the normal ones.

thoughts gents?

 

[bikebryan]

the big one... it says 100billion cells or some nonesense. the guy at the byo place where i bought it said i don't need a starter, but i don't believe him. i've always made a starter, though this smack pac is twice the size of the normal ones.

thoughts gents?

I've never made a starter using the Wyeast XL smack-packs. I let them warm up for a few hours, give them a smack when I start heating the water for my mash, and by the time my mash/sparge and boil is done (a few hours) the pack is almost as big as a small football. I just pitch directly from the package and usually have a ferment going within 12 to 14 hours.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[RichBrewer]

I've never made a starter using the Wyeast XL smack-packs. I let them warm up for a few hours, give them a smack when I start heating the water for my mash, and by the time my mash/sparge and boil is done (a few hours) the pack is almost as big as a small football. I just pitch directly from the package and usually have a ferment going within 12 to 14 hours.

Of course, YMMV.

If you are brewing a higher gravity beer you should do a starter. Say anything higher than about 1.060

 

[Walker]

If you are brewing a higher gravity beer you should do a starter. Say anything higher than about 1.060

even with the XL smackpacks? those f*ckers are HUGE.

-walker

 

[TandEBrews]

I just brewed my first batch, but my "educator" uses smack pack all the time with a started. He also added that you should sanitize the part of the package your gonna cut, as well as the scissors you will use to cut them.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

The number I've seen referenced for the average 5g batch is 200-250 billion cells, in which case none of the liquid yeast products readily available to homebrewers are sufficient without a starter. Of course, we all know that even the small Wyeast packs will ferment 5g without a starter, but there are possibly side effects that the Kaiser recently detailed in another thread.

 

[uglygoat]

i'm making one tonight.... to pitch sunday afternoon... 14 hour lag is too much imho.

smak pak... i just like saying that...