Yeast starter for big beer

[Stecco]

I bought supplies for a 2 L starter, but realized that it's prob not enough for my barleywine recipe that is starting at 1.120.

I know it's not ideal, but what are the chances that I have a stuck fermentation?

 

[MaynardX]

Just step up your starter. Make a 2L starter. Crash cool, add to another sanitized jar, then make another starter. While your making that starter the yeast will settle so you can suck off about another vials worth with a turkey baster. Rinse and repeat until you make enough yeast. This might take a week or two, so you must plan ahead. You are gonna need alot of yeast for a 1.12, so I don't recomend one starter. I would even think about using dry yeast, if you can, for a beer that big.

 

[Stecco]

Ill need to buy more DME, right? Any way to avoid that?

 

[Polboy]

for big beers like that i would brew 5gal of something around 1.050 og and use the cake for barlewine. Yes you have you big boy 2-3 weeks later but you are sure you have enough yeast and you have one extra beer to drink when the big guy if aging, win win situation for me

 

[MaynardX]

Yes, you will need more DME to make that size starter. The only ways to avoid this is to either use dry yeast (avoids a starter all together, just use more packets) or do what Polboy said above here.
Another note: This beer still might stall even with efficient amount of yeast unless you properly oxygenate it. This is a whole nother thread btw... .

 

[Stecco]

Although pricier, I'm thinking it easier and quicker to buy more liquid yeast. How about & 2L starter and another tube or two of liquid yeast? I'm thinking 2 tubes in addition to my starter would give the cell count I need.

 

[MaynardX]

Adding more yeast to a starter will not necessarily grow you more yeast. Check out mr. Malty's yeast calculator and see if this helps you. http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

 

[Stecco]

I know that, I meant using the starter made from 1 tube in addition to 2 extra tubes when pitching for the real batch. Would that work?

 

[MaynardX]

I think you would be close, depending on what date on the yeast packs. The problem here is you are making a high gravity beer, which, I am assuming you are aerating without pure oxygen, so there is a great possibility of a stuck fermentation. Without pure oxygen or over pitching, you will probably have a lot of off flavors and/or under attenuation.

 

[Stecco]

Thanks for all of the input. I've decided to scale down and make a beer thats 1.090 and step up to a 4L starter by making 2L and then using some of that yeast with the extract.that I wont be using for the batch. How much LME would be right for a 2 L starter?