Yeast Starter

[AussieBrewerInColorado]

So I just built a DIY stir plate and want to make a yeast starter for brewing this weekend.
I'm making a steam and am using a vial of White Labs San Francisco Lager yeast WLP810.
Looking at Mr. Malty calculator, for 1 vial, it wants me to do a 2.5 liter starter. Thats a lot, what does everybody typically use for this volume? Growler only holds about 2 L.

Cheers!

 

[marnel]

Dude that is totally funny. I'm brewing a steam beer this weekend myself and using my DIY stirplate for the first time! I am using WYeast 2112 though. I would just make the biggest starter you can, for me this is 2L, which will be better than just pitching the package on it's own. For the OG of a steam beer 2L is more than likely going to be very sufficient.

 

[KevinW]

Using lager yeast for a lager you really need a big starter due to the lower temps and the potential for detecting "off flavors" more easily in a lager.

If you are doing a steam beer then you should be using higher ferment temps then a lager and should be fine with a 2l starter. If you use the lager option in the calculator it will always give you larger starter numbers.

This is just my view so you don't have to take my word for it!

Good luck and keep us updated on how your brew turns out!!

 

[EricT]

Dude that is totally funny. I'm brewing a steam beer this weekend myself and using my DIY stirplate for the first time! I am using WYeast 2112 though. I would just make the biggest starter you can, for me this is 2L, which will be better than just pitching the package on it's own. For the OG of a steam beer 2L is more than likely going to be very sufficient.

I would agree. But I think this could work as well. If you want to increase the volume of yeast you could also step it. After 24 hours, make another starter and decant your first starter leaving only the yeast and add them to the new 2L starter to produce even more but keep the same volume of liquid.

 

[flabyboy]

I'm new to starters. How much DME and water do use if making a liter starter?

 

[AussieBrewerInColorado]

Thanks fellas, i'll let you know how it goes.
What kind of vessel do you use for 2+ L?

Flabyboy - you want the gravity to be about 1.030 to 1.040 (or 7 to 10 Plato). To get this use a 10 to 1 ratio, 1 gram of DME for every 10 ml of final wort amount. i.e. a 2 L starter would be 200 grams of DME. Add yeast nutrient, boil for 15 minutes, cool to pitching temp, add yeast. You need to add oxygen either by shaking every hour or so or using a stir plate. Sanitize everything.

 

[KevinW]

Thanks fellas, i'll let you know how it goes.
What kind of vessel do you use for 2+ L?

Flabyboy - you want the gravity to be about 1.030 to 1.040 (or 7 to 10 Plato). To get this use a 10 to 1 ratio, 1 gram of DME for every 10 ml of final wort amount. i.e. a 2 L starter would be 200 grams of DME. Add yeast nutrient, boil for 15 minutes, cool to pitching temp, add yeast. You need to add oxygen either by shaking every hour or so or using a stir plate. Sanitize everything.

+1

I went out and bought a 2L Erlenmeyer flask. I really didn't need one but it is sooooo easy to use. Any flat bottomed container should work.