Round two........Ding Ding - 4L starter, 2L flask

[bsegroves]

I really appreciate all of the help that you guys gave me on my last thread about yeast starters
I'm ready to brew up my next round and I'm going high tech this time.
I made a stir plate with an old computer fan, a couple of magnets from a hard drive, a piece of Tupperware, four screws, and an Erwin Meyer flask. You know the drill.

I looked up my estimated OG on the mrmalty pitching rate calculator. I'm thinking I need a 4L starter this time because I estimate my OG will be around 1.1000.
I have a 2 L EM flask and a 4L jug. My problem is that my getto stir plate isn't strong enough to turn a gallon of liquid, so I guess I will have to do two rounds in my flask.
My question is what is the best way to do this?
I guess I could make two steps where I spin 2 liters for a day, decant, add more wort, and spin for another day or two.; or...should I do it all in one step in my gallon jug and forget the stir plate?

WWSSD? (What would Samuel Smith do?)


cheers,
Brannon

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

Or you could brew a 1.050 beer and pitch a 1L starter. After you transfer, pitch the yeast from the small beer into the large beer. That's what I'm doing with my barley wine.

[ColdBraue]

Do a one liter starter, that will get your cell count near 200 billion cells (more like 190 if your yeast is of normal health from the manufacturer).
Then decant the wort off of that after cold crashing. Pitch that slurry (equivilent of 2 vials/packs now) into a 1.25 liter starter on your stirplate. That will get you pretty damn close to the 370 billion cells needed for your 5.5 gallons of 1.100 OG wort. If you are using 6 gallons of 1.100 OG wort, make the second starter 1.5 liters. That will get your 400 billion cells.

I did this by finding out how big a starter I would need to get the equivilent of 2 vials/packs (1 liter starter), then using the slider on the calculator to set the starter for 2 yeast packs/vials (which the 1 liter starter created), then that result (the 1.25 or 1.5 liters) is the quantity of the second starter amount.

Hope this helps.
Cheers!

[ColdBraue]

I'm also assuming this is an ale......

[bsegroves]

OK, do you mean all the stuff on the bottom? What about all of the random un-fermentable stuff? Can it go in too?
It makes sense. The first brew is basically a huge starter for the second.

Thanks Dirk!

Brannon

Or you could brew a 1.050 beer and pitch a 1L starter. After you transfer, pitch the yeast from the small beer into the large beer. That's what I'm doing with my barley wine.

[bsegroves]

Ok cool!
That's what I was hoping to hear. I just didn't know how to do the math.


Thanks man

Do a one liter starter, that will get your cell count near 200 billion cells (more like 190 if your yeast is of normal health from the manufacturer).
Then decant the wort off of that after cold crashing. Pitch that slurry (equivilent of 2 vials/packs now) into a 1.25 liter starter on your stirplate. That will get you pretty damn close to the 370 billion cells needed for your 5.5 gallons of 1.100 OG wort. If you are using 6 gallons of 1.100 OG wort, make the second starter 1.5 liters. That will get your 400 billion cells.

I did this by finding out how big a starter I would need to get the equivilent of 2 vials/packs (1 liter starter), then using the slider on the calculator to set the starter for 2 yeast packs/vials (which the 1 liter starter created), then that result (the 1.25 or 1.5 liters) is the quantity of the second starter amount.

Hope this helps.
Cheers!

[ColdBraue]

word UP!

[bsegroves]

It's an Irish stout.
I don't know if it will make 1.100 or not. I'm planning on adding a pound of Belgian candy to the boil.

thanks,
Brannon

I'm also assuming this is an ale......