Planning to brew my first lager next week and was looking for advice. It’s 5.25 gallons of 1.051 Vienna lager. I am using Saflager 34/70. Trying to figure out if I want to make a starter or just pitch multiple packets. According to Brewsmith, I need roughly 450 billion cells. I am not sure the exact cell count of saflager but I am thinking that’s about 5 packets. Not sure I can make a proper starter as all I have is a 2L flask.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
For starters, you can always make a smaller batch, say 1-3 gallons. Pitch a single packet and ferment in your standard primary fermenter. When that is done, you have enough yeast for another 5+ gallons of lager. Or, you could make your proposed volume of wort and put 3-4 gallons aside (sanitation is key) and pitch your yeast on the remaining 1-2 gallons. Once your yeast are active, add the remaining wort and ferment to completion. I’ve done this small starter batch of beer for a number of years now with a fair amount of success. I used flasks with stirplates for starters before but find more value in these simpler methods.
Call me crazy, but I’d just pitch one rehydrated packet. Then again, I ferment this strain at 18C.
I thought the average person just pitched two packets of 34/70.
2 packets would be the standard advice I think. I believe it is not recommended to make starters with dry yeast. Just pitch more packets when needed.
According to brewer’s friend you’d need about 3 1/2 packs.
My last vienna was three gallons at 1.048. I dry pitched 2 packs, which was a bit more than I supposedly needed, but I don’t want the hassle of trying to save partial packs, and had signs of fermentation 20 hours later.
I bet three fresh packs would do the job.
+1