For all you regular lager brewers out there, what is your typical starter size and number of vials/packs of yeast for an average 1.050 OG wort (5.0 gal or 10.0 gal batch, please specify)? Further, do you MrMalty.com to determine, another source?
Cheers!
Neil
Whatever mrmalty.com says is what I do.
2.5 to 3 quarts or liters is enough for 5 gallons of the average lager at 1.050. I don’t use Mr. Malty. Get great results and save time and effort and money. And while we’re on that topic… try the dry W-34/70, and you’ll really save big time and effort… but maybe not so much money anymore since they raised prices (gouging).
For 5 gal. of an average gravity lager, I use a 3 qt. starter.
Same here
I’ve found that all my strains grow 100-150 billion cells per liter in an 8°P stirred starter. So about 3 L for 5 gal at normal gravity.
I use yeastcalc.com. I typically make a step up starter. Two quarts, crash/decant, and step up to 3qt. I don’t feel anything less is enough. I like to make sure I have a really good healthy pitch of yeast, especially since I like to pitch cold (45F) and let rise to 48-50.
But since these “big boys” are pitching much less than I am, perhaps I’ll give it a go on my next lager. I usually only do the starter once and plan to repitch harvested yeast for successive batches.
Forgot to mention, but that’s the same for me.
I don’t have a stir plate. I make a 2 qt. (final volume) starter with 8 oz. of light DME. I pitch into it either a smack-pack of WY2124 (34/70), a packet of W-34/70 rehydrated dry yeast or about 200 ml of slurry from the last batch. Put it in a 1 gal. jug and shake the hell out of it. 10-16 hours later when it’s at or near high krausen, I cool it to 48-50 F and pitch the whole starter into 5.5 gal. of wort to make 6 gal. in the fermenter. Active fermentation 8-12 hours later.