According to Beersmith, I need a 1500ml starter. Is that the end volume after adding the DME and sick pack? It doesn’t clearly show how much water to use, just the amount of DME for the starter size.
The volume of your starter is the amount of water. The amount of DME would be in oz
So a 1500ml starter is really more like 1725ml? 1500ml of water + 5oz DME + 125ml yeast pack.
Yes. What is your target pitchrate and OG? Ale/Lager
1500ml starter = 150g DME and however much water it takes to get to 1500ml
Target OG is 1.078, not sure about pitch rate, BS says I need 280.1 billion cells
In the final analysis, it just doesn’t matter that much. It doesn’t have to be that exact. For my SNS starters, I use 1 qt. of water and 6 oz. of DME…good enough.
You’re probably over-thinking this a bit. For starters (pun very much intended), being off by ±20% on your pitching rate is totally normal and no big deal. But 1500 mL water with 5 oz DME dissolved in it will be more like 1550 mL of wort.
Figuring 5 gal wort, that’s 280 billion / (19 L * 19°P) = 0.78 M/mL-°P, so you’re probably targeting the standard (ale) rate. A 1500 mL starter with a fresh pack should be just about right, final count-wise.
Now I have to calculate the boil off rate of my starter for the 10 minute sanitizer boil!
Just kidding😆
Thanks for the clarification guys, I should just relax and have a homebrew, but I’m out for now.
Under tools section in Beersmith Yeast starter
Yeast Starter Settings: (at the bottom/and I am a shaken not stirred kind of guy - no stir plate)
Pitch Rates
Ale 0.95M/mL-P
Lager 1.55M/mL-P
Hybrid 1.10
96% Viability with a
20%/month aging rate
Assuming an Ale:
5Gal
1.078OG
337B cells estimated
1.052 Starter OG
3.61L Starter
17.65oz DME
It is your brew but that is I how I approach making a starter. With unreliable, old, prone to stall yeasts, lagers, Belgians, hefes you may run into a less than desired performances out of your yeast. But that’s based on my opinion and personal taste. It is always good to have a “relax, have a homebrew” approach. Your beer should be fine either way, you will have a brew.
I use 1500ml of water, and 150g of DME when I make starters, and only boil for about 5 minutes. I use the SNS method and this is accurate enough for me for most beers I’d make (when I make high gravity beers, I tend to make a smaller batch). I’ve not made any lagers so far.