I didn't make a starter, so how many packs?

I have a Ruination clone recipe in the pot right now, mashing in BIAB. The post boil gravity will be in the 1.080 range. I was going to make a starter for this, but the planning didn't work out as I'm never quite sure when I'll get the chance to brew. Today it is raining and it just killed any other plans, so what better way to spend a rainy day?

I have one smack pack of 1056 already ready to go, but I figure I should run out and get some more yeast. My calculator (Beersmith) says 287b cells, and each pack is about 100b, so that would mean 3 packs total. Would that really be enough? Do the packs really contain 100b cells after shipping, handling etc...?

The store doesn't open until noon, but I should be OK and I'll hold off pitching until they are all ready. I may have to send my wife over though because I'll be in the boil by then. There's a pretty specific hops schedule for this brew so I can't just leave it for my wife to watch.

This is making me think I should harvest my own yeast, these smack packs cost $$$. It takes a marginally cheaper beer from store bought into the expensive range.

Can you seal the fermenter (well sanitized of course) and make a starter for it then pitch tomorrow or Tuesday? I've had good luck with that technique. Similar to no-chill but with a chill.

zacster said:

I have one smack pack of 1056 already ready to go, but I figure I should run out and get some more yeast. My calculator (Beersmith) says 287b cells, and each pack is about 100b, so that would mean 3 packs total. Would that really be enough? Do the packs really contain 100b cells after shipping, handling etc...?

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No they don't. They contain 100b cells the day they added it and the viability will drop everyday. I would grab a 4th since this is a pretty decent sized beer.

On similar note, keeping pre-canned wort around to make a quick starter will help with these situations as well.

TheJasonT said:

Can you seal the fermenter (well sanitized of course) and make a starter for it then pitch tomorrow or Tuesday?

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Without purging the head space of oxygen it sounds scary, but then again some people do do a no chill so YMMV.

That would be possible, maybe I should do that. I do have a stir plate so I would get a pretty good starter after 24-36 hours. That would give the wort time to settle out and I could transfer it to my second carboy to pitch and leave the crud behind.

I like this idea.

biodarwin said:

Without purging the head space of oxygen it sounds scary, but then again some people do do a no chill so YMMV.

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I can give the top a squirt of CO2 from my tank. This is sounding like a plan.

Yeah, I've done that as well, purging with CO2. It works pretty well if your using the tube straight from the tank and not a disconnect. Not sure how much I'm actually getting when I manually activate the disconnect.

Why don't you just get a pack of US-05? Same strain, available to use now, much cheaper, and will get you the correct cell count when pitched with your 1056?

Don't I want to oxygenate the wort? Or is that only after I put yeast in so the yeast can produce the CO2?

Yes you'll definitely want to oxygenate a beer with that high of a starting gravity. I usually do it right after adding the yeast.

I wanted to second the idea of chilling your wort, and then sealing it the best you can while you make a starter and then pitching once the starter is ready. As long as your beer is sealed from the environment, there is really no harm in letting the wort sit while your starter ramps up. Naturally store it somewhere as cool and dark as possible.

The wort is now in my carboy with a cap on it, I purged the oxygen with CO2 from my tank, and my starter is on my DIY stirplate and I can see the bubbles from the yeast. I also did an experiment with Whirlfloc, which I forgot to add during the boil. I took half a tab and boiled it separately and added it to the carboy before I purged it. I'm not sure it did anything, but the trub is settling anyway. I'll rack it off the trub into a second carboy and then add the yeast tomorrow.

I wasn't planning on leaving this for more than the time it takes to make the starter. I guess I could have bought S-05, but this way I didn't have to leave the house and I like using starters.

I always shake the hell out of the carboy once I add the yeast.

Here's a post-mortem on this brew:

First off, the starter turned out fine. I pitched the entire 2 liters without letting it settle. Then it fermented like crazy for 2-3 days. After 5 days I took a reading, 1.014, down from 1.070. That's pretty good. I let it sit for a few more days than transferred to the secondary for dry-hopping. I changed the hops from Centennial to Citra, using 2 oz. My final reading after the secondary was 1.012! That was really low for this brew. I was beginning to think I had a winner here.

I kegged it, put it on CO2, and found that my tank was getting low as the gas was being absorbed, so swapped tanks. I also bought a mini-fridge in the meantime. Everything about this brew was coming together and in the end I had one of the best I've ever made. Even the guys at the LHBS were impressed.

My takeaways from this are the following:
1. Make a starter, and don't be scared to pitch the whole thing
2. Don't worry about Whirlfloc so much. This batch started cloudy, but about halfway through the tank it got very clear.
3. Steady refrigeration keeps the beer better, and the clarification was I'm sure due to the fridge.
4. A full tank really does a good job with carbonation.