1pkg of lager yeast is enough for 5 gallon?

[Metalhead_brewer]

Hi everyone
i'm about to make my first lager (a rauchbier:rockinin a couple of weeks more, once i take out my dunkelweizen out of the fermentation chamber, but in my last order i just bought 1 pkg of saflager w-34/70 and when i read the instructions says that is good for 10 to 15 litres only, the fact is that i dont have any LHS i buy everything online and i'm plenty of ingredients so buying just 1 packet more i'll cost me about 17 bucks with shipping included, the questions are if it will be enough with one packet? i have to buy another one? or maybe making a yeast starter will work?
help please

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I have been pitching only 1 properly rehydrated pack of W-34/70 in ballpark 12 to 15 Plato lager recipes with roughly 6 gallons in the fermenter, and it has worked like a charm every time. I pitch at around 64-65 degrees F., and then cool to 54-55 degrees F.

Due to my routine schedule, I generally pitch at around 4 PM, and see bubbles in the airlock the next morning ( 7 AM_ish) at a clip of about 1 per minute.

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

well my recipe is around 13 plato so i guess i'll go with 1 pkg and see how it goes
thanks :rockin:

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Yes, it will work if you pitch warm and then chill to ferment temps.

You'll probably need a diacetyl rest when the ferment's winding down with this method though, which I find is not needed when pitching cooler (45F) and warming slightly to ferment temperatures (50F). This method need far more yeast though (3 packs).

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Yes, it will work if you pitch warm and then chill to ferment temps.

You'll probably need a diacetyl rest when the ferment's winding down with this method though, which I find is not needed when pitching cooler (45F) and warming slightly to ferment temperatures (50F). This method need far more yeast though (3 packs).

When I'm at about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way into fermentation (past peak by 1 or at most 2 days) I do begin heating to 64-65 degrees again, and I leave it there until it's time to lager for a minimum of 3 weeks (more for higher Plato brews) at 33-34 degrees.