Starter doesn't appear to have created much yeast

[reinstone]

Made a 3liter starter that was on a stir plate to completion The yeast flocked out but it doesn't look like a lot of yeast was created. I used the starter calc at brewers friend and followed instructions. I used 5 packs in the starter. Should I step it up. Per the calc I hit my cell count. But the 3 liter flask only has about a half inch of yeast at the bottom.

 

[negativereaction]

Did you measure the gravity of your beer so that you know it has finished? How long did you have it going on the stirplate?

 

[reinstone]

36 hours. It looked like a blizzard inside the yeast had flocced 10 mins after I slowed it down and the wort cleared.

 

[BeerLoverHere]

I bet you are okay. I've had some yeast starters that look very bleak, but used them anyways and they turned out great!

 

[reinstone]

Here are pics. One is 5 liter one is 3 liter I'm concerned about the smaller 1. These are for 12 gallons each of lager.

 

[reinstone]

Here's the one I'm worried about

 

[ArcLight]

Why 36 hours? If you let it go more than 18 hours then let it go 5-7 days to fully ferment the refrigerate, decant, and pitch the slurry.

 

[reinstone]

It was fully fermented. Starters are fully fermented in less than 24 hours. There was no fermentation going on when I chilled them.

 

[ArcLight]

>> Starters are fully fermented in less than 24 hours.

In the Yeast book they mention either 18 hours or letting it go 5 days then chill and decant.
The reason I like the 5 day method is I don't want to pitch spent wort.
But I'd rather not wait 5 days for no reason if 24 hours would be sufficient!

 

[reinstone]

Just tasted a little spent wort. It fully fermented. Tastes like dry ass.

 

[Yooper]

You used 5 packs in one three liter starter? Or am I misunderstanding?

 

[reinstone]

I did. I know it isn't ideal but it should have got me the cell count pwe braukaiser and Mr malty and brewers friend. I only have a 3000 ml and a 5000 used both for diff beers.

 

[reinstone]

I've used this rate before with great results but it seems like there is less yeast in the bottom of the flask.

 

[Yooper]

I did. I know it isn't ideal but it should have got me the cell count pwe braukaiser and Mr malty and brewers friend. I only have a 3000 ml and a 5000 used both for diff beers.

I guess I am thinking that with 5 packages, and only a 3 liter starter, that you wouldn't get much of a reproduction rate. I'm no expert on that, but it's what makes sense to me.

 

[reinstone]

True. I know its less of a growth rate but it was the only option I had. 13 gallon batches take a lot of yeast as I pitch cold. I have read about the growth rate and while this isn't economical its a way to get 800 billion cells from a 3000 ml starter. I basically doubled my yeast. With ales I use a lot less.

 

[reinstone]

I can either use the starter or pitch 10 packs of 34/70. Which do you think. I'll also drop the gravity to the low end of the style.

 

[FRS]

Mr.malty's faq suggests that the highest initial ratio of yeast to starter wort is about 100 billion cells per liter. You may not have significantly increased your cell count by using such a small starter. See here:
http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.php

: I've heard that too small or too large a starter can be bad for the yeast. How is that possible?*

Parker says putting a fresh vial of yeast into 500 ml of wort and letting such a small starter go to completion can actually leave the yeast less ready to ferment a batch of beer. The yeast do not rebuild their reserves and have very little increase in cell mass.*

The minimum starter size for significant yeast growth from a vial or pack of yeast is 1 liter. One vial or pack into 1 liter results in approximately a 50% increase in cell mass.*

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[droder1]

I would guess the yeast is just compact. While yes your starter (relative to 5 packs) was small you should still get some good enough growth to get to 800B. For example, 3726 cells either don't compact or are huge, a single pack into a 1L starter made like 200ML of slurry. 1217 on the other hand, in a 2L starter had less slurry. They were packaged within a week of each other.

 

[day_trippr]

5 packs - and still need a starter? Woof.
Yeast as the most expensive ingredient in a batch is a whole new paradigm...

Cheers!

 

[reinstone]

Thanks for the good advice. The starter was real compacted and it was hard to get the yeast resuspended. I pitched at 45 f and have good fermentation going at 18 hours. I actually got 13 gallons. Accidentally dropped a piece of foil into my fermenter when I was removing it to insert the airlock. I can say that This strain is some floccuant stuff. I have also heard that Mr malty is not that accurate for yeast but this calculator also gave me the pitch rate. Time will tell. I've made very clean lagers with the same ratio in a starter. It works fine. I was just worried because of the flocculation of the yeast.

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