Yeast starter volume and carboy

[milo_leon]

Hello all-

I'm planning to brew a big quad when I get back home from the holidays. I built a stir plate and got a 5L flask to handle any size starters, will be getting an oxygen aeration kit, and make a swamp cooler to control term temps. Needless to say, I'm excited! I have a quick question about yeast starter volume and if my starter will fit in my 5 gal carboy. Mr.Malty says my starter will be roughly 3.5L so my question is-

Will I need to get a 6 gal carboy to accommodate 5 gal of beer and 3.5L of yeast? I am also worried that I will be adding too much yeast to 5 gal of beer and the extra volume could "water down" my quad. This is my first time with a starter this big so any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JonM]

Cold crash your starter to make the yeast drop out of suspension, decant most of the beer, and just pitch the slurry. Should only increase your total volume by a pint or a pint and a half.

 

[milo_leon]

Cold crash your starter to make the yeast drop out of suspension, decant most of the beer, and just pitch the slurry. Should only increase your total volume by a pint or a pint and a half.

How long should I cold crash my starter? My 5L probably will not fit in my fridge tho

 

[JonM]

48 hours oughta do it.