First brew in 2 years, did I pitch enough yeast

[pdickerson]

I brewed for the first time in 2 years yesterday. It was also my first time doing a full boil, started w/ 6 gallons of water. Here is the recipe I used

Citra Hopped Black IPA
1 lb 2 row caramel L60
.75 lb Black malt
steeped everything @155 for 30 minutes

6 lb Golden dme @ 60
3 lb Dark malt dme @ 15
1 lb corn sugar @ 15

All Citra hops
1/2 oz @ 60
1/2 oz @ 20
1 oz @ 15
1 oz @ 10
1 oz @ 5
1 oz @ Flame Out

chilled to 70* took a gravity reading and pitched 1 pack of Safale us-05 dry, not rehydrated.
OG was 1.090 on my refractometer, which I'm not 100% sure if it's calibrated.

Pitched at 5:30 last night. 7:30 this morning I already have activity, and as of a half hour ago it's bubbling every 10 seconds. Temps are 63-64 right now.

I wasn't aware that the beer i brewed would be so big. I'm concerned that 1 pack of yeast wont do the job. Should I pitch another pack?

 

[DonnieZ]

If you've got that much airlock activity, your yeast are most likely done with their aerobic growth (Consuming free oxygen in the wort), and now they're onto anaerobic growth (consuming sugars). Pitching another satchet at this time probably won't buy you much. Most of the yeast character comes out during the initial stages of growth so you're already past the point of that.

Is one 11.5G satchet of US-05 sufficient for 5G of 1090 OG wort? No. You might get some flavors from stressed yeast, but it is what it is at this point. If you don't like the beer this time, next time just try and start with a higher initial cell count. US-05 ferments very clean when pitched at the proper rate.

 

[pdickerson]

Thanks for the response. I wasn't sure more yeast would help. Learn from my mistakes I guess. I added an additional 3 lb of dark malt, per suggestion of my LHBS. He also suggested the yeast. Coming from someone who knows more than me about brewing and who pulled all my ingredients I feel he should have know it would be a bigger beer and would require more test.

 

[pdickerson]

Require more yeast not test

 

[solbes]

2 packets rehydrated would have been ideal. 30-50% of your yeast goes out the window by pitching without rehydrating. Definitely worth the minor effort.

All that said, I bet this beer turns out fine.

 

[pdickerson]

I won't make the rehydration mistake again. Thanks for the input.

 

[j1n]

Prob will have off flavors from the under pitch. the yeast is gonna get stressed.

 

[bragona71]

but in the end you have beer!!! and your next batch will be better and the next batch is even better and so on, so you can look back and say "man I used to just make beer, now I make really good beer"

 

[jahdub]

You should consider calculating your estimated OG when designing a recipe. 9 lbs of DME is already about 1.080, so you didn't have to be surprised. Everything will probably be fine, though.

 

[pdickerson]

I agree, I will have beer. There's nothing wrong with that! Calculating would have been the way to go, and I will do that from here on out. Any suggestions or personal preference when it comes to a home brew calculator

 

[jahdub]

For extract, brewers friend is very simple and free. http://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/