Have 1 white labs yeast vile which I plan on using for a 10 gal batch of cream ale. I have a stir plate and some DME. How much DME should I use and how long should I stir the yeast before I have enough yeast to pitch?
I typically use about 1/3 of a cup of so of DME for a starter, I'm sure some people use more..or less, truth be told I don't remember how I started with that number, but it works for me...also give it about 24 hours on a stir plate and you should be good to go.
Its not that simple. What is the OG? How old is the yeast? How large is the flask you will be using for the starter? If you know these variables, then you can input them into the yeast calculator at mrmalty.com. If you have a small flask, you might have to step up the starter.
This is true. I recently made a starter with a vial of WLP009 that was 2.5 months past it's expiration date. I got it to start and it's chewing through 5 gallons of wort as we speak, but it was definitely a bit slow to get started.