Yeast Starter is 10% of wort volume

[LagerLover78]

Hi all! Soooo, this will be my first yeast starter and I had read that a warm starter that was greater than 5% of the wort volume required extra prep...but it sounds almost like cold crashing for a bit to bring it close to wort temp then decanting most of liquid, swirl it around and pitch the yeast cake.

Here's the AHA article I've been pouring over for the last couple days:
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/make-yeast-starter/
Wont there be more usable yeast cells still in suspension? Can't I just directly pitch the whole 2 quart starter as long as its ambient temp is within 5*F of the chilled wort temp?

The recipe is a basic psudo lager recipe at an OG of 1.050 and I'm using Omega Lutra and will be fermenting between 68F and 72F.

Feel like, as with everything in this hobby, there are several different approaches that work.

Planning on brewing tomorrow and trying to be as prepared and thought out as possible.

 

[rsquared]

Yeast starters are great for what they do (build up a larger volume of yeast) but in order to do that, we don't typically treat them the same as we would a beer that was destined to be consumed.

They're not the same gravity (usually lower, 1.035-1.040)
They're not the same recipe (usually just a light DME base)
They're not temperature controlled
They're intentionally oxygenated throughout fermentation

Trying to make a nice big Double IPA and you've got a starter ready to get your 1.080 wort kicked off? Pitch a full 2 liter starter that was 1.040, and you've just effectively diluted your gravity by 5% (10% of size at half the gravity). You've also diluted your IBU by 10%, as well as whatever flavor additions from non base malts. You fermented the starter on your kitchen counter at 78F, and used a stir plate? Your beer is starting out with a whole bunch of oxidized flavors along with whatever esters, fusels, etc. that were produced at the higher temp.

If you decant, sure you'll lose some cells that were in solution, but you'll reduce the effects above by 90%, while only losing out on a fraction of the cell count you would have had.

P.S. That article suggest decanting for warm starters OR if it's more than 5%, not just when it's both.

 

[LagerLover78]

Thanks @rsquared ...think I'm just working myself up into a frenzy.

Trying to get my pitching timing right and not screw it up

 

[marc1]

Thanks @rsquared ...think I'm just working myself up into a frenzy.

Trying to get my pitching timing right and not screw it up

I don't bother with crazy timing. I make a big starter in advance, pull off a pint for future batches, and stick both in the fridge. Mason jars with plastic lids work great.
When brew day comes several days to several weeks later, my pitch of yeast in the starter is ready to go at my convenience. I decant the supernatant and add the nice yeast slurry.
The next time I need that yeast I use the saved aliquot to make a new starter and repeat the process.

 

[LagerLover78]

I don't bother with crazy timing.

I made a 2 liter starter last night at 11pm. By the time I pitched at 4:45 pm there was a nice yeast cake at the bottom. Decanted a little more than half, swirled it around to resuspend the yeast and yeast cake, pitched and aerated...we'll see how it goes!