Yeast starter too small??

[nebr0703]

I am using my first yeast starter on this batch of NB Dead Ringer IPA that I will be brewing later this afternoon. A fellow homebrewer told me that a good starter to use was 1/2 cup DME to 2cups water. I did this and my starter is only about 600-650ml total after the boil and the Wyeast was added. My biggest concern now is that this starter may be too small for the 5 gallons of brew I am making @ 1.064OG. I let it sit overnight @ about 72 degrees, swirling it every time I walked past it. I never did see much action in the flask, but I know that most of the time you will not see any. Woke up this morning and a good layer of yeast had settled on the bottom. I have swirled it around to rouse the yeast all morning and will be adding it to the wort after my brewing session this afternoon. I know its hard to completely screw up beer, but I have a few questions I would like some answers to for the future.
1. Is a 600-650ml yeast starter too small for 5 gal @ 1.064OG? If so, what DME/Water amounts would you recommend? (I am using a 2,000ml Erlenmeyer Flask)
2. Is my ratio of 1:4 DME to water accurate with a good starter of 1.040?
3. How beneficial is a stir plate..it seems like those who use them swear by them, but how much of a difference does it really make?

Thanks and Cheers!

 

[RM-MN]

Here's an experiment on what the different pitching rates do to beer. Note that the overpitch was more than 5 times the recommeded amount and the underpitch was about 1/8th the recommended amount. http://sciencebrewer.com/2012/03/02/pitching-rate-experiment-part-deux-results/ Your pitch will be much closer to the recommended amount.

Your ratio of DME to water seems pretty much what I have read.

 

[sachsebrewer]

Sounds like the yeast settled out rather quickly. I brewed this clone from all- grain last weekend and used two packs of dry yeast which were rehydrated and it was going strong for 5 days. I would make another starter and add it in to make sure.

 

[nebr0703]

I have a pack of Safale US-05 could I just add that in too? Or will I get off flavors with 2 different yeasts?

 

[sachsebrewer]

I actually used safale-05, it is a generic yeast which doesn't impart many yeast flavored so I would say it would be ideal. Just watch your sanitation techniques and you will be fine.

 

[pdxal]

You really should weigh out your DME for making starters.
Per Mr. Malty's yeast calculator you underpitched. 1 pack should have a 2.54 liter simple starter if the yeast was brand new for a beer that gravity.
I'm not sure about the weight per cup of DME, but the gravity needed could be off too. You want 1.030-1.040 for starter gravity. If that was what the gravity was, great.
It will still be beer, and probably be decent. You could make it better next time, though.
Stir plates are nice, but not absolutely necessary. Frequent swirling does nearly the same job. Stir plate=1L, intermittent shaking=1.46L, simple starter=2.54L for your beer per Mr. Malty.
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html