# First Time Yeast Starter



## jeffsonia (15/1/11)

G'day, am making a 44ltr final volume AG brew and have a question about starters. I read in dave millers homebrewing guide that you need to make a two step starter for brews this size. First step being to make a 1 litre starter, pitch yeast and then wait 18-24hrs before making a 4 litre starter and then pitch your 1 litre starter into that. Made the first starter about 14 hrs ago and is bubbling every 5 seconds at the moment. Do i need to add more yeast to the 4 ltr starter after i pitch the 1 ltr starter into it or should there be enough from the 1 ltr starter. I rehydrated a packet of dry ale yeast.
Any info would be appreciated.


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## MeLoveBeer (15/1/11)

fitarm said:


> Do i need to add more yeast to the 4 ltr starter after i pitch the 1 ltr starter into it or should there be enough from the 1 ltr starter. I rehydrated a packet of dry ale yeast.



Typically most people would just buy more than 1 packet of dried yeast, rehydrate them and then pitch them straight in (often the effort of making dried yeast starters outweights the low cost of dried yeast).

In your case, moving from the 1 litre starter to a 4 litre starter is called "stepping up" and does not require the addition of any more yeast. When creating starters, we are using yeasts ability to replicate to ensure that we have adequate numbers to take care of fermenting our wort with a minimal amount of stress (underpitching yeast into a large or high gravity batch can lead to less than desirable flavours).

A worthwhile read is Jamil Zainasheff's entry on proper pitching rates and creating starters.


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## jeffsonia (15/1/11)

MeLoveBeer said:


> Typically most people would just buy more than 1 packet of dried yeast, rehydrate them and then pitch them straight in (often the effort of making dried yeast starters outweights the low cost of dried yeast).
> 
> In your case, moving from the 1 litre starter to a 4 litre starter is called "stepping up" and does not require the addition of any more yeast. When creating starters, we are using yeasts ability to replicate to ensure that we have adequate numbers to take care of fermenting our wort with a minimal amount of stress (underpitching yeast into a large or high gravity batch can lead to less than desirable flavours).
> 
> A worthwhile read is Jamil Zainasheff's entry on proper pitching rates and creating starters.




Ok, thanks for the info,much appreciated


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## NeilArge (26/7/11)

MeLoveBeer said:


> Typically most people would just buy more than 1 packet of dried yeast, rehydrate them and then pitch them straight in (often the effort of making dried yeast starters outweights the low cost of dried yeast).
> 
> In your case, moving from the 1 litre starter to a 4 litre starter is called "stepping up" and does not require the addition of any more yeast. When creating starters, we are using yeasts ability to replicate to ensure that we have adequate numbers to take care of fermenting our wort with a minimal amount of stress (underpitching yeast into a large or high gravity batch can lead to less than desirable flavours).
> 
> A worthwhile read is Jamil Zainasheff's entry on proper pitching rates and creating starters.



I'm just about to crank up the brewery for the oktoberfest & lager season and have a Wyeast munich lager yeast warming up in a 2 litre soft drink bottle, fitted with bung and airlock. What type of (cheap and readily available) container do you use for a 3-4 litre yeast starter - one that has the same size mouth as the normal soft drink bottle?
Cheers
ToG


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## argon (26/7/11)

Firstly to address the OP... you didn't need to make a 1L starter with a full pack of dry yeast. You could have easily gone to the 4L straight away, or as suggested just pitch another packet.



TunofGrunt said:


> I'm just about to crank up the brewery for the oktoberfest & lager season and have a Wyeast munich lager yeast warming up in a 2 litre soft drink bottle, fitted with bung and airlock. What type of (cheap and readily available) container do you use for a 3-4 litre yeast starter - one that has the same size mouth as the normal soft drink bottle?
> Cheers
> ToG



The best containers are Erlenmeyer conical flasks (available from the sponsors or online) but they can be expensive at large sizes. 







I've broken a couple <_< and now use glass juice bottles... V8 or similar. If you need a 4L starter just do 2 x 2Litres starters ie 2 bottles and pitch them both into the batch. These are great as they have a flat bottom that allows my stirbar to spin nicely.

I do double batches and No-Chill which gives me plenty of options;
- often I just pitch to 1 batch then top crop after a few days to innoculate the second batch
- when using 1469 or some other english ale yeast i'll double drop into 2 fermentors after 12-24hrs then add the second cube on top into each
- just wait till batch 1 is finished and harvest the slurry for the second cube
- make a large starter appropriately sized for the entire volume then split it into 2 and pitch into the batch at the same time.

Edit: didn't realise the time line on the OP... he's probably pitched the yeast already


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## NeilArge (26/7/11)

argon said:


> The best containers are Erlenmeyer conical flasks (available from the sponsors or online) but they can be expensive at large sizes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks argon and don't worry - it wasn't me that did the OP. I'm just parachuting in on someone else's topic  
I'm not going to be pitching yeast until the weekend. 
I was thinking that the Erlenmayer flask would be my most likely option but I'm not close to a capital city and was looking for a cheaper option. So, I like your idea of the multiple juice bottles and will go down that path.

Cheers

ToG


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