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Yeast starter question

Sixpack

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This is my second batch of beer and I'm learning but all the research I've done says you determine weather to use a starter by gravity, ie. If it's above 1.08 do and if below don't. And then there's the ones that say it depends on the type of beer. Then I go to the brewing supply store and they say use a starter for every brew they make. I'm about to brew a cherry barley stout. Here's the recipe : http://www.homebrewparty.com/CherryBarleyStout.pdf
I cut the recipe down to a 1 gallon brew.

So the nubey questions are:
1. Do I even need a starter?
2. How much starter do I make?
3 how does that effect the end volume and flavor. With one gallon, there isn't much wiggle room.

Thanks in advance
 
I wouldn't use a starter. You should have more than enough yeast pitching a smack pack designed for 5 gallons into a 1 gallon wort.
 
The amount of yeast you need depends on type of yeast and beer  (ale or lager), gravity of beer and amount of beer your making. They are several yeast calculators on the internet, plus BeerSmith that will figure the amount of yeast for you.

Example
1 gal batch
gravity of 1.048
require 34 billion yeast cells. 2 grams dry yeast (mrmalty.com)
.4 of a 5 gram pack, .2 of a 11.5 gram pack
Liquid yeast requires a production date to figure the amount of live yeast in a pack or tube.

Making a starter would not be needed in til you start making larger batches.

 
Slobrew said:
I wouldn't use a starter. You should have more than enough yeast pitching a smack pack designed for 5 gallons into a 1 gallon wort.

So you can't put too much yeast in?
I have a white labs tube with no date on it. How would I know how old it is?
 
I'm a believer that putting too much of anything in a brew can have unwanted results.

Since this is your second batch of beer them I'm guessing that your yeast is probably not that old. If you do have concerns that it may no longer be good then I would make a small yeast starter and then you would know if you have good yeast or not. If you are pretty sure that the yeast is ok then I would shake up the tube and add 1/2 of it to the wort.


 
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