Yeast starter OG query.

[Ben Matthews]

Hey guys. Just gone to work out how big a starter to make to get my correct pitch rate for a beer I was planning on making tomorrow and realized I don't have enough slurry in the fridge. Dog. So brew days off tomorrow but hey ho can do in a few days. Ive used the calculator on my my captain brew app and looks like I need to make 2 starters back to back which is fine. I can only really do 1.5 litre ones due to space. I do like to make twice as much yeast as I need so I can split it 50/50 and then have some clean yeast ready in fridge to make starter next time.

The only problem I have is that I'm low on DME and don't have enough to do a 1.5 litre followed by a 1 litre which would give me the amount I'm after.

I'm calculating the DME at a gravity of 1.039 like normal. I've noticed however if I adjust the gravity of the starter it still says it will produce the same number of yeast cells. If I changed it to 1.020 for Instance it says I will need roughly half the DME but will produce the same amount of yeast cells. Does that sound right? I assumed that the stronger the wort the more cells were produced but that's just my logic.

Just wondering if it can get away with weekend starters.

I ordered more DME this morn but not sure when that will arrive. I could pitch the lot into the beer after the first starter but then would have to wash it again etc.

Any opinions and knowledge on the subject would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[An Ankoù]

SInce your DME could take more than a week to arrive, why not make your own culture medium? Just make an unhopped wort to 1040 and use that. Or make the beer you were planning and use a litre or so of the wort for culturing your next growth of yeast.

 

[MyQul]

You can buy LME from health food shops like holland & Barrett. Or as An Ankou says just make a real wort starter using grain. This is what I normally do

 

[Ben Matthews]

I could make a grain wort that is true I do have some spare malt. Thanks peeps good idea that. Still interested to know if anyone has a better idea on whether wort gravity effects the amount of yeast produced. My app seems to suggest it's volume that's the determining factor but it is just an app so I'm not sure it's correct.