Beer Forum

I'm brewing a Doppelbock (from BCS - OG 1.086) this Saturday (first time with this style) and I have a question regarding my yeast/starter. I have two vials of WLP German Bock Lager yeast, but from what I have learned over the past two years it will not be enough to fully attenuate this big German lager.

My plan is to make a starter using one of the following two methods, or per suggestions from the forum if both of said methods are pure ass-hattery. The crux of the matter is that I am constrained by having only one 2000ml flask with no time to pick up a second before I brew.


Method 1
Make a 2000ml starter with vial #1 and pitch it into my prepared Doppelbock wort then make a second 2000ml starter with vial #2 and, when ready, pitch it into my fermenting Doppelbock beer.


Method 2
Make a 2000ml starter with vial #1 and when it is ready decant the "beer" and store the yeast in another sanitary container and then make a second 2000ml starter with vial #2. On brew day I would pitch both into my prepared Doppelbock wort and oxygenate.

I will be oxygenating the wort and fermenting the beer at 50 deg. F.

Also, do I pitch at 50 deg. F. or do I pitch at 70 deg. F. and ramp down to my fermentation temp?

Your thoughts and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks, and good health,

Curt

How old is the yeast? Are you using a stir plate?

You definitely do not want to pitch at 70. I would pitch at 45 and then let it rise naturally to your desired fermentation temp of 50 degrees. It's always better to pitch cool and let it rise than to pitch warm and crash.

I just received the yeast from More Beer yesterday so I imagine it is real fresh. Sorry, no stir plate action up in he-ya.

Go to MrMalty.com and look at the pitching rate calculator. For 5 gal of 1.086 wort using a simple starter with O2 at the start you would need a 10L starter (using 2 vials and an assumed viability of 75%).

I would postpone the dopplebock and make 5 gallons of lower strength beer and repitch from the slurry.

I'm never again gonna be able to see the words

"yeast starter"

and not hear

"yeatht thtarter"

in my head. Thanks Northern Brewer!

Quin wrote:I would postpone the dopplebock and make 5 gallons of lower strength beer and repitch from the slurry.

+1

And you'll have more beer, and better beer to drink. Think of it as a tasty, 5-gallon starter you get to drink!

OK, I see where you are going with this; with a 3 gallon starter I am close to a 5 gallon batch so make a beer. Makes sense. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending how you look at it I need to get it going this weekend.

Here is plan C:

I have enough DME to make 3 gallons of a 1.040 starter. I plan on fermenting the starter in my final fermentation carboy, crash cooling the starter the morning of my brew day, decanting the liquid and adding the Doppelbock wort (chilled to 50 deg. F.) to my yeast slurry and then blasting it with O2.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

Thanks for all you help,

Curt

That'll work. Hit your starter wort with a good shot of O2 as well.Also, (carefully) pick up the carboy and swirl it every now and then and you'll get more yeast growth. Not as much as a stir-plate but better than if you don't.