Did I over pitch and what can I expect?

Northern Brewer General
1

I brewed a batch of Waldo Lake Amber today which required a 3.0 liter starter based on my yeast vitality. I increased it to 3.2 liters to be safe. As it turns out, the batch finished at 1.055 not the 1.063 the recipe calls for. I entered the recipe into Beersmith and it came out to a SG of 1.056, so I was close to this. I also found another thread on the internet where someone else had their Waldo Lake start at 1.056. And yes, I did add my 1lb corn sugar to the boil.

My question now is what can I expect by over pitching my yeast by 1.2 liters more than I should have? I know you can over pitch by 20% or so without any problems, but this is about 35% over.

2

Relax. When you say you added 1# corn sugar to the boil is this the extract kit? If anything the extra yeast may help the extract achieve a lower FG.

I tend to not worry about overpitching.

By the way if you have never had that beer it is fantastic, the only beer I have made 3X and I will make it again.

3

I just brewed the Waldo Lake Amber a few weeks ago, used US-05 dry,
and OG was 1.056-1.058-ish.
just checked FG, is 1.014.
that’s 75% attenuation and 6% ABV.
so I wouldn’t worry.

and, by the way, it tastes fantastic already!

4

I say you hve nothing to worry about either. Yesterday, I brewed 22 gallons of Waldo Lake Amber and I racked it directly onto the yeast cakes from a pale ale I made 2 weeks earlier. My OG was 1.062. I had to reduce the grain bill by about 6 pounds so that my OG would be in the correct range.

5

I’m assuming that you decanted the starter before pitching the yeast. I hope. Also, the way to think about pitch rates is not with the volume of the starter but rather the number of yeast cells. A 2l starter based off one pack/vial does not have twice as much yeast as a 1l starter. I think your beer will be totally fine.

6

63/55 = 1.145, or 15% over. Either way, you have nothing to worry about.