Should I pitch more yeast?

Yeast & Fermentation
1

Hi all,

I brewed the Smashing Pumpkin Ale today with fresh baked pumpkins. I brewed a partial mash with the recommended 2 lb of 6 row and an eight pound pumpkin. The entire brew process went well and I followed all of the recommendations in the instructions. Fermentables included 2-3.15 lb bottles of Amber LME and 1 lb of Pilsen DME which were included in the kit. I opted for a full boil and after the brew session I was left with just over 5 gallons. Yesterday I prepared a yeast starter which consisted of 650 mL of water, 1/2 cup light DME, and the Wyeast 1056 smack pack. Again, I followed the NB instructions for starter kits. The kit suggested an OG of 1.054. I expected a little higher gravity because of the extra grains but I was shocked to hit a gravity of 1.070.

Should I pitch more yeast? Was my starter enough?

The sample tasted awesome. Very excited to be drinking this beer around the holidays.

Thoughts/comments/questions/concerns?

2

Should you pitch more yeast? Not necessary.

Was your starter big enough? No

650ml is about 1.3 pints.

According to Mr. Malty, a 1.054 beer should have a 2qt starter.
A 1.070 beer should have a 3.75qt starter.

What you made was enough to show that the yeast were alive. But not enough to really grow anything.

IMO, if you are going to make a starter, make a starter. I do no less than 3qts.

As far as the gravity. 1.054 is about what you should have with the LME/DME. Add in the 6row and pumpkin I can see where you could get close to 1.070

3

What is the proper ratio of DME to volume of starter? How much DME do you use for a 3 quart starter? I’ve heard that over pitching can affect body…thoughts? Anyone? Thanks to all who reply.

4

I suggest a nice scale. Preferably one that has metric and American scales. You should be able to find something at Walmart or Target for around $50.

There is a standard out there that says 1g DME to 10ml of water.

Qbrew shows .5lb to .75 gallons.

5

Hi all

New here and newbie to brewing.

i have the same issue i brewed the pumpkin and got a 1.070 using canned pumpkin. The only thing is i did have to add about half a gallon of water to cool keep the temp down to 152 degrees. Less than 24hrs and the wyeast that was added is very active. Hoping this is a good thing.

Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated i there is something that i can do to make my brew better.

:cheers:

6

[quote=“beerchix”]Hi all

New here and newbie to brewing.

i have the same issue i brewed the pumpkin and got a 1.070 using canned pumpkin. The only thing is i did have to add about half a gallon of water to cool keep the temp down to 152 degrees. Less than 24hrs and the wyeast that was added is very active. Hoping this is a good thing.

Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated i there is something that i can do to make my brew better.

:cheers: [/quote]

Manage your fermentation temps

Pitch enough yeast (should have used a starter for that OG

Sanitation

Patience

Those four things, in conjunction with a solid recipe will make very good beer