Lawrence Brewers Guild

We're planning to brew a couple octoberfests this fall and I know that you need a lot more yeast than with ales. Some recipes I'm reading suggest up to 2 gallons of starter.
So how do you make a 5 gallon batch and still add 2 gal. of starter? Do you crash the starter and just pitch the slurry?
Also, do you build up the starter at fermentation temp (approx 45 deg) or at room temp?
Any advice is appreciated from those with experience making lagers.

I don't make that many lagers, but, generally, you'll want twice as much yeast for a standard strength lager as a standard ale fermentation.
Just make twice as much starter as usual. Starters can be fermented warmer to encourage growth/division, but then cold crash and decant the starter beer and pitch the slurry.
jim

I do a multi-step starter for all my lagers. I do 15 to 20 gallon batches so it usually takes 2 steps then pitch into wort. I use http://www.yeastcalculator.com/ for roughly calculating how much I need. If you don't have a big enough flask, then you will need to cold crash step 1 and decadent off the beer before adding new wort. It is recommended to cold crash and decadent off wort before pitching into main batch, but I typically schedule in such a way that my 2nd step uses actually wort from the beer I am making. Then I can pitch the entire thing straight into it.

People might argue that it's not important, but I do a lot of lagers, I mean a lot and I can tell you that pitching enough lager yeast plus very good oxygenation is critical to lagers dependably finishing out correctly. I also heavily recommend cooling your wort to 45 degrees Fahrenheit before pitching yeast, then slowly raising the temp to 50 over the course of a couple days. This will keep you from having to do a diacetyl rest at the end and from my experience does create a better lager.

I would like to add, I typically stick to the same German Lager yeast for all my beers, so after the initial starter and beer ferment, I re-use it for up to 3 additional batches so the multi-step process is only the first time.

Also dont worry about making your lager starters cold. You are making yeast not beer. I mention this because its a common question.

I also like the yeast calc Jared posted better than Jamil's. Jamil's is good but I've found his pitching rates higher than what is actually needed.

Rugger1978 wrote:I do a multi-step starter for all my lagers. I do 15 to 20 gallon batches so it usually takes 2 steps then pitch into wort. I use http://www.yeastcalculator.com/ for roughly calculating how much I need. If you don't have a big enough flask, then you will need to cold crash step 1 and decadent off the beer before adding new wort. It is recommended to cold crash and decadent off wort before pitching into main batch, but I typically schedule in such a way that my 2nd step uses actually wort from the beer I am making. Then I can pitch the entire thing straight into it.

People might argue that it's not important, but I do a lot of lagers, I mean a lot and I can tell you that pitching enough lager yeast plus very good oxygenation is critical to lagers dependably finishing out correctly. I also heavily recommend cooling your wort to 45 degrees Fahrenheit before pitching yeast, then slowly raising the temp to 50 over the course of a couple days. This will keep you from having to do a diacetyl rest at the end and from my experience does create a better lager.

So much this.....And always pitch your starter at the same temp as your wort.

Dale, also keep in mind that the total fermentation time is longer. Initial fermentation for my lagers is typically a month. Then a slow cold secondary. Remember relax don't worry, have another homebrew.

John P.

Thanks for all the excellent advice. We're going to start in November. I'll report back.