[klickitat jim]

My new Hanna stir plates came today. I'm doing an APA this Monday. I had two smack packs of 1056 with birthdays of March 11, 13. So I used them both in 2 qts of 1.035. Its stirring nicely now. I'm going to chill and decanter Friday and run it again with 2 qts.

My APA is 5 gallons of 1.065. Does it sound like I will be on track for a proper pitch?

[thebigbaker]

If I read that correctly, I think that's more yeast then you need.  I would have used just one pack of 1056 with 2L on the stir plate.  I always check http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html for an estimate on my yeast count and starter amounts.

[klickitat jim]

It seemed like I had ~1/3 viability with 3 month old smack packs. So I took a guess at two of them equalling 2/3 viability. Equal to one pack that is one month old. My beer will not be huge but big enough to need more than normal. Thus the extra 2000ml step in a couple days. I'd rather be a little high than too low again.

I'll try to figure out Mr malty though. Thanks

[thebigbaker]

Ah, I did read that wrong.  I read it as May 11 & 13 instead of March (Not the first or last time I get the "M" months mixed up).  You should be good w/ the 2 packs/ 2 qts on a stir plate w/out the extra step, but I don't think that extra step would hurt.  I've used slurry that was older than that (5 months) as an experiment on an APA in a 2L starter on a stir plate w/ just one step and it turned out well.  I don't plan on using yeast that old again, but you never know 

[klickitat jim]

I just bought and installed Mr malty. Can't get it to work. Stuck on hectoliters for wort volume

How irritating

[thebigbaker]

I just bought and installed Mr malty. Can't get it to work. Stuck on hectoliters for wort volume

The web version is free.  I haven't bought and tried out the mobile version yet.  In the web version, you can go to "Preferences" tab and change the wort measurement. 

[klickitat jim]

Ok, rebooted my phone and now it accepts changes to inputs. What is the growth rate bar at the bottom?

Edit: I went to the site and figured out what the growth bar is for.

[hopfenundmalz]

The Hanna stir plate I had burned out doing 2 liter starters, it was rated for 1 liter. It was the small one, there is now a bigger one available.

My stir starter handles a 5 liter starter.

[klickitat jim]

I'll be doing mostly 1000ml starts, a few 2000. I bough two of them so hopefully they last a couple years

[AmandaK]

I'll be doing mostly 1000ml starts, a few 2000. I bough two of them so hopefully they last a couple years

You should take a listen/read Neva Parker's Fermentation Mythbusters here: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/lets-brew/homebrewing-seminars/2012

She'll go into why a 1L starter isn't really worth it - 2L starters are much better.

[klickitat jim]

I'll look that up. But I just blew $4.95 on a Mr malty app. It tells me that a 1.060 ale with a one month old smack pack, requires only 1000ml of stir plate starter. A lager would be double that.

[Jimmy K]

She'll go into why a 1L starter isn't really worth it - 2L starters are much better.

It's true - growth depends on cell density and a 1L starter is too dense for much growth.
 
MrMalty says two March 11 packs in a 2L starter is enough. For the same cell density reason, pitching that into another 2L starter won't result in much additional growth.

[klickitat jim]

Could I split the slury into two 2000ml starters and go from there?

[a10t2]

A 2 L starter should grow, roughly, 200 billion cells, so you should end up somewhere around 300-350 billion. That's about 50% more than I would typically pitch into a 1.065 beer.

Split that into two more 2 L starters and they should each end up around 350-400 billion.

[klickitat jim]

Copy that. I might do that and then brew to batches Monday