[mdyer909]

I’m making a Maibock style tomorrow. Target OG around 1070.   Intend to use Saflager 34/70.  Peering around the www I see some brewers recommend using 2 packs of the yeast for this style.  Overkill?  Ambient temperature in my winter brew attic is low 50’s F.

[dmtaylor]

Assuming 5 gallons, I would say yes, use 2 packs.

[majorvices]

A good way to remember how much dry yeast to pitch:

For ales and 5 gallon batches, use approximately 5.5 grams of dry yeast for every .025 SG points. So for 1.050 use 11 grams. For 1.075 use 16.5 grams.


Double that for lagers: For lagers and 5 gallon batches, use approximately 11 grams for every .025 SG points. So for 1.050 use 22 grams. For 1.075 use 33 grams.

[BrewBama]

That’s a pretty good rule of thumb. I believe Lallemand uses 6 grams for Ale yeast and 12 grams for Lager yeast per 25 gravity points in a 5 gal batch. Either way, definitely gets you in the ballpark.

Closer to 3x 11 gram packs of 34/70 would be recommended for a 5 gal batch of 1.070 wort using these rules of thumb.

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[majorvices]

I based it on the Lallmand and SafAle/Lager packs which have 11 and 11.5 gm per pack respectively. As long as you get close you should be be good. Better to over pitch than underpitch usually, especially with lagers.

[mdyer909]

Thanks folks.  I’ll use the two packs I got.  Didn’t want to have a yeast bomb.  Couple of years ago I made a weizenbock with Wyeast 3068 and my wife texted me at work to report foam all over the floor.  Blew the airlock and stopper right off.

[BrewBama]

Having a fermentation volcano isn’t a matter of pitching more/less yeast. It’s a matter of having enough headspace in your fermenter for the krauzen.

For example if I pitch one pack of ale yeast in a 7 gal fermenter with 6.99 gals of wort in it, I am most likely going to get blowoff.

However, if I pitch that same one pack in the same 7 gal fermenter but in only 5 gals of wort I probably won’t get blowoff because I have more headspace.

I personally wouldn’t determine pitch rate on a fermenter headspace issue.


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[majorvices]

Agree. It's also strain dependent and WY3068 is a hefewezien - top cropper - it's going to have a huge yeast bloom. Lager yeast will generally have less krausen since it is "bottom fermenting" but a blow off can always be a concern. A lot of time it comes from warm fermentation temps too.

It's important to pitch enough yeast for every style - but especially for lager yeast. Always pitch enough yeast

[Bob357]

Thanks folks.  I’ll use the two packs I got.  Didn’t want to have a yeast bomb.  Couple of years ago I made a weizenbock with Wyeast 3068 and my wife texted me at work to report foam all over the floor.  Blew the airlock and stopper right off.

Blowing the airlock and stopper off has little to do with the amount of yeast. The cause is generally a healthy fermentation in a fermenter that's too small for the batch size, but may also be caused by fermenting too hot. Fermcap-S will greatly reduce the chances of blowoff, but the best solution it a fermenter that holds 30% more than the batch size.

[neuse]

Thanks folks.  I’ll use the two packs I got.  Didn’t want to have a yeast bomb.  Couple of years ago I made a weizenbock with Wyeast 3068 and my wife texted me at work to report foam all over the floor.  Blew the airlock and stopper right off.

Blowing the airlock and stopper off has little to do with the amount of yeast. The cause is generally a healthy fermentation in a fermenter that's too small for the batch size, but may also be caused by fermenting too hot. Fermcap-S will greatly reduce the chances of blowoff, but the best solution it a fermenter that holds 30% more than the batch size.

I go a step further, using a 7.9 gallon fermenter for 5 gallon batches. I no longer need a blow-off tube. But I don't brew high gravity beers and I control fermentation temperature, so I can't say if this would work for everyone.