[lex82]

Beginner here, please don't flame. I got this partial mash recipe from brewmaster's warehouse, and it has a lot more grains to steep than my last kit did. Would I still steep 6 lbs of grains with 1 1/2 gallons of water? or would I add more water? The last kit I used had less than a pound of grains to steep. These were all the directions it said "Mash at 152F for 60 minutes. Boil for 60 minutes. Add 1 can of LME and candi suagr with 20 minutes left in the boil. Ferment at 65-75F". It's a belgian dark strong ale.

[tschmidlin]

Yes, you'd typically use somewhere around 1.5 qts per lb of grain, but it varies a lot and isn't going to make a huge difference in your beer.  if you could put it in 2-2.5 gallons of water that would be fine.

Oh, and ferment on the low end of that range and you'll probably like your beer better.  What yeast are you using?

[lex82]

Yes, you'd typically use somewhere around 1.5 qts per lb of grain, but it varies a lot and isn't going to make a huge difference in your beer.  if you could put it in 2-2.5 gallons of water that would be fine.

Oh, and ferment on the low end of that range and you'll probably like your beer better.  What yeast are you using?

Thanks for the advice.

and I'm using Wyeast Labs Belgian Strong Ale - 1388

[a10t2]

Poking around a bit; is it this recipe?

With an OG of 1.081, this would be a beer that all but requires a starter. Start here: http://www.mrmalty.com/

[lex82]

Poking around a bit; is it this recipe?

With an OG of 1.081, this would be a beer that all but requires a starter. Start here: http://www.mrmalty.com/

it is that recipe. It doesn't say anything about a yeast starter on there. I guess its time to do more research.

[tschmidlin]

Yeah, with that high of an OG I would either do a starter or get another pack of yeast.

[lex82]

Yeah, with that high of an OG I would either do a starter or get another pack of yeast.

I've never heard of the "another pack of yeast" thing. Adding twice as much yeast just like making a starter?

[stevo155]

I've never heard of the "another pack of yeast" thing. Adding twice as much yeast just like making a starter?

That depends on the size of your starter.  Your beer should have about 276 billion cells of yeast pitched, and the Wyeast packages have something like 100 billion.  So pitching 2 will give you 200 billion cells which is a lot better than just pitching 100 billion where the yeast would get stressed out.

Also having a starter allows you to pitch healthy yeast at the peak of their activity, reducing lag time in your beer. 

[lex82]

I've never heard of the "another pack of yeast" thing. Adding twice as much yeast just like making a starter?

That depends on the size of your starter.  Your beer should have about 276 billion cells of yeast pitched, and the Wyeast packages have something like 100 billion.  So pitching 2 will give you 200 billion cells which is a lot better than just pitching 100 billion where the yeast would get stressed out.

Also having a starter allows you to pitch healthy yeast at the peak of their activity, reducing lag time in your beer. 

Great info, Thanks. Is there some place I can go to see the amount of yeast cells needed from OG info? It would be great to have for future reference.

[lex82]

Using mrmalty.com it says I need 280 billion yeast cells. If I just went ahead and added three 100 billion packs it would be the same as having a starter with one pack? I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure this out.

[Hokerer]

Using mrmalty.com it says I need 280 billion yeast cells. If I just went ahead and added three 100 billion packs it would be the same as having a starter with one pack? I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure this out.

That is certainly an option that does accomplish what you want.  Not particularly cost effective, though.

[tschmidlin]

Stop apologizing for the questions

Yes, you can add 3 packs or make an appropriately sized starter.  mrmalty.com will tell you how big it should be.  It is definitely not cost effective, but it is a lot easier if you lack equipment, time, or (like me) only figure out when you'll be able to brew the night before or sometimes the day of.  But I sometimes get yeast free from breweries in my area, so that helps keep it cheap.  If you have that as an option it's a great way to go.

[rbclay]

When brewing a beer with that high an OG you definitely want to be sure you are pitching enough healthy yeast. Pitching 3 packs of yeast would definitely do it.
Something you may want to consider in the future- and searching this forum I'm sure you could find separate threads on this topic- is reusing yeast from one batch to the next. Brew a lower gravity beer, then use the yeast from that batch for your next, higher gravity beer. In effect you are making a "starter". And you are making more beer!
Most yeast strains make very good beers of varying gravities. Generally you want to step up from lower to higher gravity beers.
Whatever you do, take good notes. And if you have the resources, brew a lot!

[ipaguy]

It seems that a lot of folks are hesitant to make starters when first getting started, but they really shouldn't be.  You can put together a top-of-the-line setup for 2 liter starters for under $20.  That pays for itself pretty quickly vs. $5 - $6 each for extra smack packs or vials.  If you're not using the Mr. Malty calculator, a general rule of thumb is that you should be using 2 smack-packs or vials for ales with OGs over 1.060, and double everything for lagers.

[tschmidlin]

It seems that a lot of folks are hesitant to make starters when first getting started, but they really shouldn't be.  You can put together a top-of-the-line setup for 2 liter starters for under $20.  That pays for itself pretty quickly vs. $5 - $6 each for extra smack packs or vials.  If you're not using the Mr. Malty calculator, a general rule of thumb is that you should be using 2 smack-packs or vials for ales with OGs over 1.060, and double everything for lagers.

What goes into your top of the line setup for starters for under $20?  I don't see how you get there for that little. 
Granted you don't need to spend $100, but $20 seems low.