yeast calculator question

[bigtoe]

Getting some ingredients together and looking at yeast, using the brewers friend yeast calculator im looking at needing 16g of dry yeast for wort at 1.040. Yeast of choice for this brew Youngs Ale yeast which as you know comes in 5g packets, so my intention was to either create a starter or just pitch 3 bags.

Its not expensive yeast so 3 bags for 15g looks cheap enough and close enough for me...question is do I need 3 bags or is this over pitching?

[Kev888]

We'd need to know the volume of wort that you are pitching into to help with the pitching rate. However unless you need a really great load of cells I'd go with more packs instead of the starter; aside from the cost and effort involved, the reserves packed into the dried yeast would be expended in the starter rather than your brew.

[bigtoe]

kev

Volume is 21L, I have bought 5 packets in case I end up with more although I plan on measuring the wort during the boil in the hope I catch the gravity (brix) just where I need it so it could end up a little higher volume but i doubt much less.

I am actually attempting a Boddingtons clone as my first full on Grainfather brew.

[Kev888]

Opinions vary on the ideal pitching rate and how many cells are likely to be viable in a sachet as it ages, so its hard to say definitively what is correct and you will often get different results depending on which calculator or whos estimates you use.

But FWIW two 5g packs should be just about adequate if the yeast are quite fresh (IMO), although slightly more wouldn't hurt and would also be safer if the packs are a little old, or not stored cold (as they aren't in many homebrew shops) or if you pitch without first hydrating, or if you produce a slightly larger brew length. Its better to slightly over-pitch than under-pitch too, so yep I agree that three of these little 5g packs would be the best bet all round.

Unless youngs yeast have a higher cell count per gram than normal (or are intended to be under-pitched), anyway. Can't say I've used that yeast in recent years.

[bigtoe]

Kev...3 packets it is, and thank for the really good advice. I chose the yeast based on research regarding Boddies yeast and the similarity between this and the Youngs strain. Of course the proof of the pudding is in the drinking so we shall see.