Pimp my recipe ( imperial Stout).

[Aleman]

If you are going to use a whitelabs yeast your starter needs to be about 20L at the final volume, then decant the spent wort off and pitch onto the yeast cake. My RIS was pitched with 3 or 4 packets of Nottingham. Re pitching onto a yeast cake is a good idea for these big beers or you are in the danger on under pitching.

His brew length is only 12L. He is going to do 2 vials in a 1.5L starter, according to Mr Malty it should be fine which s normally slightly over does pitching rates imo that should be enough.

Didn't spot the brew length . . . IMO Mr malty significantly under estimates pitching rates for big beers, which leads to under attenuation, if I was using a whitelab starter . . . I'd make a batch of 'small' beer and use the yeast cake from that.

[196osh]

Didn't spot the brew length . . . IMO Mr malty significantly under estimates pitching rates for big beers, which leads to under attenuation, if I was using a whitelab starter . . . I'd make a batch of 'small' beer and use the yeast cake from that.

Never really experienced that, any of my big beers tend to attenuate quite well using those sorts of pitching rates. But yeah each to their own.

Yeast cake or a chunk of it will work just fine.

[Deebee]

I'll be making 2x 1.5-2 l starters with a vial in each.

Aleman. i took your advice and adjusted the IBu to 95ish for this on.

From the stout i did earlier the dark malts really do add something to it so i don't think it will hurt having a high IBU. Its a 12 month conditioning beer regardless and the bitterness will mellow out over the course of the time it is in the bottle.