How to make a MEGA Starter

[johnmc]

Okay, I wanted to make a starter wort a LOT of YEAST for our Belgian Mystery Brew, since we are going to have to split it between 3 carboys. Man, I have this Yeast Farming figured out.

Step by Step:
1) Smack the yeast pack (Belgian Abby) with 100 billion cells.
2) Boil up 1 gallon of wort.
3) Pour about 2 pints of wort into a 1 gallon carboy add yeast and shake in the O2 to oxygenate.

An ale yeast will absorb the oxygen and go through a generation and multiply 6 times when put into a rich environment.

600 Billion Yeast Cells Now

4) Pour the remaining wort about 3 quarts or so into a sanitized 3 liter PET (Coke) bottle. Close the lid and shake the hell out of it to get O2 into solution.

5) After the starter stops fermenting, shake the 3 liter bottle of wort to add O2 and add 1/3rd of the wort to the starter.

3,600 Billion Yeast Cells Now

6) After the starter stops fermenting, shake the 3 liter bottle of wort to add O2 and add 1/2 of the wort to the starter.

21,600 Billion Yeast Cells Now

7) After the starter stops fermenting, shake the 3 liter bottle of wort to add O2 and add the rest of the wort to the starter.

129,600 Billion Yeast Cells Now

And I am going to save a little in the bottom to make another starter ;D

[Bob McGill]

John: With this procedure you stand a chance of picking up a wild yeast in the bottles you do not add yeasy to. Since this is a Belgiun, this may be OK, but I would recommend putting the additional wort in canning jars and boiling & sealing them. This is the way I make up my starters.

[johnmc]

Thanks Bob, but I was real careful. My smack pack was old and it took 4 days for it to swell to the point to where it was hard. But, after going through the above procedure I have an inch of yeast trub in the bottom of the gallon carboy. I could have canned the PET bottle of wort in a boiling water bath, but the wort was boiling hot when I poured it into the sanatized PET bottle. Same thing if not better. All I know is I can farm raise that damn yeast now! I have figured it out!

Just Brew It!
John Mc