So I made a starter today for a beer I plan to make tomorrow. I have 2L flask. I boiled 1.5L of water and roughly 0.75lb of DME. This is roughly an OG of 1.08 according to my calculations. I was wondering how important it is that the OG of the starter my is close to the OG of my beer. After boiling I am down to only 1.2L of liquid and thus probably have an OG of 1.100, which is much higher then that of the OG of the beer I am making.
Please consider ditching what you have and starting over. Your starter should not exceed 1.040 . . . this is independent of the predicted OG of your beer. Use your predicted OG and estimated beer-volume to determine the number of yeasties needed, then build a starter (max of 1.040) that will give you this number. Here's a pretty good calculator to help you. If interested in more details, check here.
Yes, sir. Damage done. Will you still make a decent beer with it? Maybe. Will you risk having low attenuation on your yeast? Yes. If you want to use this I'd have some US 05 on hand for about 12-14 days later.
You haven't pitched the yeast yet have you? If no, then you could dilute your starter wort. Remember, sanitation is critical here. But my first step would be to determine how many cells I needed.
Thanks guys for the help. I just measured what it was, it was 1.060 however this is yeast in. I assume that the addition of yeast increases gravity momentarily. So maybe I am fine? I did 1.5L of water and 1.5 cups of DME which is a standard recommendation I believe. Thanks again.
Always use an OG in the range of 1.040-1.060 (Never higher) for your starter. 1.060 will not stress the yeast. You want to try and "match" the gravity of your wort as much as possible (I learned this OG matching trick from a conversation I had with Gordon Strong regarding yeast starters and propagation. It was a very interesting and in depth discussion) without going over 1.060 OG on the starter. I typically go 1.040 with my starter OG on worts that are 1.040-1.050 range and I go 1.050 for worts in the 1.051-1.058 range and do a 1.060 gravity starter for anything 1.059 and up. A lot of people believe that you should never go above 1.040 on starter OG, but there is no problem going up to 1.060. It will not be bad for the yeast or finished beer. I wouldn't do a lager yeast starter over 1.040 OG though.
The higher starter gravity for big beers helps the yeast deal with higher osmotic pressure. Why not a higher gravity starter for a really big Doppelbock?
Exactly. I tend to only brew light lagers as mere preference. When I have done bigger beefier lagers like doppelbocks I still go 1.040 on my starter and just increase the size of the starter 2-3 times the normal size I would with most ales. Not sure why my bigger OG starters lent a specific off flavor or not, that was the only change I made and noted a different flavor profile that was "off". Might have been something else entirely but I haven't tested it out as the 1.040 staryers I make for lagers are doing just great. Cleaner taste in my experience is the short answer. YMMV.
