I am planning on making an IPA with an OG of 1.064, I will not have the time to make a starter, is it needed? I was always under the impression that any OG>1.050 would need a starter, am I correct or can I still brew without a starter? Im guessing that there will just be a greater lag time without a starter, correct?
What yeast are you using? Anything dry should be fine. Also keep in mind that white labs says use a starter for over 1.070. Of course other factors matter too, but I am assuming 5 gallon batch, and you will be pitching at reasonable temperature...
I've started batches a number of times with OG's over 1.05 without a starter. It is more risky though. It may lag a little starting off and it may not finish fermenting well. You can be more susceptible to infections or overly sweet beers. If conditions are right (temp is good, use yeast nutrient, and oxygenate your wort) then I'm sure you will be ok. If I don't have time, I usually just buy two. I also like White Labs 007...pretty aggressive stuff.
I'm assuming a 5 gal batch, with 1056 I'm gonna say a starter is strongly recommended. If you had some US-05 you could get by with just pitching that.
Give this calculator a try, and decide for yourself. http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html IMO you need a starter (assuming you have one vial/pack of liquid yeast). And no, lag time is not the only potential issue. Here are some possibilities... - high esters - high fusel alcohols - under-attenuation - high diacetyl - high sulfur compounds (particularly in lagers, not so much an issue for your IPA) - high acetaldehyde Even so, you'll more than likely make something drinkable without a starter.
I would recommend that you make a starter. I personally make starters for all beers >1.060 as per the recommendation of Wyeast. In all probability your IPA will turn out OK if you don’t make a starter but this is not a ‘best practice’. Cheers! P.S. A single packet of US-05 would be fine for your IPA. I would recommend that you rehydrate as per the Fermentis directions.
One pack is enough, and yes, you should rehydrate. It's best to follow the manufacturer's recommendation of warm ~95F water, but it won't be a disaster if the water is a little on the cool side (just make sure the water is sanitary, i.e. boiled & cooled).
Unless you want the majority of the cells to survive their introduction to the wort. For a gravity where the total cell count is borderline anyway, I think I would rehydrate.
We could debate forever about re hydration, but I haven't seen anything conclusive for it. if you're prone to anxiety go for it. From Mad Fermentationist (BA handle Oldsock) "I’ve had good results pitching a single pack of dried yeast into a moderate gravity beer. I almost always rehydrate, but I was surprised to read that the results were pretty mixed in the BYO/BBR rehydration experiment."
We could debate the effect (or lack thereof) on the beer. But the yeast death phenomenon is well known.
Fair enough, but this is no longer a moderate gravity beer. To me, that's 1.050 and lower. Pitching rates say he should add ~222 billion cells, and a package has at most 200 billion viable cells when properly rehyrdrated. Improper rehydration can kill off 50% of cells, so suddenly you're pitching 100 billion cells (a fresh WY / WL pack/vial), which is 50% lower than it should be...
