How much yeast for 5L batch

Share your experiences of using brewing yeast.
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DDoe
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How much yeast for 5L batch

Post by DDoe » Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:30 pm

I shall be making 5L batches of beer and am wondering how much dried yeast I should be using.

So far I've made 1 batch and used half a packet (Safale US05). All seems to have gone fine, it was bottled yesterday and the warm, flat test-taste was decent enough.

Ordered up the ingredients for the next brew, German Wheat beer, including a packet of Safbrew WB06. I looked at a picture of the packet for the fermentation temp and noticed the yeast ferments 20-30L. Now I'm thinking should I be using less than half a packet, maybe a third or even a quarter.

How much yeast should I use? Is it possible to use too much yeast?

Thanks.

guypettigrew
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Re: How much yeast for 5L batch

Post by guypettigrew » Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:33 pm

Under pitching is a much greater worry than over pitching. The 20-30L quoted on the packet is the maximum volume you should ferment with one packet.

Others on here are more knowledgeable about yeast than me, but I don't think you have to reduce the amount of dry yeast in proportion to the volume of the wort.

Guy

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Cobnut
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Re: How much yeast for 5L batch

Post by Cobnut » Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:39 pm

There are numerous yeast calculators out there on the web.

One common thing you will find is that they recommend much larger yeast pitches than the dried yeast manufacturers say their products are suitable for (e.g. where the packet may say "up to 25L", the "calculator may suggest 2 or more packets for ma 23-25L batch).

So, I'd tend to agree with Guy that pitching the whole packet for a 5L batch is not likely to cause any problems, in fact you should get a much quicker start to fermentation and a healthier fermentation overall. You also have the issue of how do you keep the remaining yeast in a suitably sterile/sanitary condition for that time - maybe months later - when you come to use it?

Best to chuck it all in and don't worry about the extra £1 or so of cost.

Or how about increasing your batch size and get better value from your pack of yeast? Let alone more beer :D
Fermenting: nowt
Conditioning: English IPA/Bretted English IPA
Drinking: Sunshine Marmalade, Festbier, Helles Bock, Smokey lagery beer, Irish Export StoutCascade APA (homegrown hops), Orval clone, Impy stout, Duvel clone, Conestoga (American Barley wine)
Planning: Dark Mild, Kozel dark (ish), Simmonds Bitter, Bitter, Citra PA and more!

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