I've got a CAMRA book by Graham Wheeler which states the typical 5g dried yeast packets are insufficient to brew 5 gallons without producing off flavours??. He recommends using two or three 5g sashays. Will this add excessive yeast flavours to the beer?
He also describes ‘robbing’ yeast from Bottle conditioned beers, which I think I will have ago at. However which beers are best to use as I am told some are pasteurised.
Finally, most recipes are for 5 gallons and I am planning on brewing extracting beers in smaller batches (2 to 3 gallons) using a preserves pan. Are their any implications on factoring down the recipes?
Many thanks
New to Brewing
-
steve_flack
Graham has just joined so he could answer himself but I'll have a go too 
The correct pitching rate for 5 gallons of normal strength beer is about 10g of dried yeast. Adding two 5g packets is not overpitching. Many yeast sachets now contain 10g or 11g anyway.
Using bottle conditioned yeasts can work but there is also the risk of making a bacteria starter not a yeast starter. For a good chance of success you'd need a fresh bottle and very good sanitation.
Our very own DaaB has a page on small scale brewing using a minimash
http://www.18000feet.com/minimash/page1.htm
The correct pitching rate for 5 gallons of normal strength beer is about 10g of dried yeast. Adding two 5g packets is not overpitching. Many yeast sachets now contain 10g or 11g anyway.
Using bottle conditioned yeasts can work but there is also the risk of making a bacteria starter not a yeast starter. For a good chance of success you'd need a fresh bottle and very good sanitation.
Our very own DaaB has a page on small scale brewing using a minimash
http://www.18000feet.com/minimash/page1.htm
-
Graham
The advice from Daab and Steve_Flack is spot on in my opinion.
It depends on which book you have and what edition it is. Bear in mind that my books first started to appear 1990 and the first one was actually written long before that date. Things were quite different in those days. The yeast available, with a few exceptions, was an apology for yeast, came in 5g packets, was not particularly viable (a lot of cells were dead), and often was already infected.
Things are a lot better these days, particularly the more expensive yeasts. A lot of the "precautions" advocated by me then are not as important today.
The more yeast you shove in, the quicker and more reliable it is that things get going, which is why some of us make up a yeast starter a couple of days before we brew.
More than one packet is another form of insurance.
It depends on which book you have and what edition it is. Bear in mind that my books first started to appear 1990 and the first one was actually written long before that date. Things were quite different in those days. The yeast available, with a few exceptions, was an apology for yeast, came in 5g packets, was not particularly viable (a lot of cells were dead), and often was already infected.
Things are a lot better these days, particularly the more expensive yeasts. A lot of the "precautions" advocated by me then are not as important today.
The more yeast you shove in, the quicker and more reliable it is that things get going, which is why some of us make up a yeast starter a couple of days before we brew.
More than one packet is another form of insurance.