Overpitching w/large starters

[shaggyt]

Lately, I've been pitching starters anywhere between 2-3 qts in size using White Labs vials with great results and super fast fermentations!!!

This week I brewed Monday afternoon and pitched the starter late Monday night. I took a gravity reading today as I saw no bubbles (they must have stopped overnight)...and it's done! By my count, that's almost 4 days total.

My beers have been good, but I'm wondering if I'm missing out on BETTER beer by overpitching.

That said, what's the downside to overpitching?

[slothrob]

Have you checked out the pitching calculator at mrmalty.com? 2-3 quarts doesn't sound like overpitching to me. Depending on your starting gravities and the type of beer you're making, 2-3 quarts could be the recommended pitching rate.

[shaggyt]

I had not checked that site but I will.

I'm 12 batches into my obession and I've pretty much trial & errored my way to the larger starter.

I plan on letting the yeast do some clean up for a week or so then cooling in the garage before kegging.

This was the first time I re-pitched yeast from my last batch. I made a starter with it that was in the fridge for a week prior to pitching.would that cause the speedy fermentation?

[slothrob]

So, you harvested yeast and made a starter?

If that's the case, you probably started with a good amount of yeast from the harvest then grew a bit more in the starter and got rejuvenated.

Fast starts have a lot to do with high glycogen levels in the yeast, which, in slightly oversimplified terms, come from being recently fed and stored cold.

[shaggyt]

Slothorb,

Yes...I harvested from my primary, washed, and made a starter. The starter was spewing out of the airlock (approx 3 qts in 1 gal glass jug) within about an hour of pitching and aerating...it was a first, I was amazed!!!

Also, thanks for directing me to mrmalty.com...answered lots of questions and explained alot of observed behaviors in regards to yeast.

[slothrob]

I've had great luck with yeast repitched from my refrigerator within a week of harvest.

Good luck with the beer!