Need advice concerning lager starter pitching

[PA Pride]

i still don't understand how stepping up would require less time or money.
I do plan on pitching 2 vials into a gallon for future starters but for this batch I mashed 4 #'s of maris otter for 25 minutes and boiled for 1 hour. It wasn't as big a deal as everyone is making it out to be.

How could I plan several lagers ahead when this is a relatively average gravity lager? I could use this slurry for a doppelbock or something but I still don't see how I could have made a smaller beer before this one. The smaller beer was my starter. I make every effort to pitch commercial rates for all of my beers.
please advice if I'm missing something obvious here.

btw, i crashed the beer before work today and it is currently at 40 and clearing nicely. I have about 3/4" slurry on the bottom of the carboy.

jason

[siwelwerd]

I mashed 4 #'s of maris otter for 25 minutes and boiled for 1 hour.

So add in another couple of pounds, toss in a little bit of crystal malt, add some hops. Then you can drink what you would be decanting and tossing out.

As for less time and money, that's not the point. The point is for maximal yeast health.

[BigBadBrad]

As for less time and money, that's not the point. The point is for maximal yeast health.

Exactly.

[Thirsty Boy]

You followed the advice from MrMalty and you made a 3G starter - bloody good show. Finally someone who actually does it rather than calling it too hard and just saying that the 1G starter will do.

If the beer is fermenting - lots of bubbles etc etc, then the yeast is no longer growing, so you are good to crash it down and decant off the "beer" - don't worry about shocking the yeast etc etc, just whack it in the fridge till it settles. Tip off most of the beer leaving a little so you can swirl it up and pour it. Bring it out of the fridge on the morning of your brewday to let it come up to room temp.. pitch

Stepping-up. Just means that you can get the same result with a little less volume - say you tip your vial into a 2L starter, that will just about double the amount of cells, then you tip that into a bigger starter and you have effectively pitched two vials and the bigger starter does not have to be so, well.... big.

By stepping up via a 2L (0.5G) starter your main starter would only need to have been 6.5L

With a stir plate... you could have made just one starter of about 1G and that would have been about right, or stepping up - a 1L stepped into a 2L would have given you more than enough cells.

[PA Pride]

makes sense.
Brewed last night. Chilled to 56 and pitch my huge slurry. krausen within 10 hours. That's a good feeling.

thanks for all your advice. I'm gonna try stepping up next time.

j