Pitching Gripe

[Jims]

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by jclorden on Thu May 20, 2010 6:42 pm

First, let me set some backstory. I have been brewing for a long time. I am very comfortable with my process and I believe I make excellent beer. The one aspect of my brew day where I feel I lose control is the pitch. I make ten gallon batches and split between two carboys. Here is where the problem begins.

I generally make 1 yeast starter and then split it between the two carboys based on the volume lines on the flask. I have always hated this because I spend so much time calculating out my pitching rate and then end up eyeballing each carboys dose. This has never been an actual problem before (after all, we're not splitting atoms here!) until today. Just checked the gravity on 2 Cal Common Carboys in the basement. One is at 1.020 and the other is at 1.030 . I made about a 5L starter for this batch so I crashed the starter and decanted off the starter wort. I added back a pint of water sanitized in a pressure cooker for pitching. I guess I didn't swirl good enough and a big glob of yeast wen into one carboy and left the other short. It's the only thing I can think of. I have made close to 150 batches in my history and at least 50 since the last time I had a major change in my process, so I am pretty sure (can't be positive) that this is where my problem lies.

I got so angry that I almost bought a conical on the spot (which might lead to a divorce) just to be able to pitch into a single container. Good sense took over and I concluded that there are other options. I am thinking:
1) buy another stir plate and make two starters
2) make a larger starter and pitch into the boil kettle after chilling but before running into the fermenter
3) decant to two graduated cylyners prior to pitching in order to get a more accurate messure.
4) chalk it up to bad luck and move on, after all - 1 bad pitch out of 50 isn't that bad of an average (the relax and have a homebrew method )

In case you guys didn't notice I am a bit OCD with a little bit of perfectionist thrown on top... but I would appreciate your thoughts.

[BDawg]

1) Stir the shit out of both while you still can.
2) Grab a 3rd Carboy
3) Siphon out of 1, then the other, than first, etc, alternating every couple minutes.
4) when you get to near 1 pint short of full on the new carboy, you should have 1/2 carboy in each of the original two
5) siphon OUT of the one with the glob, into the one with no glob. But leave a 1/2 gallon or so wort in the bottom of the original that had the glob.
6) Swirl up that last 1/2 gallon so all the yeast glob is guaranteed to be in suspension.
7) split it between the other 2

That way, you have about the same amount of yeast in both, or as close as you can get without blowing an aneurysm.


Good luck!