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Sorry the other topic is locked...

I have used a liquid yeast starter and know from baking (and reading other threads) that yeast quality is crucial. Liquid yeast isnt cheap so I am thinking of making starters etc. My concern is getting a consistent product out of a homemade starter / own yeast culture. I dont particularly wish to 'experiment' too much with every brew ( is suppose its the baker in me) but I want to find a consistent product that I can repeat indefinitely. How touchy is a brew to the amount of yeast added to it (how accurate does the yeast need to be measured) and what suggestions have you got regarding a consistent yeast culture. Is it suggested (for instance) to separate a yeast packet into a few cultures as opposed to many cultures; how many generations can be kept, is there any other tips for consistent yeast cultures?

it is generally accepted that one package is capable of fermenting 2.5 gallons of 1.040 wort.
many use one pack for 5 gals with no probs (particularly ales)
re-used yeast is not as viable , but you generally have much more of it, so no prob(up to 4 times re-pitching)..ian

I'm sure there are others here with more experience and more knowledge in this area but will throw in my 2 c.

Volume of yeast you use does impact on the beer, more so for ales, less so for lagers (thats a whole other thread that i wont go into here)

So lets say you start with 1 activator pack ( i get the propagator mostly). Smack it, let it swell and then following the instructions in the locked thread make a 2L starter.

Let it ferment out and then pour it into 6 equal size portions. Some people use 600ml soft drink bottles. I am more anal and pour off the beer and store only the slurry in 50mL tubes (see image below).

Treat each bottle like the initial smack pack and make a 2L starter for each beer you want to use. This way you pitch the same volume of yeast and you are using the same generation each time.

If you are using lagers i would upsize the starter you make to pitch into a beer - i like to pitch 5L starters for 20L batches of lager but i pitch at ferment temp rather than 20C. Reduces diacetyl formation. You may want to step each bottle up to 2L first, let ferment out and then pitch the slurry into a 5L starter.

Note also these instructions are based on making 20-25L of beer with an OG of no more than 1.060. If you make larger batches of beer you need more yeast, same is you make stronger beers.