So, I'm making a pale ale, partial mash:

6 lb 2 row
1 lb crystal 20L
3.3lb light malt syrup

4 gal boil volume

.5 oz each Chinook and centennial 60min
.5 oz each Chinook and centennial at flameout

OG 1.052 (5 pts less than expected)

I don't make starters, but a lot of people argue about cell numbers, so I added 2 pks US-05. Fermentation temp at 69F. After 24h that thing went crazy and had to use blow off tube. Told a friend about it and he asked me if I was concerned about too much yeast. I wasn't 'till then. Should I?

One pack would have been fine with US-05 and that OG, however two packs isn't a bad thing. RDWHAHB!!!!

I don't think you can really do 'too much', not when measured in packets.

Think about when you pitch on a cake, and the quantity of yeast cells there vs. 1, 2, or even 10 packets.

All that aside, if I use liquid yeast or yeast I've harvested from a cake and stored for a while, I make a starter.

Dry yeasts, I just pitch one pack. No starter, unless it is an obscenely big honkin' brew. Your brew would be OK with one pack of US-05. 2 ain't going to hurt it at all.

Z

Thanks Red and Z. That's what I thought. Just needed some reassurance.

I used 2 packs of us-05
In my IPA(1.88) it fermented out in 6 days

dont use more than one pack of dry yeast if you use coopers. can get pretty messy

You can overwelm the sugars with touch yeast. Not with dry packets. It would have to be a lot of yeast. I've had it explained to me by a brewmaster but don't recall the whole conversation.

"You can overwelm the sugars with touch yeast"

What do you mean Poca?

You can over pitch with dry or liquid. Cervezero you should be fine.

I think its something that should be consider if you are going to reuse yeast. This is how I see it: with to much yeast you have a case were there is not much reproduction. The yeast don't need to reproduce as much because their are plenty of cells, so you're left with old cells and a small next generation. With underpitching you have more reproduction than desired and that leaves the cells all scarred up form budding and overworked. Lazy yeast that just want to eat or over worked scarred yeast, both are bad for repitching. Feel free to correct or elaborate on this idea.

"You can overwelm the sugars with touch yeast"

"What do you mean Poca?"

I think he meant "too much yeast"

I think the issue you'd face with too much yeast would be some off flavors caused by dying yeast, the same issues faced if leaving beer in the primary too long.

But it would be hard to pitch too much yeast unless you pitched a starter or yeast cake there should be no issues with too much so no off flavors because of that at least

The guys at my home Brew store suggest it with big beers.

For big beers YES, it's important to pitch a lot of yeast for big beers because yeast can also end up producing some off flavors (I think, not absolutely sure) when the are reproducing like crazy. Also if you didn't pitch enough yeast for a big beer the fermentation would take a while since there would not be much yeast present relative to the high amount of fermentables.

I can tell you that I have racked right onto a yeast cake with no ill effects. I often take save my yeast in a 1 liter bottle and just dump it in a batch without a starter. I have never tasted any problems. Heck, you should have seen the amount of brett I pitched last night.

Sorry I didn't use the best wording earlier. Cervezero (by the a like the screen name) you shouldnt have any problems. Over pitching would take lots of yeast.

Over pitching can produce un-healthy yeast cells resulting in off flavors and potentially a stuck fermentation. Yeast needs sugar to reproduce, and also in a steady dose for it to grow healthy. When the ratio of sugar to yeast is to low the yeast can become dormant becuase it is waiting on more sugar to consume. This can cuase a stuck fermentation, and the yeasties that are working are doing so in a hostile enviorment. Without enough food they can create un-healty new yeast.

Gracias Poca! Fermentation has calmed down significantly, still bubbles every 10-15 secs or so...Yep, by the way it went I don't think yeasties had any problems.

I brew 10 gallon batches and split them into two different fermenters to do tests with different dry hops. I sometimes do different yeasts too, depending on my mood. Last time I did the same yeast, but did one of them with an ounce of Nugget, and the other with 2 ounces. I am doing a side by side to see the effect of additional hops over the 1 ounce mark on the beer.

AZ: I think you're spot on man, and that's why no one commented on your post. I remember coming across this sort of thing in texts, I'd like to refer to some to reiterate what you are talking about. I think its hard to over-pitch, but it can be done, and with adverse effects.

You've had to much to drink.