Yeast Starter for 11.5 batch?

[davidgrace]

I recently read, "A typical liquid yeast contains enough live cells to ferment just 18 litres so it is best to use a yeast starter". I brew just 11.5 litres at a time. Does that mean I don't need to use a yeast starter if I choose a liquid yeast over a dry yeast?

 

[strange-steve]

As is often the case with brewing related questions, the answer is it depends. How old is the yeast? How has it been stored? What is the OG of the wort? Is it an ale or lager yeast?

The best thing to do is put the details into a yeast pitch calculator, I like this Brew United one.