Why Pitch Rate Matters (And How to Nail It Every Time)

Pitch rate is one of the most underrated levers in brewing, and yet it impacts everything from tank turns to ester profile to repitching health. When pitch rate fluctuates, so do fermentation speed, flavor, and your cellar schedule.

Brewers can control multiple factors on the cold side. There are 3 key variables brewers can  dial in and control on the cold side to affect the fermentation and flavor of a beer. They are Pitch rates, Temperature, and Dissolved Oxygen. Temperature and dissolved oxygen will be covered in upcoming posts. today we're focusing exclusively on pitch rate.

Pitch Rates

What are industry recommended pitch rates? Industry recommended pitch rates are common yeast pitch rates brewers use for a balance between tank times, yeast growth, and, most importantly, beer flavor and aroma.

These are tried-and-true industry-recommended pitch rates. Start a recipe at one of the featured rates based on fermentation temperature and starting gravity to give yeast adequate growth for proper fermentation. 

• More consistent fermentation timelines.
• Yeast growth for repitching to allow for maximum generation utilization
• Better cellar planning for optimizing beers in tanks and getting more beers out to customers. 
  
  

Cell Growth = Beer Flavor

This is why PurePitch^® Next Generation is built on consistent cell concentration; to eliminate pitch rate guesswork and deliver predictable fermentation outcomes. One PurePitch^® Next Generation Pouches per 5 HL is already at an industry-recommended ale pitch rate of 7.5 million cells/mL.

We also offer a nano size perfect for 1-3 barrels and a homebrew size ideal for 5 gallons, all provided at the recommended ale pitch rate. The modular sizing makes it very convenient to scale up or calculate how much to use.

Pitch perfectly every time. Buy PurePitch^® Next Generation for your next batch.

Pros & Cons of Under Or Over-Pitching

A consistent pitch rate can help streamline a brewery's schedule and process. But a brewer can also have the tools to underpitch or overpitch to either quicken fermentation or help create more esters. Like all aspects of brewing, there is a balance and trade-off with each available path. Below is a table of how a lower or higher pitch rate can be suited for certain beer styles.

Underpitching

Pro

• Underpitching gives more room for yeast cells to grow and reproduce, therefore creating more yeast-derived flavor in the beer. This can work well in styles such as wheats, belgians, and saisons. 

Con

• Underpitching can also lead to stalled fermentations and inadequate clean-up of “off” flavors in the beer maturation phase.
• With more yeast growth, there will can be more cell growth per batch of beer which can lead to a higher likelihood of mutations and other performance issues such as flocculation.

Overpitching

Pro

• Overpitching leads to less cell growth and less yeast-derived flavor which can good to highlight other ingredients in the beer.
• Overpitching can lead to quicker fermentations due to more yeast being available to uptake sugars.

Con

• Overpitching can also lead to sluggish fermentations and other issues over multiple generations, as with less cell growth can mean an older yeast cell generation for subsequent batches. This less vital generation of cells can be a culprit to many fermentation woes.
  • ​See the graph below as fermentation speed degrades through subsequent batches with different pitch rates.

Conclusion

Pitch rates can play an important role for timeline consistency but also beer flavor. Some of our favorite beers have been from an exploration of pitch rates, from farmhouse forward saison to a clean, crisp lager. Taking into consideration some of these fermentation controls can open a world of possibilities.  

Brew with our Industry-recommended pitch rates and download our guide to repitch these same parameters for your next brewday. OR play around with a perfect pitch rate for your beer style by visiting yeastman.com/calculator and choosing the custom slider option to view your pitch rate amount!

Ready to pitch perfectly every time?