Brewing advice often treats yeast pitches as a binary outcome: Either you pitch enough healthy yeast cells to ensure a vigorous fermentation, prevent off-flavors, and ensure the viability of cropped yeast—or you don’t.
The reality, as usual, is far more nuanced.
What if we view pitch rate as a knob that could be intentionally adjusted, even slightly, to better achieve your goals as a brewer? In that frame of reference, shouldn’t brewers also think about pitching rate as a way to control flavor?