Making A Yeast Starter.

HighVoltageMan! said:
There should be some krausen associated with fermentation or a sign of a ring on the flask. Without a stir plate, it may take a little longer to start. If you're not sure, let it go a little longer. It should turn to a creamy color due to the increased number of yeast cells. Give it a stir, if you see bubbles come out, it's active. How does it smell? Does it smell like yeast? Lager yeast sometimes have a slight sour odor to them. Lastly, you can either cool it down or pitch it just as it is. Some people will pour some to take a taste of it to see if it has any bad flavors. Yeast is quite bitter, so keep that in mind.
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Definitely smells yeasty
 
SabreSteve said:
I was sleeping though so I don't know if there was any krausen or it's just dead yeast or whatever. I did give it good stir (no stir plate yet). So should I just pitch it and wait a few days?
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How often did you stir it? Without a stir plate you should give it a good swirl every time you walk past it.
 
Excellent write up @Trialben!

Here are some differences, similarities, extras to Ben's process:
  1. I use DME (Dry Malt Extract). For a 1 Liter starter I use 70g DME and 700ml water. Refractometer tells me it's gravity is 1.040.
  2. I boil and cool in a regular kettle prior to transferring to either a flask or small jug. I just worry about putting an Erlenmeyer flask on the stove and definitely can't do that with a regular glass jug.
  3. Prior to adding yeast I seal the vessel and violently shake or stir the wort to oxygenate it.
  4. I overbuild my starters by about 30% so I can harvest extra yeast for my next beer.
    • Boil a mason jar to sanitize
    • Take flask or jug off the stir plate (so the yeast are still in suspension) and pour into cooled jar.
    • Put lid on the jar loosely and put in fridge. Store with lid on loose because fermentation will slowly continue.
  5. If I need a 2+ Liter starter, I'll do it in steps.
    • Make a 1L starter. Let it run for 12+ hours
    • Add boiled & cooled wort (140g DME & 1,400ml water) to an small jug and transfer the 1L starter to that. This gives me a 3L starter.
    • At this volume I usually cold-crash for 24-ish hours and pour off the beer before adding the yeast go the fermenter
  6. A trick for the stir bar is to center it with another magnet and place it on the stopped stir plate. Then turn on the stir plate on low and set speed where you want it. Speed should just be enough to keep the yeast in suspension.
 
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Yup there should be a krausen ring left on the jar flask whatever you used (refer to my pic above you'll see the crusty ring left from the krausen.) Also you'll see a nice creamy layer of yeast at the bottom when you let it settle out;)
 
Trialben said:
Yup there should be a krausen ring left on the jar flask whatever you used (refer to my pic above you'll see the crusty ring left from the krausen.) Also you'll see a nice creamy layer of yeast at the bottom when you let it settle out;)
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Well I'm nervous but I pitched it so I'll know in a couple days I guess
 
Fair enough.

Dry yeast is inexpensive, so I keep a couple packets in stock 'just in case'.
 
Donoroto said:
Fair enough.

Dry yeast is inexpensive, so I keep a couple packets in stock 'just in case'.
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Yeah I might pick up a couple extra. I've only used liquid yeast once before so I haven't had this problem. I might double up on the dry yeast in my next MoreBeer order and just sit on the extra for an emergency
 
SabreSteve said:
Well there's no way I'm going to the store tomorrow so it has till Friday
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Is it going to be closed until Tuesday? My preferred LHBS is only open 3 hours Saturday with Easter in the next few days.
 
I've got activity, not as much as I've had with other yeasts but it's going. I'm experimenting with temperature control though and accidentally dipped just below the bottom of the ideal range so maybe that is contributing
 
SabreSteve said:
I've got activity, not as much as I've had with other yeasts but it's going. I'm experimenting with temperature control though and accidentally dipped just below the bottom of the ideal range so maybe that is contributing
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Yeah when making a Starter you want it nice and warm great for cell replication. Your not going to drink it so don't worry about flavours.
If you look back up at the starter thing I did you'll notice I wrapped a towel around it before it finished.
Sometimes in winter I'll even pop the whole thing in an esky with my heat belt and STC hooked up so things are nice and roasty.
Let's just say run it at the upper end of the yeast temp range off the top of my head 20c +;).
 
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