Surfman

Recipes 

when i pitch my starter should i pitch the whole thing or decant to liquid off? its my 1st time using a starter.

thanks

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Primary: Cider

Primary #2: Amber

Secondary :

Bottled: Oatmeal Stout, Beesley's Barley Wine Ale, Berlinerweiss, Funkhouse

Kegged: O'Kellets Irish Stout, Caribou Slobber, Amarillo Pale Ale

Fingers

Recipes 

I've heard both ways. Personally, I swish it around until all the yeast from the bottom is in suspension and pitch the whole thing.

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If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

EdWort

Recipes 

+1. Swish swish!

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Cheers,

EdWort



Haus Pale Ale, Bavarian Hefeweizen, Robust Porter, Oktoberfest Ale, Wounded Knee IPA, Rye IPA, BCB IPA, Kolsch, Apfelwein

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SuperiorBrew

Recipes 

If you used a stir plate, decant the liquid, if not it doesn't much matter

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Rich

Bitter Creek Homebrew Supply

runhard

Recipes 

Out of curiosity, why decant if a stir plate is used?

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runhard, trainhard, raceEZ
Jeffrey

keg 1-Graham Sander's Tropical Flower Wit
keg 2-Yooper's Fat Sam - I highly recommend it
keg 3-Yooper's Fat Tire
keg 4-XXX Stout
keg 5-empty


Fermenter #1-Graham Sander's Tropical Flower Wit
Fermenter #2-empty

DuPuma

Recipes 

What I've done, with some very good success, is chilling the yeast after 2 days of activity. Then on brew day, I decant the liquid and add 8 oz volume h2o/1 oz by weight DME (boiled/cooled, of course) to the yeast first thing. This little jump start gets the mini-cake going, and I pitch the whole 8 oz or so.

I get a little concerned pitching 12 oz or more of old, stale "beer" (the liquid on top of the cake) into the brew I'm spending lots of time/money getting ready. It probably doesn't hurt, but better safe than sorry.

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Planning: Nothing. Can't brew again until 3/18/08. SWMBO commands it, I gotta drink the beer I have.
Primary: Graduation IIPA -- This is gonna be a very interesting beer.
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Fingers

Recipes 

I try to pitch my yeast when it's still reproducing rather than when it's finished and cleaning up byproducts. You want a vessel that is cloudy with suspended yeast rather than a distinct layer on the bottom with clear beer on top. This way the yeast just continues with what it's doing when it hits your beer rather than have to start the reproductive phase all over again. Of course you'll always have some sediment on the bottom, especially if you have to step it up for 10 gallon batches.

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If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

Ooompa Loompa

Recipes 

Another vote for swish swish!!

WBC

Recipes 

You decant if you do not have much room in the fermenter and/or do not want the taste of the beer in the starter to change what your fermenter has in it.

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Cheers,
WBC

Fermentor 1: Bill's House Ale II, Fermentor 2: German Helles, Fermentor 3: Bill's Schworzbier (Black Bier)
Tap 1: Bill's House Ale II, Tap 2: German Hefewizen, Tap 3: Nut Brown Ale
Future Brews: Stone IPA Clone, Blonde Ale, Budvar Clone, Newcastle Clone
New toy: Blichmann 27 gallon fermentor

“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging”

“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment”

Got Trub?

Recipes 

I crash chill the starter the morning of brew day. Most of the yeast will flocculate and fall to the bottom, decant most of the liquid, swish and pitch...

GT