Pitch Yeast Starter - Whole Thing Or Swirl Just Yeast

**doggage** · 05-11-2009, 05:10 PM

Do you guys pitch your whole yeast starter with all that nasty water or do you drain off the old water, swirl it around with new wort and toss it in? Thanks.

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 05-11-2009, 05:13 PM

You mean wort? Essential that's what you made when you make a starter...hopless wort.
Anywho...I decant off the majority but then swirl it around the get the yeast suspended and pitch.

**doggage** · 05-11-2009, 05:25 PM

gotcha. but it's some pretty damned nasty wort.

Chad · 05-11-2009, 06:04 PM

Yep, there are two approaches to starters. You can pitch the whole thing at high kraeusen, 18-24 hours into the life of the starter when the yeast is at peak activity, or you can let it ferment out completely, two or three days, chill in the refrigerator (at least overnight) to settle the yeast to the bottom, and decant most of the spent wort before pitching. Both ways work. At lot of it depends on the size of your starter and the delicacy of your target beer. A 1L starter in 5 gallons of ESB, Saison or fruit beer isn't going to make a damn bit of difference in its flavor while 3-4L of starter in a light lager or clean, crisp APA might.

Chad

**doggage** · 05-11-2009, 07:48 PM

thanks, chad. that's what i was wondering. that helps.

jermanimal · 04-22-2010, 07:59 PM

I am a big fan of the 12 to 16 hour starter on a stir plate or swirling by hand.

1) The yeast a rock in and ready to go.
2) The starter wort amounts are much smaller with a stir plate, less extract in the final beer.

With the 3 day cold crash method, the yeast are going back to sleep and some cells are then dead. It make for a longer lag time. You will have more volume of cells and slurry, but the are not going to be as healthy as the 12 hour yeasties.

I sometimes split up my brew day to a Friday evening mash and the saturday morning boil. If I do this I stick the wort in my beer fridge, and boil a litter or so of the real wort for my starter at say 10:00pm...then get up at 8:00 start the boil and get a foamy yeast slurry pitched at 10:00am.