bjzelectric

Recipes 

3 weeks ago I brewed a Robust Porter with OG 1.060 and an IPA with an OG of 1.055. Used WLP 004 Irish Ale yeast with a starter that I made w/ LME that I had sitting around for months for the porter. I used WLP 001 with starter for my IPA ( also with LME ). The 004 starter showed krauesen in just a few hours and was still there when I pitched. Good right? The 001 starter never showed krauesen ( I checked every couple hours ) or any other signs of viability. The porter started fermenting about 3 hours after pitching. Checked the gravity after 2 weeks and was 1.020. Thought it was done and would let it sit another week to clean up. Noticed the airlock bubbling again and took another reading which was 1.010. Huh? Ok. Guess it wasnt done. The starter I pitched for the IPA had a lag time of almost 48 hours. I was about to pitch another starter figuring the first one I pitched was dead. I noticed a krauesen and airlock activity and the gravity was 1.008 after a week. Huh? Both of these fermentations seem a little weird to me and the only common denominator I can think of is the LME I used w/ my starters?
BTW my temps are at a constant 69 degrees ambient and I keep both fermenters in water w/ ice? Anybody experience this too?

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Hooray Beer!

ArcaneXor

Recipes 

Both sound like fairly normal fermentations to me - well within the range of situation I have come across in my 1 3/4 years as a homebrewer.

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The Fiesty(sic) Goat Brewery est. 2007 & Clusterfuggle Experimental Ales est. 2009
Planned: Farmhouse Saison hopbursted w/ Nelson & Galaxy, sLambic II, Flanders Red, Orange Blossom Mead
Primary: Karneval Kölsch 9.0, FonBrew Brown Ale (brewed in Fondue pot), sLambic I
Secondary: Winexpert Riesling Ice Wine, Flanders Red
Kegged:Black or Blue EyePA
2013 dump volume: ~2 gallons

Kauai_Kahuna

Recipes 

Yeast do what they want to do in their time. I know we like to attempt to micromanage them but really we can't.
All we can do is provide them an happy work environment and let them do their thing.
Stop worrying about it.

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In Primary: Belgium Chimay clones.
In Secondary: Braggot, pale ale, end of the world white.
Conditioning: Mead, Cider, braggot, Belgium Wheat.
On Tap: Clones, Chimay Blue, Red, Porter, malted cider.
Bottles: Far, far, too many to list.