I feel like I should be past any yeast starter questions,
but I've read often that a yeast starter should be down to
about 1.010 gravity-wise when the yeast has finished its
work. I've done 5 batches with liquid yeast, always using
a starter based on recommended pitching rates.
For example, I'm brewing a sweet stout on Sunday and
started building up a starter two days ago. I started with
500 mL, using the 1 gram per 10 mL rule, so 50 g DME and
water to 500 mL. 24 hours later I bumped it up to 2 L with
150 g DME and 1500 mL water, boiled, etc. Oxygenated by
swirling whenever I pass by. I've never had vigorous
activity in a starter, but it does foam up after swirling
a day later, as it's doing now. But the gravity is still
at 1.040. Of my other 5 batches, I've only taken the
gravity once and it was 1.040 then, too, but I was making
beer that day and had to pitch it. I haven't had any
problems with my beer finishing well, but I've only made
one beer over 1.065 OG, and it did finish well.
Any ideas as to what I could be doing wrong? I'd hate to
think I'm in a habit of underpitching, not to mention
wasting DME.
but I've read often that a yeast starter should be down to
about 1.010 gravity-wise when the yeast has finished its
work. I've done 5 batches with liquid yeast, always using
a starter based on recommended pitching rates.
For example, I'm brewing a sweet stout on Sunday and
started building up a starter two days ago. I started with
500 mL, using the 1 gram per 10 mL rule, so 50 g DME and
water to 500 mL. 24 hours later I bumped it up to 2 L with
150 g DME and 1500 mL water, boiled, etc. Oxygenated by
swirling whenever I pass by. I've never had vigorous
activity in a starter, but it does foam up after swirling
a day later, as it's doing now. But the gravity is still
at 1.040. Of my other 5 batches, I've only taken the
gravity once and it was 1.040 then, too, but I was making
beer that day and had to pitch it. I haven't had any
problems with my beer finishing well, but I've only made
one beer over 1.065 OG, and it did finish well.
Any ideas as to what I could be doing wrong? I'd hate to
think I'm in a habit of underpitching, not to mention
wasting DME.