How to save a starter?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Johnny9

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
99
Reaction score
0
Location
McKinney, TX
I kicked off a 2 qt starter on Sunday in preparation for brewing yesterday (Tuesday). Things came up and I had to cancel my brew day. :(

Now it will likely be about 2 weeks before I can get back to it (travel, etc). Should I just leave the starter alone (at room temp with foil on the lid) or decant it, move to a sanitized mason jar and put in the frig?

Obviously I will plan on adding more wort and re-activiting before pitching it in 2 weeks. BTW: the yeast is 2nd Generation WLP-300.

thanks!
 
I would personally just put it in the fridge. Decanting and transferring to another container has more risk than benefit, IMO. Depending on how big a starter you made, reactivating may or may not be necessary at that point, but wouldn't hurt. Just decant at that time (and do so before the starter warms up to room temp).
 
Fridge is the way to go, but if space is a problem leaving it at room temp for 2 weeks is no issue either. Tighten the foil around the neck and put it somewhere safe. Think of it as the same as the yeast cake in your carboy, a lot of people reuse that after it's been sitting under beer for 3-4 weeks without issue. They'll settle down for a nap but wake up nicely after pitching.

If you want to crash the yeast out, place it in the fridge for a few days before brewing and decant the starter wort carefully off the top.
 
Back
Top