Spilt my yeast!

So I was making the wort for my starter this evening and I grabbed the yeast packet and cut it open to get the nutrient packet out of it. I added a bit of the nutrient to the wort like the manufacturers website says and when I turned around the packet had spilt a little bit. I grabbed a spatula and scraped it into a sterile measuring cup. Can I still use this for my starter or am a FUBAR? Thanks

Did it spill on the counter or floor?
Is there gerbil hair in it?

On the counter, no hair or foreign objects from what I could tell. I made sure to filter it before pitching it in the wort. Its on my stirplate running as we speak.

I'm sure it'll be fine.

Somewhere here on HBT is a thread about a guy dropping his yeast on the basement/garage floor and picking it about as clean as he could.

Or maybe that was the albino on youtube, I don't know. I think I need another bomber of Scotch Ale.

Especially since you're doing a starter, a few hundred thousand yeast cells lost wouldn't be such a big deal. I'd have left out the little bit that spilled. The yeast are going to more than make up for it in the starter.

Yeah I probably should have left them on the counter but the recipe is high OG and calls for alot of yeast. Without a starter the Mr. Malty yeast calculator said I'd need 2.5 packages of the yeast. I am already gonna be short since my starter will probably only yield 1000ml of wort and yeast. With the starter I needed something like 1.25 ltrs of yeast for a 5 gallon brew. I dunno I really hope there is no foreign bacteria in there that messes up my brew. I'm not gonna be a happy camper if there is.

schweaty said:

Yeah I probably should have left them on the counter but the recipe is high OG and calls for alot of yeast. Without a starter the Mr. Malty yeast calculator said I'd need 2.5 packages of the yeast. I am already gonna be short since my starter will probably only yield 1000ml of wort and yeast. With the starter I needed something like 1.25 ltrs of yeast for a 5 gallon brew. I dunno I really hope there is no foreign bacteria in there that messes up my brew. I'm not gonna be a happy camper if there is.

Click to expand...

Then step up your starter once it gets going and make the 1.25 litres of starter. IIRC, Mr. Malty outlines that procedure too.

tedski said:

Then step up your starter once it gets going and make the 1.25 litres of starter. IIRC, Mr. Malty outlines that procedure too.

Click to expand...

I only have a 1000ml flask or otherwise I would have.

Ahh, I see. Remember you can step it up with any glass container that has a flat bottom. i.e. 1/2 gal jugs.

Well I let her go over night and see how much foam there is on the top in the morning. I started it at around 750ml of wort and the yeast bumped it up to about 850ml. Depending on how much it foams I might have room to step it up in the 1000ml flask since I only really need about 250ml more. This is the first time I've brewed and I'm a total n00b so its all a learning process. I have the air going right now to keep the room temp @ 70 degrees and the fan above the stirplate should suck cold air to that part of the room. The temperature thing is going to be tricky since I'm in Michigan and one day its 80 and the next its 60. The OG was around 1.40 like previous posters had suggest so that was good. How long will it take until I'll see this foaming?

drape a damp towel around the flask. This should help stabilize the temperatures. Remember that you want to keep the starter around 72F.

tedski said:

drape a damp towel around the flask. This should help stabilize the temperatures. Remember that you want to keep the starter around 72F.

Click to expand...

Ok I put a damp cloth around the flask and its in the center of my living room with the ceiling fan blowing directly above it. This should keep the temps down. I just checked and they went from 70 initally to 75ish so I moved the stir plate. The temperature thing seems to be really tricky thus far...

Recipe
1 cup DME (100g, 3.5oz)
½ tsp Wyeast Nutrient
1qt.(1L) H2O
Mix DME, nutrient, and water.
Boil 20 minutes to sterilize.
Pour into a sanitized flask or jar with loose lid or foil.
Allow to cool to 70°F.
Shake well and add yeast culture

This was the recipe from Wyeast website that I followed to make my starter. My temps have been between 70 and 75 since I started. Unfortunately I never took a hydromemter reading before, thus I read it wrong. Instead of my OG being 1.04 on the wort it was actually 1.40. It's been 9 hours since I started the starter and there is still yet to be any foam on top. Is the really high OG going to prevent anything from growing? What should I do?

1.4!!!!! if that is correct you will have 54% ABV. Thats not even possible with yeast. My Hydrometer only goes to 1.170. Are you sure its 1.4? If that ferments I want all the details. You just made distalation obsolete for many liquors. 80 proof is 40% ABV and thats what Jack Daniels is sold at.

I believe you are going to have a major problem if its really that high. I hope you read it wrong.

Please take no offence at the good natured ribbing. I really think you read it wrong.

Yeah, after looking at the Hydrometer again I'm pretty sure it was 1.04 not 1.4 as my hydrometer doesn't go past 1.1 lol. sorry about that. I'm just paranoid cuz this is my first brew and I thought the yeast would have some foam going by now.....

If you're using a stir plate, the starter won't foam.

schweaty said:

Yeah, after looking at the Hydrometer again I'm pretty sure it was 1.04 not 1.4 as my hydrometer doesn't go past 1.1 lol. sorry about that. I'm just paranoid cuz this is my first brew and I thought the yeast would have some foam going by now.....

Click to expand...

You are going to be fine. Hang in there.

So as the yeast multiplies will the starter get thicker or become larger in volume?

As long as there are no bird feathers mixed in with the yeast I think you'll be ok.

schweaty said:

So as the yeast multiplies will the starter get thicker or become larger in volume?

Click to expand...

Not really noticeable. If you take off the stir plate and refrigerate it it will stratify and you can see the extra volume in yeast. I just go by color and time. A creamy tan color after about 24 hours. By the way its not necessary to make starters from dry yeast. Dry yeast are at the optimum point in the cycle for pitching and having fast starts, and they have a higher cell count than liquids. Liquids are started because the yeast are in the dormant portion of the cycle and have lower cell counts. 3 packets of dry is cheaper than a vial or smack pack, no bacteria worries from messing with it and its ready to pitch.