My lager starter has no krausen, is this normal?

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impatient

impatient

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I boiled 2 liters of water and .5lb DME in a flask for 10 minutes. I cooled it to 55 degrees, pitched a Wyeast 2206 smack pack that I started the day before. The smack pack was swollen. I put it in my lagering cooling to maintain 55 degrees.

After 48 hours, it is bubbling away with no krausen. Is that normal for a lager yeast?
 
I've always gotten at least a little something. I always like looking for those free standing patches of foam, after that it's wide open.
 
Is it growing yeast? That's the main thing. A lot of starters won't show krausen
so don't worry about that part. You see active signs of fermentation, and that's
a good thing.
 
There is very little activity with making starters, rarely do they bubble, even more rarely is there a krausen that we see. The only true activity that most of us see is just a creamy band at the bottom when it flocculates out.

Starters are some of the most "un-exciting" fermentations ever.

rsz_yeast_starter_chilled_001.jpg


That one is cold crashed, but even if it is a t room temp, you should see the sediment in the bottom. I use a stirplate, but usually stop it a few hours early to let it settle.

Basically if you see a creamy band of sediment at the bottom, then it's done it's job.
 
Revvy said:
There is very little activity with making starters, rarely do they bubble, even more rarely is there a krausen that we see. The only true activity that most of us see is just a creamy band at the bottom when it flocculates out.

Starters are some of the most "un-exciting" fermentations ever.

rsz_yeast_starter_chilled_001.jpg


That one is cold crashed, but even if it is a t room temp, you should see the sediment in the bottom. I use a stirplate, but usually stop it a few hours early to let it settle.

Basically if you see a creamy band of sediment at the bottom, then it's done it's job.
Click to expand...

I shook my flash every half hour or so the first day. Hopefully this is somewhat like a stir plate. I definitely got the settled yeast in the bottom.

I do not want to pitch the spent wort, so, do I just siphone the wort of and then use the settled yeast?

Also, I don't plan on using it until Saturday. Is that to long. I plan on turning the temp down to 40 once bubbling slows.
 
i've never gotten a krausen on any of the 4 starters I've made. (3 ale 1 lager)

put the flask in a fridge. that'll settle the yeast to a nice cake you see there in revvy's pic. brew day morning, take it out. when you're about to pitch, pour off the spent wort (leaving a bit behind to suspend the yeast), and pitch the slurry.
 
impatient said:
I do not want to pitch the spent wort, so, do I just siphone the wort of and then use the settled yeast?
Click to expand...

I just pour most of the spent wort out and leave the yeast and trub behind. It's not hard to do if you are using an Erlenmeyer flask. No harder than pouring a bottle of homebrew and leaving the sediment behind.
 

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