Need some quick help with flocculation in starter...

gotta brew tomorrow and step up my 2 quart starter. Can I pop my 2quart starter into the freezer when I get home from work for a quick chill, then decant, warm up, and add another 2 quarts of fresh wort to step it up?

I'd have to quick chill in freezer again on Saturday, but that's the day I now have to brew. I want to avoid pitching the whole starter.

Thanks for the quick advice. I have to decide what to do by this afternoon.

Cheers!

You don't want to freeze your yeast/starter, you will rupture the cell walls and kill the yeasts. In order to store yeast in the freezer you usually use glycerine to act as an antifreeze .

If for some reason you don't want to stick it in the fridge like most of us who crash our starters, then just decant most of the liquid and pitch the slurry.

How long does it take to flocculate by putting in fridge? I was going to put it in the freezer to speed the chill, hopefully taking it out before any freezing occurs.

If you can help me out with how long to crash chill it, I'd appreciate it. If I don't have time I'll likely step up starter in the carboys.

Thanks a lot for the advice!

Dgonza9 said:

How long does it take to flocculate by putting in fridge? I was going to put it in the freezer to speed the chill, hopefully taking it out before any freezing occurs.

If you can help me out with how long to crash chill it, I'd appreciate it. If I don't have time I'll likely step up starter in the carboys.

Thanks a lot for the advice!

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I can't tell you how long it takes...couple of hours. Normally I put it in over night and by the time I'm ready to pitch it's ready.

Thanks Revvy. I think I'll give the crash cooling a shot and see how it goes. Maybe stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes to get it chilled a bit faster.

If anyone out there is crash cooling their yeast quickly, in a freezer for instance, It'd be great to hear your experiences.