i made my yeast starter yesterday

but some work issues surfaced today and i wont be able to brew this weekend.

can i throw my yeast starter in the fridge and use it next weekend?

i would think it'd be fine - just let it warm up to room temperature before I pitched it.

just wanted everyone's .02!

Yes, it's OK.
I always refrigerate larger starters anyway.
The yeast will settle and then I can carefully pour out most of the spent wort.

Should be OK.
Just keep the airlock in.
The yeast will settle out so you can pour most of the "spent" wort off before pitching.

If you keep the airlock in while refrigerating, you may suck the airlock liquid back into the flask. Just sanitize some tinfoil and cover the mouth with that.

Cheers

I'm getting ready to do my first starter and depending on weather may have to postpone the brewing as well. Once the spent wort is drained off, will the yeast still be pourable, or will I have to reconstitute with some boiled water or wort from the brew it will be pitched into?

Joe Camel said:

If you keep the airlock in while refrigerating, you may suck the airlock liquid back into the flask. Just sanitize some tinfoil and cover the mouth with that.

Cheers

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You shouldn't have an airlock on your starter to begin with.

weirdboy said:

You shouldn't have an airlock on your starter to begin with.

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I've read a number of articles and discussions on both sides of this topic. I'm wondering why one would use foil instead of an airlock. In my mind, you use an airlock when you ferment wort, and isn't a starter simply a smaller amount of wort (1 liter of wort instead of x gallons). Looking at it from that viewpoint, then I have to ask, why not just use a piece of foil over the fermenter?

The only thing I can come up with is that the starter is a large amount of yeast in a little bit of food, so it does ferment out very quickly, and perhaps the airlock won't be able to keep up with all that activity. Probably also, you don't want to have any carbonation in your starter, but if you decant most of the wort, then what's the harm.

I've done 4 starters now, and I've used an airlock for each of them.

when fermenting beer, you don't want any oxygen to make its way in....for starters, extra oxygen is beneficial, thus the suggestion not to use an airlock. having said that, making a starter with an airlock is still magnitudes better than not making one at all. i did it that way for years.

the main reason is to allow the oxygen to enter into the starter. At least, that's why I do it. I used a tinfoil top with some gap on the sides to allow the stirplate to draw in oxygen.

Ok that makes sense both Buzzcraft and GlobalRebel, thanks. However, don't you also risk drawing in wild yeasts and other "baddies" with open starters? Sure, the foil will help protect anything dropping straight in, but if you're drawing in air from the outside, that would carry the baddies in. I also wonder just how much air is being drawn in, especially once the yeast starts the growth phase, they're already releasing CO2 which would really reduce any intake from the gaps in tin foil. Should I start reading up in the brewing science discussions for better understanding?

What we're basically saying is that no matter which way you go, its going to be better then not doing it. Just be sure to have your sanitation techniques down pretty good. It would be a shame to lose your starter to bad sanitation.

I just used my first starter a few days ago, and my fermentation was so strong that i could feel a steady flow of Co2 shooting out of my airlock within 8 hours. I think the fermentation of my Blue moon is almost already done. I leave my primary alone for at least 3 weeks, but I bet if I waited till the middle of next week, I could take a gravity reading and I would be basically right at my FG. But, I like to leave my wheats in the primary for at least 3 weeks to a month to let the yeasties mellow everything out and let the flavor of my wheats really take in everything.

Yeah, I started doing starters on my 3rd brew, and I'll never go back to direct pitching from a vial or smack pack. For just a couple of days of foresight, having a lag time of a few hours is worth it. I airlock mine, and am just trying to understand the pros and cons of it. Probably the partially open top is ok because there's such little time for "baddies" to set up shop on such a small amount of food compared to the pitched yeast.

I don't have a stirplate yet, that's next on my DIY as soon as I get my compressor relay in and temp controller for my chest freezer to convert into a lager-rator.

I really don't think it makes a significant difference either way! Airlock or foil! Some people get way too technical and really don't experiment and have any proof but just what they read and hear second hand. Then they try to tell everyone else how it should be done. They will both work! I have done both numerous times and have never had any noticeable problems.

BuzzCraft said:

when fermenting beer, you don't want any oxygen to make its way in....for starters, extra oxygen is beneficial, thus the suggestion not to use an airlock. having said that, making a starter with an airlock is still magnitudes better than not making one at all. i did it that way for years.

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I highly doubt that there is a significant amount of O2 that is really making its way into your starter. I would be more concerned about bacteria and wild yeast getting pulled in after the starter is fermented out. The majority is co2 being released so there is no natural air coming in until it is totally done fermenting the starter. Atmospheric air only contains 16% O2 and the rest is non beneficial including dust, germs, bacteria and other impurities that are found floating around in your home.

BigJason said:

Ok that makes sense both Buzzcraft and GlobalRebel, thanks. However, don't you also risk drawing in wild yeasts and other "baddies" with open starters? Sure, the foil will help protect anything dropping straight in, but if you're drawing in air from the outside, that would carry the baddies in. I also wonder just how much air is being drawn in, especially once the yeast starts the growth phase, they're already releasing CO2 which would really reduce any intake from the gaps in tin foil. Should I start reading up in the brewing science discussions for better understanding?

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nothing bad is going to get into your starter with foil over it. wild yeast and airborne bacteria don't have wings, so they don't go up unless riding air currents and the foil will prevent that.

your question about how much O2 is really getting in there is valid and has been asked many times....i haven't seen anything convincing on this topic. early in the growth phase, i can imagine the headspace having more O2 in it by diffusion (and therefore more in the wort), but once CO2 is really being cranked out of there, i suspect there's not a whole lot of O2 getting in.

like i said in a previous post, a starter with an airlock will do fine and i've done more starters that way than with foil. if you don't have a stir plate, just swirl it whenever you get a chance. even during the fermentation this will be beneficial to the yeast by driving off the CO2.

bottom line...make starters regardless. as to airlock or foil, use whichever let's you sleep better at night.