Tonedef131
Well-Known Member
I make starter for essentially every beer I use liquid yeast in. I have noticed that when I am making a smaller starter (around 1L) the night before brew day and pitch the whole thing right off of the stir plate that I end up with activity usually within a couple of hours. Now when I cold crash them I don't expect them to be as active when pitched, but I am also wondering if the yeast are going into more of a hibernation and becoming permanently less active.
For example, I made a 2L starter of Wyeast American Lager and fermented it at 60F. After 2 or 3 days when it was completely finished fermenting I put it into a 40F fridge and let the yeast drop out of suspension. Then on Brew day I decanted the beer off and pitched the slurry into 48F wort and have kept it there since. Is this an alright practice or is the 20F drop from the stir-plate to the fridge enough to cause them to put up a protein coat and not be as active when added to the wort? It is fermenting so I know they are alright, but I am just looking for the best method to keep the yeast viable when decanting is in order. Should I be dropping the yeast temp at a slower speed such as the standard 3-5F a day or is it okay for starters to be cold crashed?
For example, I made a 2L starter of Wyeast American Lager and fermented it at 60F. After 2 or 3 days when it was completely finished fermenting I put it into a 40F fridge and let the yeast drop out of suspension. Then on Brew day I decanted the beer off and pitched the slurry into 48F wort and have kept it there since. Is this an alright practice or is the 20F drop from the stir-plate to the fridge enough to cause them to put up a protein coat and not be as active when added to the wort? It is fermenting so I know they are alright, but I am just looking for the best method to keep the yeast viable when decanting is in order. Should I be dropping the yeast temp at a slower speed such as the standard 3-5F a day or is it okay for starters to be cold crashed?