yeast starter question

ok so i just made a starter for a lager 1 cup DME and 32 oz of water pitched yeast into starter at 69 degrees... sitting at 72 degrees in a dark area of my house?? good or bad? used WL840 american lager yeast

I'm not used to measuring DME in cups (I use pounds), but I'd think that 1 cup of DME would be about 1/2 lb which would probably make the OG of your starter around 1.080. (1 lb DME in 1 gal water = 1.040)

That's a little high for for my liking... generally I want my starters around 1.040 so as not to strain the yeast or slow them down.

Of course, if 1 cup is actually more like 1/4 lb, then you're right on mark, as far as I'm concerned!

Your pitching temp shouldn't hurt and your starter temp will probably result in a quick fermentation, but you may want cut the temp down a bit to prevent unwanted flavors... especially after pitching the starter into your wort. Unless, of course, you're making a California Common beer

I find a safe area of my house and place a dark towel over the starter. It's easier for me to find a safe place when not looking for a dark place than looking for safe AND dark!

hah awesome thank you i will see how much 1 cup weighs

Don't forget to post your findings, regardless of whether they're good or bad!

I'd be interested to know how much 1 cup weighs!

well i cant find out how much a cup of DME weighs lol i looked for a little while sigh. anyone know?

Hmmm... I searched a little and found:
http://morebeer.com/themes/morewinepro/public/knowbase/knowbase.php?fcat_id=1009

...in which they state 1/2 cup DME in 900ml (30.5 oz) water. They don't state the gravity, though.

My original assumption was that a 1 lb bag of DME is probably about 2 cups of DME.

If you want some more unit and measures, I use about 40g DME + 450ml water which, after boiling, results in about 400ml of ~1.040 wort ... perhaps a little higher.

so my mix of 4 cups of water to 1 cup of DME for a starter is good then right?

I measure my DME in oz's so I can help. I just did a starter with 3oz. of DME for 1 QT of water.

I weigh out 2oz DME per 16oz of water to get about 1.040.
2oz of DME is usually a little bit more than 1/3cup.
But it can vary a lot if the powder is loose or packed.

So the 1 cup per quart from OP is probably close enough.