I think I've read so much about starters and yeast washing that I'm a bit confused and could use some help.
I harvested yeast (US05) from a cake, and ended up with two quart jars with each containing I'd say 45 ml of yeast (out of 60 ml of stuff total on the bottom of each jar). About a week later (on Sunday), in an effort to make a starter for a no-chill brew I made on Saturday, I decanted the liquid from the washed yeast, and added about 2/3 of a quart of 1.055 boiled/cooled wort to each jar, and covered with sanitized foil.
Monday morning there had been lots of action with some bubbling over etc.
Here starts what may have been a sequence of misguided actions:
1 - Monday afternoon I put the jars in the fridge, thinking I would 'crash cool' them to get the yeast to the bottom, decant the liquid, and pitch.
2- later on Monday I read more and worried that I might have insufficient yeast, so I brought the jars back inside, decanted most of the liquid, and added another 2/3 quart of the no-chill wort (I boiled and cooled it first).
3 - there is a decent krausen today (Tuesday). The liquid is fairly murky, and there is less 'stuff' in the bottom of the jars than there was before I initiated the starter processs. I assume that much more yeast is present, but its all suspended and working. Q1 Is this reasonable?
Q2 - I probably could have done well to just pitch the starter on Monday afternoon before cooling, or ?
Q3- Should I pitch the starter now, or wait a day or so for it to ferment further, cool, decant and then pitch it? If I pitch now, should I decant, or will that cause me to lose yeast?
Just now I poured off some of the fluid and it tastes okay, and has Brix 6, which in combination with original Brix 14 gives an FG of 1.003. That is some serious attenuation!
thanks in advance
Greg
I harvested yeast (US05) from a cake, and ended up with two quart jars with each containing I'd say 45 ml of yeast (out of 60 ml of stuff total on the bottom of each jar). About a week later (on Sunday), in an effort to make a starter for a no-chill brew I made on Saturday, I decanted the liquid from the washed yeast, and added about 2/3 of a quart of 1.055 boiled/cooled wort to each jar, and covered with sanitized foil.
Monday morning there had been lots of action with some bubbling over etc.
Here starts what may have been a sequence of misguided actions:
1 - Monday afternoon I put the jars in the fridge, thinking I would 'crash cool' them to get the yeast to the bottom, decant the liquid, and pitch.
2- later on Monday I read more and worried that I might have insufficient yeast, so I brought the jars back inside, decanted most of the liquid, and added another 2/3 quart of the no-chill wort (I boiled and cooled it first).
3 - there is a decent krausen today (Tuesday). The liquid is fairly murky, and there is less 'stuff' in the bottom of the jars than there was before I initiated the starter processs. I assume that much more yeast is present, but its all suspended and working. Q1 Is this reasonable?
Q2 - I probably could have done well to just pitch the starter on Monday afternoon before cooling, or ?
Q3- Should I pitch the starter now, or wait a day or so for it to ferment further, cool, decant and then pitch it? If I pitch now, should I decant, or will that cause me to lose yeast?
Just now I poured off some of the fluid and it tastes okay, and has Brix 6, which in combination with original Brix 14 gives an FG of 1.003. That is some serious attenuation!
thanks in advance
Greg
