Yeast starter with no Krausen

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djbradle

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I followed northern brewers yeast starter kit directions to a tee and let it sit at about 68 degrees for just over 48 hours. There was some action before the end of the first day and I didn't see it again until just into the 30 hour mark and found no krausen but there was still some fine bubbling. The next morning before I started my sort the action stopped completely . I swirled vigorously three or four times during the time from pitching the yeast into the starter to before pitching it into the primary. This was the Wyeast abbey II for the NB number 8. I used 650 ml water in the 1000 ml flask with 1/2 cup dme boiled, cooled, and then pitched the yeast at probably 15 min after taking it out of the fridge. The yeast was a very fresh package.

I was thinking something amiss?
 
Chances are it fermented out. With a smaller starter like that it'll happen quick. Was the wort milky in color?
 
It was milky when I swirled it in the flask and when the primary was created. After pitching the starter the primary looked great. It had a two finger layer of sediment on the bottom and a good six fingers of yeasty milkiness on the top.
 
Can't take a picture as I'm out of town for a few days. I did do the 1 inch blowoff into a sanitized milk jug filled with the starsan mixture which was probably smart since I won't be there to cleanup any blowup.
 
I ve yet to have krausen with a starter...the smell should change however...should start to smell like beer.
 
Check the gravity of the starter wort - if it's in the 1.0teens, it's fermented out.
 
I ve yet to have krausen with a starter...the smell should change however...should start to smell like beer.

I agree , More times I never see krausen than I see it. For that fact, I really NEVER seen it bubble either. I just use tin foil on top though.

I have used 1762 quite a bit and wash it. I make a full 1L starter all the time
in my 1 L flask, Quite tricky to do LOL, But I have my system down pretty well.
It always works even though I don't see the krausen or bubbles.

I always see the yeast on the bottom by the end of sometimes 24 hours or sooner.

This is 1056 yeast that I made a starter from a washed jar. This was from the 1st step up!

DSC03077.jpg
 
Chances are it fermented out. With a smaller starter like that it'll happen quick. Was the wort milky in color?

If that's the case, what needs to be done to be able to pitch?
I'm in the same boat as OP right now, and I need to brew and pitch my starter tonight?
 
If you are using a stirplate there will often be no krausen at all. If you made a starter of the proper size on a stirplate it is ready to pitch at 12-18 hours. I run mine about 18 hours and put them in the refrigerator to get the yeast to settle then decant, let it warm to pitching temps and let 'er rip. When chilling you can see the yeast layer on the bottom of the flask. I have had some start fermenting within a couple of hours. Two have had vigorous blow off even with using Fermcap-S
 
fldriver said:
If that's the case, what needs to be done to be able to pitch?
I'm in the same boat as OP right now, and I need to brew and pitch my starter tonight?

If it's a small starter like his you could swirl it up and pitch it straight into your wort.
 
Activity in a starter really only means one thing and one thing only.

It doesn't matter one blip in your fermenter or your starter flask if the airlock bubbles or not (if you are using an airlock and not tinfoil if you are using tinfoil, you aren't getting bibbling anyway,) or if you see a krauzen. In fact starter fermentation are some of the fastest or slowest but most importantly, the most boring fermentations out there. Usually it's done withing a few hours of yeast pitch...usually overnight when we are sleeping, and the starter looks like nothing ever happened...except for the little band at the bottom. Or it can take awhile...but either way there's often no "activity" whatsoever....

I usually run my stirplate for the first 24 hours, then shut it down, if you are spinning your starter it is really hard to get a krausen to form anyway, since it's all spinning, and there's often a head of foam on it from the movement.


All that really matters is that creamy band o yeast at the bottom.



rsz_yeast_starter_chilled_001.jpg


This is a chilled sample so it's flocculated, but even with an unchilled sample you should see a band of yeast at the bottom. Here's an unchilled version

starter.jpg


Same thing, a band.

As it is I've only ever seen two or three krausens actually on my starter (one blew off a bunch of krausen and knocked the tinfoil off the flask,) and the evidence of one on the flask at the "waterline" once. But I've never not had a starter take off.

Look for the yeast at the bottom, don't worry what it looks like on top.

If you have yeast on the bottom....that's all you really need.

If it looks anything like that, your are ready to either feed it again, or use it.
 
I recently had to eat my words on starter activity, I used to think that I had to see something happen in a starter to think that is was done. I would want to some evidence of a krausen having happened or a chance in color. I have been making starters for the last 3 years and stepping up from slants from slants for the last 12 months and every time I saw the same reaction and assumed that is what I would always see. I would have a krausen, sometimes an explosion removing the foil and covering the stir plate in yeastie ooze and always saw a change in color making the starter milky. Interestingly that was when I lived in Hawaii where temps are basically the same year round.

Since moving to PA where my house is cooler and water is different I now have had 5 starters that show absolutely no signs that anything is going on. I have been just about to throw them out every time accept my better sense (and words echoing in my ears from Revy's posts) saying leave it be, that made me let it sit and every time I get my yeast settling out in about 1/2 and hour.

Like Revy says trust the yeast will do its job, if it has been on the stir plate for 24 hrs and it is not a really old sample etc then switch it off for 20-30min and see if the yeast is flocking out.

Clem
 
Yeast at the bottom is a sure sign. You won't see this with a stir plate unless you turn it off for a few. Some other good indications of activity are color change, smell and condensation inside the starter vessel. When using a stir plate, I've also noticed that when all the sugar is consumed and the yeast are ready to floc out, you will see some wavy lines in the starter. This is less pronounced with lower floculating yeast but I always see it occur.
 
Then I rest assured of the original intention. This starter had a foam topper which most definitely let the gases out very easily. It smelled very strongly of yeast activity. There were small bubbles rising but dissipated soon after reaching the small head of foam. There is a 1/4 inch of yeast layer on the bottom . . . job done. Thanks for the info guys.
 
Thread necro...found this just as I was wondering what was up with my first ever starter. Four years brewing, first time trying to do a starter. Going with the shake it up method every time I walk by, so going to trust that the yeast settling inbetween shakes is actually growing up to more than just the smack pack had.
Thanks.
 
Well, posting an update. Things worked pretty good and it smells AMAZING in there.

By later in the day, after brew was going I did a quick swirl and shake and nearly blew the aluminum top off the bottle. While it wasn't 'active' it was surely storing up CO2 somehow...LOL. So be careful with the agressive swirling if you have ignored it for a few hours brewing the next day.

Active fermentation didn't seem to happen quicker, still took almost 24 hours and it peaked out and dropped krausen in about four days. So that is all about as expected from when I don't use a starter, but this was 4 month old smack pack and brewers friend did say it was only 15% viable...so maybe avg times are good here?

Anyway, going to be another 3-4 weeks before I taste test it.
 
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