Starter question (yes, I searched first. :) )

Well, first post, although I've been lurking, reading and searching on here for a couple of weeks now.

I've brewed 7 or 8 batches now, and last night I decided it was time to make my first starter (planning on brewing a red ale tomorrow evening).. I followed Palmer's instructions at howtobrew.com to the letter, using a wyeast smack pack that had been smacked early yesterday morning. The packet had swelled up nicely, I made a 500ml starter in a one gallon glass growler I have, and used a regular airlock. Everything was sanitized with a 12.5ppm solution of iodophor with a no rinse, shake off use. I also used isopropyl rubbing alcohol to sanitize the corner of the wyeast packet.

Anyways, here's where the issue and my question is. I had the airlock filled up to its appropriate line, and as I was going to put the plastic "bobber" in the airlock, I bumped the whole growler, and somehow managed to spill about 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of water from the airlock down into the growler full of the stater. The problem with this is that this water was unboiled tap water (with chlorine in it) that was in the airlock.

Checked on it this morning (12 hours later), and zero sign of krausen, not even any sign of it on the sides of the growler where it might have climbed up over night and then settled down. There IS a quite a small bed of sediment/yeast bed on the bottom (maybe 1/4" thick?).. Absolutely no activity in the airlock (and yes, it's sealed tight),,


Did I ruin my first starter with this chlorinated tap water screw up?

Thanks in advance guys!

Nah, your starter's fine. You didn't say what strain of yeast you were using, but several of my starters have taken two days before they showed any signs of life. You should shake the crap out of it once an hour...that will help get things going.

El Pistolero said:

Nah, your starter's fine. You didn't say what strain of yeast you were using, but several of my starters have taken two days before they showed any signs of life. You should shake the crap out of it once an hour...that will help get things going.

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hey thanks. now my morning at work isn't going AS bad.

I used 1056 American Ale, only a tad over a month old...

agitate the starter every once in a while. this will help too. you should have some sediment forming on the bottom of the growler, which means it's working. EP's right, it'll be okay.

Thanks guys... I'll give a good shake and swirl when I'm home for lunch.. I'll be some mighty ticked if that tap water brought along any nasties with it..

look at it this way, if it is a loss, better to be the starter than 5 gallons! it'll be okay.

El Pistolero said:

You should shake the crap out of it once an hour...that will help get things going.

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What EP said. And if you didn't shake it up when to tossed the yeast in, do so next time. Boiling the wort cooks all the oxygen out and without it, the yeast have a rougher start.

I shook the crap out of my last starter before I pitched the yeast. Did the same to the carboy when I dumped the starter in. Whoa... major krausen by the next day in both cases. Wish I'd known that sooner!

this is Northern Brewer's suggestions and what i do for a starter:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/Hi-Res/yeast-starter-kit.pdf

I oxygenated with o2 & a SS airstone for my last starter. Worked like a charm.

Just got my O2 kit. I can't wait to try it. Shaking that carboy with 40 pounds of liquid in it isn't much fun.

DrewsBrews said:

Just got my O2 kit. I can't wait to try it. Shaking that carboy with 40 pounds of liquid in it isn't much fun.

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I originally bought mine to owygenate mead, but I use it for all of my beer batches now too. It really gets fermentation going quick. Especially when you add some yeast energiser and yeast nutrient at the last 15 mins of the boil. WOW!

DrewsBrews said:

Shaking that carboy with 40 pounds of liquid in it isn't much fun.

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yeah, but it's pretty much the only exercise that I get these days.

-walker

Walker said:

yeah, but it's pretty much the only exercise that I get these days.

-walker

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I tried to go running with my girlfriend a few days ago for the first time in AGES. I got about six blocks away and almost keeled over and died! She told me to stop drinking so much beer, and eating junk food.

DrewsBrews said:

Just got my O2 kit. I can't wait to try it. Shaking that carboy with 40 pounds of liquid in it isn't much fun.

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Yeah, that's on my list, too. I'd already have it if SWMBO wasn't on my last HBS trip. This weekend I tried something I read on this forum, I think, which was to put a ss whisk in the chuck on my cordless drill and let her rip. Worked pretty well at making a cappucino out of my wort, but I think the o2 kit would be better.

LOL...

I bet it looked damn cool when you did it, though. Did you do the gorilla chant like Tim Allen in "Home Improvement"?