chill and decant a big starter?

I've built up my lager starter to about 3 1/2 quarts, and it is bubbling away in the basement corner at 50 or so deg. This is where I plan to ferment my beer.

I was going to put it in the fridge, let the yeast settle, and pour off the excess liquid, and pitch the slurry only(as per How To Brew). However, the starter is not "done" and is still at high krausen and brew day is tomorrow.

My starter is made of the same DME as the brew. Is there is huge risk of off-flavors if I pitch the entire starter? How do you prepare your lager starters? Do you pitch the entire starter or just the yeast slurry?

OK. Step back from the Starter!

You don't want to pour off the liquid from a starter. You do when you are washing your yeast, but not a starter.

Right now you are in a stage called "high kreusen". This is optimum for pitching.

No need to fridgerate if you're using it tomorrow. You'll just make it go dorment then you'll have to warm it up again to use it. Leave it as is.

Sounds like you're on your way.

homebrewer_99 said:

OK. Step back from the Starter!

You don't want to pour off the liquid from a starter. You do when you are washing your yeast, but not a starter.

Right now you are in a stage called "high kreusen". This is optimum for pitching.

No need to fridgerate if you're using it tomorrow. You'll just make it go dorment then you'll have to warm it up again to use it. Leave it as is.

Sounds like you're on your way.

Click to expand...

Actually decanting a starter is a great idea. But you want to toss your starter in the fridge the night before you use it so all the yeast drop out of suspension. Decanting while they are active just dumps active yeast down the drain.

I always decant most of the liquids off my starter, but leave enough to swirl the yeast back into suspension and pitch.

HB99 needs to learn about cold pitching yeast..

Read here about it:
http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=26969

I've never cold pitched and use all the starter.

I read the link. It was interesting, but it did say that cold pitching is ideal for HARVESTED YEAST. I assumed he was using it straight out of the vial.

The article further says that it can be done with vialed yeast, but ideally harvested.

I do pour out most of the liquid from a harvested yeast - not from a pure starter, but I do that prior to pitching...with the yeast at room temp.

So, we really aren't that far off on technique. And thanks for the article link.

My starter was made from a Wyeast smack pack, and was built up to it's current size over the course of three days.

According to HowToBrew, it should be chilled in the fridge to flocculate the yeast and the liquid poured off the top. This way only the slurry is pitched, and not the full 3+ quarts of starter. There is a risk of off flavors from pitching the whole starter, something we all want to avoid.

Currently, my starter is at high krausen, and I don't want to chill it if it isn't "done". This leaves me with pitching the whole thing... Should I??

I don't think you've got to worry much about off flavors, unless you're brewing something quite "delicate".

As long as you've got a good load of yeast ready to go, there's nothing wrong with decanting the liquid and pitching the yeast. Personally, I've never done anything delicate enough to warrant decanting, though.

I don't decant either. I pitch a full krausen and have very good results. No off flavors but than again, I haven't done a pillsner or American light beer either.

You you're doing a beer with flavor, don't worry about it. Pitch it with all the growth medium and you'll be fine with good results.

so would a general rule of thumb (provided youre not lagering/pils) be:
--high kreusen=pitch it all
--fermented out=decant and pitch slurry