ComcastWineRookie
Well-Known Member
Well, I made a yeast starter last night, or I should say attempted to, and when I woke up this morning to take a look nothing going on, and looked like the yeast is resting on the bottom of the bottle...any ideas?
Problem with yeast starter
- Thread starter ComcastWineRookie
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Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Your starter is more than likely finished. Here's some basic info on starters and what to look for.
If it looks anything like that, your are ready to either feed it again, or use it.
Revvy said: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.
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
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.
Sreidy12
Well-Known Member
If the yeast is expired, it could take a while for the fermentation to start. I've had starters that have taken 3 days to kick off. Or, the fermentation could already be completed. The wort in yeast starters has a very low gravity as to not strain the yeast and allow for fast, efficient propogation. Does it smell like it has fermented? Also, swirl the starter up and see if you get any activity in the airlock. Hope that helped!
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