Starter time for "stressed" yeast?

Ordered a kit from back east with Wyeast Belgium Ardennes yeast. Smacked the pack and they didn't swell in the least bit after 24 hours. Added them into a starter 16 hours ago and not much activity at all. Few bubbles in the beginning.

I think they might have got hot during shipping (lesson learned not to buy liquid yeast in the summer even with cool packs) how long would you all leave yeast in the starter that may have been "stressed"? Want to give them enough time.

That is totally normal, there is a big difference to making starters (making yeast) and making beer. You should be aerating and agitating that starter as much as you can to get the yeast in contact with nutrients and oxygen and keep it in suspension. As soon as you note that the starter wort is getting thicker and cloudier, you are on the right track.

First, from the horse's mouth.

From the Wyeast FAQ website:

3. Does the package need to be fully swollen before pitching?

No, The package can be pitched before activating, or at anytime during the activation process. The activation process "jump starts" the culture's metabolism, minimizing the lag phase.

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Secondly, Just like in the fermenter, starter fermentation isn't always dynamic...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,) 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.




As it is I've only ever seen two krausens actually on my starter, and the evidence of one on the flask at the "waterline" once. But I've never not had a starter take off.

And thirdly, even starters can be subject to up to 72 hours of lagtime, though that's rare, but 24 is not rare at all, and isn't a sign of "stressed" yeast.