starter with washed yeast may be dead

So I washed an English ale yeast about a month ago. It went very well. Got about 5 jars with a nice clean yeast layer in the bottom. They have been the the fridge since. Last night I pulled out all the jars and combined half of the jars into one jar by decanting the clear liquid off. I noticed that the yeast looked a little brown compered to before. The yeast smelled fine. I even tasted the fluid I decanted off and it didn't taste bad (just tasted like yeasty water). Is it normal for yeast to turn develop a brown tinge after awhile?

I made a starter last night and there has been zero activity. It has been about 20 hours and nothing. Starter also looks darker than starters I have made in the past. Here is a pic with the starter, another jar of the same washed yeast, and a jar of yeast I washed last night:

Some yeast will get brown normally like that as they age. I just poured a pale I made with Safale-04 and the little floccs in the bottle were very brown. As the starter grows the new yeast should be light colored as normal. I would give it at least another night before worrying. How are you checking activity? After a few days if nothing, you may want to check the gravity, see where it's at.

How much yeast did you add to that starter? One jar or multiple?
One month old yeast is not too old at all. I've used stuff that was washed 9 months previous and I've heard others here say they've used older.
I'd give it time. Most of my starters from washed yeast take about 18 hours for krausen to arrive. Just make sure you are constantly swirling it if you don't have a stir plate. I am so anal (sorry ollllo) that I used to take my growler of starter to work so I could go out and swirl it every hour.
Even on my stir plate, yeast that was washed on 12-26 took 12 hours to krausen.

I am only gauging activity by looking at it. I can usually tell from past experience. But perhaps I should take a gravity reading. Its just that the volume is so small i am usually reluctant to take gravity readings of my starters.

When I washed this yeast, I got about 6 or 7 jars. So this starter has 3 of those jars in it.

So I took a gravity reading and it was 1.031. I didn't measure the OG but I measured it out and it was supposed to be 1.04. It has been about 28 he's. Is this bound for the drain?

What strain is it?

I think you need to wait it out another day or two. I just made a starter from washed Bell's yeast that was about a month old and it took almost 2 days to really take off. I had a really small amount of yeast so that's why I think it took so long to get going.

I built her up in a 1 gal growler and now I'm going to cold crash tonight so I can decant tomorrow, which is brew day!

periwinkle1239 said:

I think you need to wait it out another day or two. I just made a starter from washed Bell's yeast that was about a month old and it took almost 2 days to really take off. I had a really small amount of yeast so that's why I think it took so long to get going.

I built her up in a 1 gal growler and now I'm going to cold crash tonight so I can decant tomorrow, which is brew day!

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What are you making with those bad boys?

PoppinCaps said:

What strain is it?

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It is a white labs English ale yeast. It has been 48 hrs and I think it actually may be taking off. We will see. I'll measure the gravity tomorrow to see if it dropped.

BullGator said:

It is a white labs English ale yeast. It has been 48 hrs and I think it actually may be taking off. We will see. I'll measure the gravity tomorrow to see if it dropped.

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I always use washed WLP002, and it almost always takes 18 hours to really get going... and that's on a stir plate. I can't imagine anything that could be wrong, just make sure to swirl it often if you don't have a stir plate ($42 at www.stirstarters.com). You'll know it's all good when it starts to look chunky

BrightSpotBrewing said:

I always use washed WLP002, and it almost always takes 18 hours to really get going... and that's on a stir plate. I can't imagine anything that could be wrong, just make sure to swirl it often if you don't have a stir plate ($42 at www.stirstarters.com). You'll know it's all good when it starts to look chunky

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Look!!!!!




So I guess it took about 24 to 28 hours but it took off. I never would have guessed it. They started turning white like someone mentioned. In the picture you can still see the brown yeast at the bottom (this pic was first thing in the morning before I swirled it).

So I think I will step it up again just to make sure all the yeast are alive and kicking.

Thanks for the stirplate link. I was about to start building one but for $42 it is not worth all the time and effort I would have to spend.

BullGator said:

Look!!!!!

<img src="https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43715"/>

So I guess it took about 24 to 28 hours but it took off. I never would have guessed it. They started turning white like someone mentioned. In the picture you can still see the brown yeast at the bottom (this pic was first thing in the morning before I swirled it).

So I think I will step it up again just to make sure all the yeast are alive and kicking.

Thanks for the stirplate link. I was about to start building one but for $42 it is not worth all the time and effort I would have to spend.

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Rad! Dan, the dude who make the stir plates, is truly a great guy. Free shipping, LIFETIME warranty, and he'll call you of you're having a problem. I couldn't recommend him more highly!

Correction: that would be 48 to 52 hours to take off. Seemed like a long time compared to what I have seen. Thanks for all the help.

So after I get these guys back to their fighting weight, I guess I just put them in a jar and store in the fridge till next brew day right?

pabloj13 said:

What are you making with those bad boys?

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I made a founders breakfast stout clone, can't wait to see how she turns out with the bells yeast.

periwinkle1239 said:

I made a founders breakfast stout clone, can't wait to see how she turns out with the bells yeast.

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I would be interested in the results of that!