hi - I made a 2 litre ringwood wyeast starter on weds night as per instructions on the pack planning to brew this saturday. As of friday morning there is no activity at all in the starter in spite of shaking etc. Our kitchen hovers between say 19 and 22 degrees. I know its a slow starting yeast but am now a bit worried. I have a sachet of safale knocking about I can substitute but wondered if there was anything I can do to give the ringwood the hurry up? Or can I just pitch it? Last question is how would safale affect the taste of the porter I am planning compared to 1187? Thanks again
Ringwood Wyeast starter - doing nothing
- Thread starter szm
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Bob
Well-Known Member
Are you sure the starter hasn't already fermented out? Ringwood is voracious and quick to finish if a sufficient quantity is pitched. If you put an XL smack-pack in a 2L starter, it's quite likely the starter ferment is finished.
Check the starter vessel. If you can see a thick layer of sludge on the bottom, it's finished. This is a good thing; it lets you pitch slurry. Harvesting slurry is easy, especially since you've already got a fairly pure slurry in a starter: Just chill the starter. Use the tools contained in the HBT Wiki article on yeast pitching to determine how much of the slurry you need to pitch for your application and increase that amount by 10-15%.*
When you're ready to pitch, decant all but a little of the starter wort, just enough to cover the slurry. Then carefully measure out the amount of slurry you need to pitch and pitch that.
Done!
There's no need to pitch an actively-fermenting starter, unless you specifically desire to dilute your main wort. Just pitch slurry.
Cheers,
Bob
* Ringwood is one of those yeasts where it's a good idea to pitch a little more. Practical experience.
Check the starter vessel. If you can see a thick layer of sludge on the bottom, it's finished. This is a good thing; it lets you pitch slurry. Harvesting slurry is easy, especially since you've already got a fairly pure slurry in a starter: Just chill the starter. Use the tools contained in the HBT Wiki article on yeast pitching to determine how much of the slurry you need to pitch for your application and increase that amount by 10-15%.*
When you're ready to pitch, decant all but a little of the starter wort, just enough to cover the slurry. Then carefully measure out the amount of slurry you need to pitch and pitch that.
Done!
There's no need to pitch an actively-fermenting starter, unless you specifically desire to dilute your main wort. Just pitch slurry.
Cheers,
Bob
* Ringwood is one of those yeasts where it's a good idea to pitch a little more. Practical experience.
mordantly
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ive never had 1187 take more than 24 hours when not on a stir plate.
thanks both - am pleased to say its now looking active and thin layer forming on the bottom. Still fizzing a bit though - slight issue is I have to brew as of now so I am in a quandary - wait to pitch until tomorrow hoping that I can get the slurry to settle and tip away the starter liquid or just pitch the whole thing in about three hours time - any suggestions?!
Bob
Well-Known Member
I'd not just pitch it. I think you really need to be sure your yeast is up to scratch before pitching. Otherwise you're just asking for trouble.
Bob
Bob
