Yeast Question

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oregonNate

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So back in November I made a starter from WLP013 and when I was adding the starter to my wort, I poured some back into the original WL vial and stuck it back in the fridge. This left me with only a teaspoon of yeast slurry once it settled.

Three months later I added that vial to 500ml of 1.04 wort with yeast nutrient and put it on a stir plate. A couple days later I had a nice yeast cake in the bottom of the flask... so far, so good.

Then I can't brew so I end up leaving the starter out at room temperature for a week instead of putting it back in the fridge...don't ask me why, because I don't know...I was busy and didn't think of it.

I brewed yesterday and added the starter to 5 gallons of 1.056 wort assuming that it would probably be ok. Now it is 19 hours later and I have no signs of life. Am I worried for nothing? I've never had a starter take this long to start a normal gravity ale before.

Did leaving a starter at 65° temps for a week hurt it? It didn't smell funny, it had just a slight alcohol tinge to it.
 
It should be OK. After a week it was completely fermented out, and the yeast had gone dormant again, so they will take longer to start.
 
Agreed... probably not dead, but dormant, so you've done something more akin to pitching dry yeast.
 
Thanks for the replies, I sure hope it starts soon... I just raised the temp in the room from 60 to 70 in hopes that the warmth will help it out a little. I keep my house fairly cool in the winter here in Wisconsin and I've found that a 60-64 degree room will keep the fermentor at 68 or so after fermentation gets started.
 
It's been 28 hours now and it still hasn't started! It's been at 70F for the last 8 hours and is showing now progress.

I'm going to add the Nottingham dry yeast if it hasn't started after the superbowl....

I've never experienced anything like this before...so weird. :confused:
 
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