How long is my yeast starter good for

I made a yeast starter for my first lager attempt. I made this starter 24 hours ago and planned on brewing today. Well, I ran out of time and I'm leaving for 10 days so I need to hold off. Is my starter ruined or is there something I can do to keep it good for another 10+ days?

I don't know the answer to this, but I am anxious to hear the answer from someone who does know and is not just guessing.

Just put a stopper and airlock on it and throw it in the fridge while you're gone. Then when you come back add some more wort to wake them up and plan your brewday for 24-72 hours after that.

Good luck

Reno_eNVy said:

Just put a stopper and airlock on it and throw it in the fridge while you're gone. Then when you come back add some more wort to wake them up and plan your brewday for 24-72 hours after that.

Good luck

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+1.

Probably not even necessary to add more wort.

Calder said:

+1.

Probably not even necessary to add more wort.

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Yeah, just letting it warm up to room temp first should be fine.

I finally got a chance to brew this over the weekend. The yeast starter was refridgerated 36 hours after making it and sat for 4 weeks. On brew day I decanted the wort and let the yeast sit for 2-3 hours then pitched at 50degrees. It's been 48 hours an no activity in the airlock, I popped the lid and see some floaties (krausen maybe?) but there are only a few small pieces. I plan on waiting it out another 24-36 hours and see if it's just getting a slow start otherwise maybe pitch some more yeast? Any suggestions, this is my first lager. Thanks.

I had to change out my airlock last night. When I did I peaked in and saw a nice layer of krausen. By thismorning the airlock had activity. Slow start but all seems good.

Cool. So, the lag was fifty-something hours?

I would say about 60 hour lag.

Lager generally has a longer lag time than ales. Their colder temps make that a non issue. More than likely the yeast had started before you noticed any signs.