Poor yeast starter OR no yeast starter?

Heyas,

I just fixed up a yeast starter for a Morebeer California Common Extract kit. The yeast, is a liquid San Francisco Lager yeast. WLP810.

The problem is, I'm not too confident on my yeast starter.

-This is the second time I will be attempting to use a liquid yeast starter. (The last batch pooped out early)

-I had to use my tap water (which I've never used before). I boiled 1 pint to 1/2 cup DME.

- It seemed to boil off a lot of water...

So, my question is as the title states: Should I risk using this starter or just wait till brewday and pour it in.

Cheers!

I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be confident in your yeast starter.

Your ratio of water to DME is OK. Typically, you want your starter to approximate the SG of the target beer, but I wouldn't allow that to become an obsession.

There shouldn't be an issue with using tap water, unless your water tastes bad. If it does, don't use it. The water likely won't inhibit yeast growth, but the flavors will transfer to the beer. But if it tastes ok, you are fine.

Do you have any idea why your first starter was unsuccessful? Did you cool it before pitching the yeast? How old was the yeast you pitched -- are you certain it was still viable? How long between making the starter and pitching it into your beer? Did you cool your beer down to an appropriate temperature? Did you aerate the wort (both in the starter and the beer)?