Let it ride or cold crash

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Toy4Rick

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Hey gang,

Last night I made a 1L starter, WLP002, it's on a stir plate, about 18 hours in, the yeast really began to what I call, flower, at least that is what it looks like... no krausen at all. I will be brewing tomorrow, should I let it ride or cold crash it now and decant it just before pitching?

Thanks in advance
Toy4Rick
 
For what it's worth, I do one L starters and usually just pitch the whole thing- I have pretty vigorous fermentation and don't notice any difference in taste from pitching off a cake, versus pitching a vial, versus decanting and pitching. Ease is good- my vote is let it ride. Curious what others may say!
 
I don't have a stir plate. I usually cold crash it into containers then get try to guesstimate the cell count based on the mr malty pitch rate calculator for slurry. That way I kind of know roughly where I'm sitting for pitch rate. If it's a new pack of wyeast, I calculate a starter based of the viability of mr malty and OG. Then I pitch the whole thing. I say let it ride.
 
Since it is 1L starter both ways are good and both have their advantages.
Leaving starter will allow yeast to build glycogen reserves, and pitching right from stirplate may shorten lag phase.
 
Hey gang

Well I let it ride, lag time was less than 5 hours. Normally I pitch after about 24 hours on the stir plate and it usually takes ~24 hours to get going.

I would like to believe the extra time gave those little soldiers a bit more time to "pump it up"

:)
Toy4Rick
 
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