How do I know if my starter is ready to chill

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olotti

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Made a 2.5L starter of WLP002 yesterday, no stir plate so using the swirl method, been swirling about 5 times an hour if not more. I want to chill it then decant liquid and step this up into a 3L starter. How do I know that this 2.5L starter is read so I don't waste any yeast when I decant off the liquid after cold crashing. Plan on using it in a RIS with a target OG of 1.106. When I swirl the starter now a nice white foam about an inch thick rises then soon dissipates but I can also see the CO2 bubbles in the wort also. The plan was to cold crash tomm morning giving it 36hrs of "working time" at that point. Will it be ready or should I wait longer. Plan on brewing Thursday and I still have to make the other step up starter. Thanks for the help.
 
How do I know that this 2.5L starter is read so I don't waste any yeast when I decant off the liquid after cold crashing.

After crashing the liquid above the yeast will be crystal clear.


Will it be ready or should I wait longer.

That's hard to say and will depend on the aggressiveness and flocculation characteristics of the yeast you are using.

I think your three best options are:

1 - Since you made this Friday you can safely assume the growth phase is over and now its just finishing out fermenting so go ahead and stick it in the fridge to crash it now. Its harder to crash yeast that are still actively fermenting so it may take longer to settle them out. Then step it up and repeat.

2 - You could let it finish (sometime tomorrow or maybe Tuesday). Put it in the fridge when it is finished and crash it until late Wednesday evening, decant and add a liter of stronger, fresh and well aerated starter wort (1.060 instead of 1.040). By the time you are ready to pitch, this thing should be at high krausen and I would just pitch the whole thing. You would be likely be slightly underpitching but I don't think it would be significant enough to make a difference. Having the yeast already fully active will also help make up for it.

3 - Push off your brew day until your starter is finished in the way that you usually do.

Hope that helps!
 
It's still foaming up ad I can see the CO2 bubbles in the wort when swirled. I'll check the SG and see where it's at. If I have to push the brew day back to get this done right so be it.
 
When you make a starter the wort will be a dark color. When it's done fermenting the color will be milky, and the krausen will have subsided. This usually happens after 24-36 hours on a stir plate. With no stir plate it can take longer. Just use your best judgement and eye ball it. If you use a hydrometer you could be waisting viable healthy yeast considering you don't pour it back in.
 
When you make a starter the wort will be a dark color. When it's done fermenting the color will be milky, and the krausen will have subsided. This usually happens after 24-36 hours on a stir plate. With no stir plate it can take longer. Just use your best judgement and eye ball it. If you use a hydrometer you could be waisting viable healthy yeast considering you don't pour it back in.

Now it looks like a milky cloudy golden yellow like a really cloudy hefeweizen. This sound about right.
 
Are you really stepping from 2.5L to 3L ? doesn't seem all that productive.
 
Are you really stepping from 2.5L to 3L ? doesn't seem all that productive.

Better to go up to a 3.5L step up. I didn't know there was a hard and fast rule about size of step up as long as the step up is larger than the initial starter. It's gonna come close to maxing out my 1 Gal jug that I make my starters in. Brewers friend yeast calculator says that a 3L step up will give me more than my targeted amount.
 
I don't know, just seems like a lot of dme to make 1 beer.


You should be fine chilling/ decanting after 36 hours. The bubbles should have slowed by then and the starter should be milky in appearance.
 
I don't know, just seems like a lot of dme to make 1 beer.


You should be fine chilling/ decanting after 36 hours. The bubbles should have slowed by then and the starter should be milky in appearance.

Its in the fridge chilling little bit of yeast cake on the bottom, the starter is still hazy/ cloudy sort of like a cloudy hefe. I'm gonna chill till wed am and see if it doesn't clear more. Then pull it decant, let it warm and make the step up.
 
It won't take more than 6 hours to drop %99 of the yeast if your fridge is fairly cool.


Did you look at the numbers shaking vs. stir plate? Amazing the difference there is.
 
It won't take more than 6 hours to drop %99 of the yeast if your fridge is fairly cool.


Did you look at the numbers shaking vs. stir plate? Amazing the difference there is.

I'm kind of surprised the yeast cake is so small for a 2.5L starter, it can't be more than 1/4" thick.

Yeah if I'd had a stir plate I could've done this whole thing in 1 3L starter and called it good. Needless to say a stirplate will be ordered.
 
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