Can you use actively fermenting wort as yeast starter.

[poponon]

Hi, I'm currently brewing a batch of beer and have made a yeast starter a few hours ago, however i'm unsure of the legitmacy of it... I can't tell if its began fermentation.

I took the original yeast from a previous brew... it had been sitting out for a few hours tho after it had been sipohoned into a keg.

I have another batch fermenting in my chiller right now, so I'm wondering if i could just collect some of the fermenting wort with a turkey baster to use as a yeast starter

any help is reeally appreciated couple mins left on the mash out before we start the boil!!

 

[Spintab]

You're good, use the stuff you made the starter with. When I'm motivated I try to wash my yeast really well and leave it in the fridge. Take it out to warm up a few hours and you're good. Granted, you have a starter's worth of unfermented starter but the yeast is fine. To me, it's about getting enough yeast in there. If you made a starter a day ahead of time and your fermentation starts quick, rock on, but otherwise it'll be just fine.

 

[Airborneguy]

You can actually skim a decent amount off of the top and pitch it directly into your next batch as long as you have a healthy fermentation going.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

A few hours will not effect viability much at all. The sterol content will drop just a little which means it will take a little more time to get going. Same goes for yeast stored for months in the fridge.