winnph
Well-Known Member
Well if you collect from the starter, and that the beer you made from that same starter turns out fine, you're pretty likely to have a healthy starter! If the downwards product is good, that means that the upwards product is good too... I'd think
M_C
I mean, I see what you're saying, I just don't like the idea of using yeast that has only lived, for generations, in starters. I'd rather yeast that has lived in starters, fermenters, starters, fermenters, etc., so that I know the yeast does well in both situations. If I have yeast that has for, let's say, 10 generations lived only in 78F, 1.035 wort, under constant agitation/oxygenation, it just seems like I'm starting to select for a particular environment that's different from the one I want my yeast operating in. If, on the other hand, I subject the yeast to that environment from time to time for growth purposes, but let it do most of its life cycle under optimal fermentation conditions, I'm selecting for yeast that can withstand and grow rapidly in a starter, but also grow, live, and produce beer under more ideal conditions.
But, I really do see what you mean about minimizing possible contamination and stress, and I agree that your process could very well be the wiser choice. I just like being able to label yeast slurry and select my next generation from four choices, based on the actual performance of each choice.
