bknifefight
Well-Known Member
I harvested, washed and froze some WLP001 from a session Brown Ale several weeks ago. I pulled a vial from the freezer, thawed it and pitched it into a 750 ml starter (a ratio of 1:1 for gallons of water to lbs of DME). It took nearly 2 days to show activity but took off after that.
When I washed and froze the yeast, it was my first time and I was worried about having contaminated it in the process. Concerned, I have been smelling the starter during its fermentation. It smells very sweet and almost sour. Point being - I would NOT drink beer that smelled like that.
Does this sound like an infection? Is there a good way to know for sure? I don't want to ruin a 5 gallon batch if it is. Should I take it off the stir plate, letting the yeast fall out of suspension and taste some? Should I brew a gallon batch, pitching this starter and see how that turns out?
Thanks in advance, everyone!
-B
When I washed and froze the yeast, it was my first time and I was worried about having contaminated it in the process. Concerned, I have been smelling the starter during its fermentation. It smells very sweet and almost sour. Point being - I would NOT drink beer that smelled like that.
Does this sound like an infection? Is there a good way to know for sure? I don't want to ruin a 5 gallon batch if it is. Should I take it off the stir plate, letting the yeast fall out of suspension and taste some? Should I brew a gallon batch, pitching this starter and see how that turns out?
Thanks in advance, everyone!
-B