Storing a yeast starter

[NaymzJaymz]

Hello friends,
I am a very inexperienced brewer. Yesterday I did a yeast starter for a brewing session I was supposed to have today. Due to a huge wind storm, I can't set up my outdoor setup for brewing. I'll have to postpone until the weekend due to my 15 hour work days. What about the starter? If I put it in the refrigerator, will it slow down enough that it will be okay this weekend(after returning to room temperature)? Should I repitch it into some more wort and start the process over again? This is a simplistic question, but as I said, I'm inexperienced. Thanks for your help!

 

[Salmonhouse]

Whatever you do will probably work since you are only a few days off here.

I personally might stick it in the frige untill Friday and decant the beer then, bring the yeast to room temp and make another starter with it. Just enough wort to get the yeast active again, assuming you have as many cells as you will need.

My reasoning is that, I believe pitching active yeast is your best bet. Over pitching a few cells is generally preferred to either under pitching or having less than the viable amount of cells needed for proper attenuation.

 

[luke2080]

Whatever you do will probably work since you are only a few days off here.

I personally might stick it in the frige untill Friday and decant the beer then, bring the yeast to room temp and make another starter with it. Just enough wort to get the yeast active again, assuming you have as many cells as you will need.

My reasoning is that, I believe pitching active yeast is your best bet. Over pitching a few cells is generally preferred to either under pitching or having less than the viable amount of cells needed for proper attenuation.

That would work, although I would just stick it in the fridge and pull it back out 5 hours before pitch time, to let it warm to room temp, while giving it a few swirls. I don't see the need to add more starter wort.

Most importantly, your yeast slurry will have high viability because they just reproduced ( > 90%) and you should have a high count of yeast cells due to the starter.

My 2 cents on what I would do. Which is the same thing I did last week.

 

[Salmonhouse]

That would work, although I would just stick it in the fridge and pull it back out 5 hours before pitch time, to let it warm to room temp, while giving it a few swirls. I don't see the need to add more starter wort.

Probably not needed, no, but i think pitching actively fermenting yeast is most ideal and it's how i roll.

Most importantly, your yeast slurry will have high viability because they just reproduced ( > 90%) and you should have a high count of yeast cells due to the starter.

My 2 cents on what I would do. Which is the same thing I did last
week.

I'm curious if placing it in the frige is necessary, beneficial or detrimental in any way.

I can see where placing it in the refrigerator could be an advantage if you don't pitch your whole starter and you want to crash your yeast and decant off the beer, but other than that why wouldn't you just leave it sit out at room temp for 3 extra days?

 

[luke2080]

I can see where placing it in the refrigerator could be an advantage if you don't pitch your whole starter and you want to crash your yeast and decant off the beer, but other than that why wouldn't you just leave it sit out at room temp for 3 extra days?

You could leave it out. I like to cold crash it to pour off 2/3 of the wort....leaving enough to swirl up the yeast before I pitch. Normally I don't have a lot of extra space for all of the extra wort - so cold crash to knock the yeast out of suspension. Thats the benefit I get out of it. I can't imagine you lose much yeast doing this for a few days.

For the OP, since the starter was recent, I'm not sure any method is really right or wrong. Just a personal preference to your process.

 

[Montanaandy]

Hello friends,
I am a very inexperienced brewer. Yesterday I did a yeast starter for a brewing session I was supposed to have today. Due to a huge wind storm, I can't set up my outdoor setup for brewing. I'll have to postpone until the weekend due to my 15 hour work days. What about the starter? If I put it in the refrigerator, will it slow down enough that it will be okay this weekend(after returning to room temperature)? Should I repitch it into some more wort and start the process over again? This is a simplistic question, but as I said, I'm inexperienced. Thanks for your help!

I do this/have this happen quite often - brew day postponed until the next week (I normally try to homebrew once a week and experiment with recipes). Just put it in the fridge and use it the following week. It cold crashes and clears up nicely. Never have had a single problem and my results indicate that the cold pitching produces a more even, less violent fermentation even 1 week or more later. Most micros (at least around here) pitch cold so don't know why we wouldn't as home brewers. Take the starter out say 30 minutes before pitching, whether you choose to decant the starter or not.

 

[Salmonhouse]

A few days or a week is ok, perhaps, but if it's in the fridge for too long, (2, 3 weeks?) make a new starter first. Had some batches finish low, i presume from not making a new starter, but you never know. In any case it's what i do now 'cause i can only brew maybe 2 all grain batches a month if i'm lucky.