What should my starter look like?

[nasty_rabbit]

As that we just completed a stir plate build, I wanted to make a 1 liter starter for an American Pale Ale that will be brewed today. I measured out 32 oz. (by weight) of water and 3.5 oz. of DME. Boiled then chilled to 65f, added 1 vial of White Labs WLP090 and began agitation on Thursday night (06.21.2012). By Friday afternoon I saw no change in appearance, no froth, no foam, just milky liquid spinning. After turning off the agitation, it will seperate out to a yeast bed and clearer liquid. I am not expecting a 2 inch krausen with need for a blow off but I did think that there would be some gas release. Is this what I should expect or should I use the backup vial.


I just noticed in the picture that it looks like a layer of sediment on the bottom of the flask. It is just a reflection, the liquid is consistant.

 

[Bubba]

I would put it in the fridge and let it settle and see how much yeast lays on the bottom I would guess it turns out just fine.

 

[Revvy]

Turn off the stirplate and let it settle. You can cold crash it fi you want, but I rarely do (Why force the yeast into dormancy, when you want to be using them shortly?)

Activity in a starter really only means one thing and one thing only.

It doesn't matter one blip in your fermenter or your starter flask if the airlock bubbles or not (if you are using an airlock and not tinfoil if you are using tinfoil, you aren't getting bubbling anyway,) or if you see a krauzen.

In fact starter fermentation are some of the fastest or slowest but most importantly, the most boring fermentations out there. Usually it's done withing a few hours of yeast pitch...usually overnight when we are sleeping, and the starter looks like nothing ever happened...except for the little band at the bottom. Or it can take awhile...but either way there's often no "activity" whatsoever....

I usually run my stirplate for the first 24 hours, then shut it down, if you are spinning your starter it is really hard to get a krausen to form anyway, since it's all spinning, and there's often a head of foam on it from the movement.


All that really matters is that creamy band o yeast at the bottom.

This is a chilled sample so it's flocculated, but even with an unchilled sample you should see a band of yeast at the bottom. Here's an unchilled version

Same thing, a band.

As it is I've only ever seen two or three krausens actually on my starter (one blew off a bunch of krausen and knocked the tinfoil off the flask,) and the evidence of one on the flask at the "waterline" once. But I've never not had a starter take off.

Look for the yeast at the bottom, don't worry what it looks like on top.

If you have yeast on the bottom....that's all you really need.

If it looks anything like that, your are ready to either feed it again, or use it.