yeast starter question

[acyl]

Hi. I have been making yeast starters the same way for every batch of beer I do. I fill a growler with 5-7 tablespoons of malt extract, then add around 500mls of water and autoclave. I then add dry yeast packets to the wort and add an airlock.

Recently, I took an english dry ale yeast and followed the same procedure. I wanted to skip on buying more yeast, so I autoclaved another growler with wort. Then I added some of the yeast slurry from the first growler to the second growler and left the house for 2 days. I come back home and the liquid has cleared up and it appears there is about 2cm of yeast cake on the bottom.

IME, the liquid doesn't usually clear up but turns a lighter opaque color rather than clear. (clear meaning I can see through to the other side, not the color) The color looks like a light beer.

Is this okay?

 

[wyzazz]

Yep, should be fine. However, you don't need to make starters with dry yeast, you actually don't even need to aerate.

 

[maida7]

Some strains of English yeast are very good at floculating. The opaque color you accustom to seeing is probably yeast that is still floating in the solution. The English yeast has probably flocculated better and left the liquid crystal clear. Notice that the cake will have a chunky cottage cheese like consistency. This is another feature of the highly flocculant English strains.