Yeast starter

[cimirie]

So, I've made countless yeast starters in my brew career. I've done them because I know that's what you're "supposed" to do. But, as I was putting together one last night, I got to thinking...

Starter = small batch DME wort, yeast pack, let sit (or stir plate), high krausen, decant, pitch.

Sounds simple, but, if you are decanting, you are specifically taking the highly flocculant yeast cells to pitch into your primary wort. You are perhaps changing the profile of the yeast you are pitching.

Another concern would be that with a very non-flocculant strain (Kolsch, Wyeast 2565) if you are decanting and pitching at high krausen, you may not be getting nearly enough yeast into your primary wort. In fact, if you rely on only the yeast on the bottom, you may be getting fewer cells than you had in your vial/smack pack to begin with.

So this is not me saying "we're all wrong." But if somebody could give me some opinions on these items. I just thought they were interesting points to ponder. Thanks!

 

[Kaz]

Exactly why unless I have a huge starter (2L or over) I just just pitch the whole thing in. If you decant, I would cold crash it for a day or overnight to force more yeast to drop out before pouring off.

 

[ajf]

+1

I do the same as Kaz.

-a.

 

[Bierliebhaber]

You should not decant unless you let the starter complete its ferment. The purpose of pitching at high krausen is to have a large quantity of very active yeast.

 

[Flomaster]

I make my starter 2 days before I brew, I let it spin up until I pitch the whole thing in there.

-=Jason=-

 

[Mpavlik22]

I Make my starters early in the week. Then let them cold crash in the fridge for 24 hours. I then cold pitch my yeast also at refrigerator temps ~40.

 

[bob1852]

Yeah, like other have said, I don't decant unless I cold crash in the fridge for a couple days.

I'm making 10 gallons tomorrow. I made one starter on Wednesday and put it in the fridge Friday. I'll decant and pitch tomorrow afternoon in fermenter #1. The other starter I made yesterday and I'll pitch the whole thing tomorrow afternoon in fermenter #2