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- Oct 6, 2017
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I've recently developed a problem with starters that sit in my fridge for a few days developing a strong "soy sauce" smell which I believe is autolysis. I'm following a pretty standard procedure--1/2 cup of DME with 1 quart of water and a little yeast nutrient, boil 10 minutes, chill by leaving the covered pot in a a sink full of water for an hour or so. I put that in a sanitized flask on a stir plate, ad the yeast, and cover loosely with foil. I stir at a speed just below where the the funnel hits the magnet and makes a racket. The starters take off fine, and once the krausen starts to settle down I stick it in the fridge until I use it. My basement is generally cool and according to a smart thermostat can drop to ~60-62 at night and we heat it to about 68 when occupying the space.
The pot and flask are dedicated to starters. The flask I store in a cabinet with a little sanitizer and the stir bar inside and a piece of foil tightly over the top, then re-sanitize before use. I don't think it's a contamination issue.
I haven't been making as many starters in the past year as I've found with Imperial Yeast, I just don't need them so I don't have a ton of samples. Maybe 3 or 4 failures in 5 or 6 tries so a high failure rate. The starters I've had trouble with have been both older (but not ancient) sealed pouches and yeast from a previous batch that was stored around 2 weeks. Maybe it's the yeast I'm starting with? I'll generally make a starter around Wednesday for a weekend brew day. Sometimes plans change and they sit a week. I haven't let one sit for a week successfully in a while.
The fridge is a chest freezer with an Inkbird. I keep my pouches of yeast and several other things in there without an issue. I don't think its a storage temp issue. Maybe that's a bad assumption.
The pot and flask are dedicated to starters. The flask I store in a cabinet with a little sanitizer and the stir bar inside and a piece of foil tightly over the top, then re-sanitize before use. I don't think it's a contamination issue.
I haven't been making as many starters in the past year as I've found with Imperial Yeast, I just don't need them so I don't have a ton of samples. Maybe 3 or 4 failures in 5 or 6 tries so a high failure rate. The starters I've had trouble with have been both older (but not ancient) sealed pouches and yeast from a previous batch that was stored around 2 weeks. Maybe it's the yeast I'm starting with? I'll generally make a starter around Wednesday for a weekend brew day. Sometimes plans change and they sit a week. I haven't let one sit for a week successfully in a while.
The fridge is a chest freezer with an Inkbird. I keep my pouches of yeast and several other things in there without an issue. I don't think its a storage temp issue. Maybe that's a bad assumption.