Bad Starter?

[herkojerko]

Yesterday I smacked a pack of Wyeast German Ale yeast. This morning it was swelled nicely to about 2". I boiled a mixture of 1 pint of water and 1/2 cup of DME for 10 minutes. I then chilled the pot in cold water in the sink until it was cool to the touch. I poured it into the bottle, added the yeast and shook vigorously. I placed it in a dark location in room temp. After checking on it occassionally for 6 hours it doesn't look like it's doing anything. Is it posssible the water was too warm? What should I do? I wanted to brew tommorow. Thanks for your help. I am having problems with the photo but if you want to see it is in my gallery.

 

[uwmgdman]

Your procedure sounds good. Assuming it was cooled sufficiently, which it sounds like it was, I guess it would have started. I'd say give it a few hours longer and see if it starts up. Also what is room temp? I see the background of the picture looks like stone wall, maybe a basement? If it's cool, low 60s or less, try putting it somewhere a little warmer, maybe around 70 and see if that helps.

Also was the bottle sanitized?

EDIT: One more thing, it looks (the picture) to have a very small ring of krausen around the top....it didn't go real quick did it? Did the airlock bubble at all?

 

[Bernie Brewer]

You should really take the temp of your starter with a sanitized thermometer just like you would with your beer. Also you should give your starters more than one day to take off. Sometimes they will be fine in that amount of time, but not always. I made a starter on Thursday for a Monday brew, and it finally started krausening today, even using a stirplate(Thank you, MrSalty!). But that was with yeast that I harvested last Feb, so I knew it would take awhile. The point is that it's probably fine, but just not as quickly as you'd like.

 

[david_42]

Always remember, you cannot see yeast budding with the naked eye. When the yeast stop growing and start fermenting, you see bubbles. I think you're fine and the yeast are budding away.

 

[herkojerko]

One more thing, it looks (the picture) to have a very small ring of krausen around the top....it didn't go real quick did it? Did the airlock bubble at all?

If it did I missed it but it does look like a small krausen

 

[boo boo]

I would double the amount of wort at least of what you have there. Shake the starter to aerate it each time you pass it to keep the yeast growing. You do have some yeast evident on the bottom of the bottle.