Can't tell if starter is live or not

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Cider123

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2010
Messages
1,135
Reaction score
245
Just another starter question.

I have a 1 L starter that has been sitting for only 12 hours. 100g DME in 1 L water. I pitched a packet of Wyeast 1496 West Yorkshire yeast into it at 70F.

I made the starter because I was concerned about the viability of the yeast as it arrived in the mail with both the yeast and "cool pack" warm.

Signs that it was good:
the pouch seemed to swell a little after sitting at room temp for a few hours.

this morning the starter had no head on it, but did foam up when stirred.

Signs it is not good:
the gravity after 12 hours is 1.040
when you swirl it you get a thin layer of foam that quickly dissapates
the rest of the time where is no visual signs of bubbling or foam

I will get a dry pack of Windsor yeast, but don't know if I should try pitching the starter first, and if so, how long to give it before falling bck on the dry yeast.
 
When are you brewing? I say give the starter more time. I've had starters that have taken up to 3-4 days before I see any kinda indication. Granted mine was older washed yeast.
 
Ha ha. I'm mashing right now. I've given myself a lot of time, haven't I;)

I only made the starter the day before because that was all I ever needed in the past. Usually by now I have a nice foamy starter. Today is the only day I could brew so I had to start.

I just don't want to have this wort sitting for a day at infection-like temps waiting to see if a starter was good or not. I might just pitch the Windsor and forget the Yorkshire starter to be on the safe side? Damn, cause I was excited about this new yeast.
 
Pitch the yorkshire today.... Do a check of the wort tomorrow and then pitch the Windsor.

Basically you could have a long lag time with theYorkshire, With proper sanatiation, a 1 day wait on the yeast (dry) won't be a problem. And it would give the Yorkshire a chance to get going. But that is me.
 
ACbrewer said:
Pitch the yorkshire today.... Do a check of the wort tomorrow and then pitch the Windsor.

Basically you could have a long lag time with theYorkshire, With proper sanatiation, a 1 day wait on the yeast (dry) won't be a problem. And it would give the Yorkshire a chance to get going. But that is me.

+1 this is exactly what I have done in the past and I don't think I have ever had to pitch dry yeast.
 
If it foams when swirled and the pack inflated a bit, the yeast is perfectly good. The gravity reading was likely high due to all that extra CO2 in solution. You're ready to brew.
 
Ok, thanks guys. I'll give the Yorkshire yeast a go of it. We will see (and I'll post) what happens by tomorrow.
 
Smell it. Do you smell fruity esters like green apples or pear? If so, they're a good indication that fermentation is going on (or has occurred).
 
It smells just like it should in terms of yeasty fermentation. We have our fingers crossed. It is sitting in the cellar right now at 68F.

I am hopeful because this wort tasted pretty good, it has a nice dark color and I hit my OG dead on at 1.038. It is only supposed to be a mild ale, so that OG is already much higher than the original recipe (which I modified).
 
Woke up this morning, yep, it was bubbling. This afternoon, it's bubbling right out of the airlock.:rockin:

Thanks again.
 
Back
Top