Dead/slow starting lager starter - best way to repitch?

[DaveSeattle]

I made a 1 gallon starter yesterday and pitched my Wyeast smack pack of Bavarian Lager yeast. It's been under constant aeration (aquarium pump) since then (24 hours), but there are no signs of fermentation: the refractometer reading hasn't budged from 1.038 and there is no visible yeast sediment. The yeast packet dates to 6/5 and spent a few days unrefrigerated during shipping, so I'm guessing that the yeast died. Mr. Malty did say I needed two yeast packets given the age of the beer but I only had one.

My only opportunity to brew for a week+ was tonight, so I went ahead and brewed. Oktoberfest, 1.055 OG (AG). I pitched about a cup of starter liquid but then stuck the fermenter in my kegerator at 38 degrees. I figured the starter liquid would ensure that, if I have to wait a few days, the trace yeast in the starter liquid would outcompete the trace bacteria left after sanitization.

Tomorrow I'm planning to pick up a new packet of yeast. Question is do I (a) just wait and expect that the starter will come alive soon, (b) pitch the new yeast directly into the fermenter, which would be a fairly major underpitch, (c) pitch the new yeast into the existing starter, wait a couple days, cold crash and pitch, or (d) assume the starter is infected (no signs to indicate this), create a new starter (ouch), pitch, cold crash, and pitch to wort? How long should I expect a gallon starter to take, and how long do you think it's safe to keep the unfermented wort at 38 degrees?

Thanks for the help!

 

[DaveSeattle]

A buddy suggested starting over and just reboiling the beer before pitching, since it has no late hop additions. But I decided not to reboil to see what happens - call it an experiment.

Pitched the new yeast packet mostly into the starter but pitched a little into the beer just in case the starter got infected. 24 hours later the starter had a very nice layer of yeast sediment, so I decanted about half of it (as much as I could, hard to decant from a bucket!) and pitched it into the beer. At that point the wort had been sitting unpitched in the fridge at 38 degrees for 3 days after brewing. The airlock started bubbling within 24 hours and as of 6 days after pitching it's about 3/4 fermented (9 brix which Sean Terrill's calculator puts at about 1.019). Time for diacetyl rest. The little taste I took tastes like a pretty good beer and there's plenty of krausen remnants. Looks like it worked fine!