Decanting a starter

[Flatspin]

Newbie starter maker question:

I have read that when you make a starter, you decant the starter wort and add the yeast at the bottom of the starter to the actual batch. Since a starter is only a day old, aren't most of the viable yeast still in suspension? What is the proper way to maximize the yeast being transferred while having the least possible effect on gravity and flavor profile of your beer?

 

[Gduck]

Many people who decant will crash the started in the fridge to help drop the yeast out of suspension.

But for a 1 or 2L starter that you've had going for a day or so there's no real issue in my opinion with just tossing the whole thing in. Only time I'd feel it w necessary to decant would be doing some crazy big starter for a high gravity beer or if you're stepping up yeast from a very small sample size.

 

[Flatspin]

2 liters is almost 10% of a 5 gallon batch, and that just seems like a really large percentage of the beer.

As for refrigerating the starter, does this have any negative effect on yeast health or viability?

 

[hamiltont]

2 liters is almost 10% of a 5 gallon batch, and that just seems like a really large percentage of the beer.

As for refrigerating the starter, does this have any negative effect on yeast health or viability?

Personally I wouldn't pitch the whole starter. I ferment the starter for ~2 days, put in the fridge for 24 hours to drop most of the yeast, decant just prior to pitching and add a bit of the wort back to the yeast, swirl to get the yeast back into suspension and then pitch.

Placing the yeast in the fridge does not hurt them at all.

Cheers!!!

 

[TyTanium]

As for refrigerating the starter, does this have any negative effect on yeast health or viability?

Nope, they just drop out and go dormant. Still very much alive. They'll wake up again with sugar & warmer temps. Just don't freeze them (unless frozen properly)

 

[DSmith]

I know it's overkill, but I've had a lot of success siphoning out the wort from starters with 1/4" polyethylene tubing (water supply tubing for a refrigerator) from Home Depot (about $2 for 25'). 3' of tube is plenty to siphon from the surface of the liquid into the sink. Sanitize but start the siphion by mouth. It's very stiff and takes the guesswork out of decanting with a foggy flask/gallon jug to determine when to stop.

 

[Flatspin]

Personally I wouldn't pitch the whole starter. I ferment the starter for ~2 days, put in the fridge for 24 hours to drop most of the yeast, decant just prior to pitching and add a bit of the wort back to the yeast, swirl to get the yeast back into suspension and then pitch.

Placing the yeast in the fridge does not hurt them at all.

Cheers!!!

Have you noticed any benefit to letting the starter sit for more than a day? How long does the reproductive phase usually last?

 

[DSmith]

Every starter I've done on a stirplate has needed 36 - 48 hours to be completely finished (no signs of activity or foaming for at least 8 hours). Starter volumes from 1L - 3L. Rushing will be harmful in ways I can't explain. There's no issue keeping the starter in the refrigerator for multiple days, but too short of time (<12 hours) could result in decanting very useful yeast.

 

[Flatspin]

OK, to take this in a slightly different direction - I have a beer that is ready to bottle, and I was planning to re-use the yeast in a brew this weekend. The beer in the fermenter right now has been there for about 4 weeks (1.060 OG)

Does it make sense to create a starter from some of the the yeast in the fermenter, or should I just pitch directly onto the yeast cake? If it takes 2-3 days to have the starter ready, I figured that making a starter Thursday evening should yield a batch of yeast ready for feasting on Sunday, if I go the starter direction.