How long can my starter sit?

[mavrick1903]

I made a starter a week ago (roughly) hoping to brew within a couple of days. It's been a week. At this point it's looking less and less like I'm going to get to brew that batch before Labor day weekend. So, how long can I let the starter sit. It's been sitting cold crashed in the refridgarator for almost a week. I have the fridge space to keep it that way till I brew. Will this work? or should I be scraping the starter and starting over. it's only a packet of yeast and a little DME. annoying, yes. but I'd rather not scrap a batch because I tried to use a starter that was beyond it's time.

the batch will be a Belgian Quad.

 

[Cyclman]

For a Quad, I would start over. You could put it into a sterilized jar, store it, and make a new starter before the brew, and I am sure many will advise this, and you'd probably be just fine. But to me, the expense of a subpar batch is greater than the loss of tossed yeast.

To contradict myself, Belgians often slightly underpitch and let the yeast ramp up.

 

[Rambleon]

Save it. A couple of days before the brew decant it, let it warn to room temp and pitch some more wort on it. This will not only "awaken" the yeast but it'll boost your cell count closer to what you'll need for a quad. I'm not sure why this would make a "sub-par" batch of beer.

 

[chemman14]

I have had no problem in the past storing a starter in the fridge for a week plus. Just decanted then allowed to warm to room temp while sitting on my stir plate.

 

[Leithoa]

I have two yeast samples in my fridge that have been stored under boiled water for months. I've used this process before and had good results.
If you add some fresh wort a few days in advance like others have suggested you should have no problems.