How long can you keep starter in fridge before needing to add more wort?

[MHBT]

Last week I made a 2.5 l starter cold crashed it/decanted and added 3 l of fresh wort last Thursday, it's been in the fridge since..i will not get a chance to brew until Sat or sunday..do you think I will need to add fresh wort? Or is it good to go? On brew day I will decant and let it warm to pitching temps

 

[LLBeanJ]

It'll be fine for a couple weeks, and probably quite a bit longer, actually.

 

[MHBT]

It'll be fine for a couple weeks, and probably quite a bit longer, actually.

Really? Won't have to wake the yeast up before I pitch into the main batch? Cool. btw heaven and hell is one of the best Sabbath albums ever, die young is the sh$$
RIP DIO

 

[RM-MN]

http://www.woodlandbrew.com/2012/12/refrigeration-effects-on-yeast-viability.html

 

[rhys333]

Last week I made a 2.5 l starter cold crashed it/decanted and added 3 l of fresh wort last Thursday, it's been in the fridge since..i will not get a chance to brew until Sat or sunday..do you think I will need to add fresh wort? Or is it good to go? On brew day I will decant and let it warm to pitching temps

You'll be fine. A couple weeks, or even 4 or more. By the way, how big is your beer? I use WYeast packs, and as long as they're relatively fresh and inflate within a day, I will just pitch directly for any 5 gallon batch at 1.060 or less.

 

[MHBT]

You'll be fine. A couple weeks, or even 4 or more. By the way, how big is your beer? I use WYeast packs, and as long as they're relatively fresh and inflate within a day, I will just pitch directly for anything 5 gallon batch at 1.060 or less.

Duvel clone est og is 1072 est fg 1005..yeast pack was relatively old

 

[rhys333]

Duvel clone est og is 1072 est fg 1005..yeast pack was relatively old

Then ignore what I said. LOL

 

[Jayjay1976]

By the way, how big is your beer? I use WYeast packs, and as long as they're relatively fresh and inflate within a day, I will just pitch directly for any 5 gallon batch at 1.060 or less.

Who brews anything below 1.060?
What's the point of that?
That'd be like, a ladybeer or something.

 

[hotwatermusic]

Last week I made a 2.5 l starter cold crashed it/decanted and added 3 l of fresh wort last Thursday, it's been in the fridge since..i will not get a chance to brew until Sat or sunday..do you think I will need to add fresh wort? Or is it good to go? On brew day I will decant and let it warm to pitching temps

How long have you used that process? I tried doing that before and the yeast seemed to drift, I was getting blow-offs in the fridge with 001. What a mess!
*edit*BSI recommends doing something like that when collecting or storing yeast.

 

[MHBT]

How long have you used that process? I tried doing that before and the yeast seemed to drift, I was getting blow-offs in the fridge with 001. What a mess!

i have used step starters for lagers and higher gravity ales for a while now..this yeast is 1388 had a moderate krausen not close to a blow off and i let it finish before putting it in the fridge around 45 hours on the stirplate..what do you mean that the yeast seemed to shift?

 

[hotwatermusic]

i have used step starters for lagers and higher gravity ales for a while now..this yeast is 1388 had a moderate krausen not close to a blow off and i let it finish before putting it in the fridge around 45 hours on the stirplate..what do you mean that the yeast seemed to shift?

At the time I was generally harvesting yeast from cakes and storing under canned wort. I think the yeast was shifting as in becoming used to food at cold temps and actually started "drifting" genetically to something lager-like. It was fermenting wort at 38* and really attenuating well to boot. Could be a number of things I guess but it was just kind of cool to see it happen.

 

[MHBT]

At the time I was generally harvesting yeast from cakes and storing under canned wort. I think the yeast was shifting as in becoming used to food at cold temps and actually started "drifting" genetically to something lager-like. It was fermenting wort at 38* and really attenuating well to boot. Could be a number of things I guess but it was just kind of cool to see it happen.

i have never experienced that before.pretty crazy

 

[rhys333]

Who brews anything below 1.060?
What's the point of that?
That'd be like, a ladybeer or something.

I'd say most of mine are between 4.5 and 5.5% abv. I'll occasionally brew a 3.5% mild or a 6-7% IPA or Belgian.

 

[LLBeanJ]

At the time I was generally harvesting yeast from cakes and storing under canned wort.

This does not seem to me to be a good idea, as it will still ferment at cold temps, just much slower. If storing is your goal, it's best to store yeast under the beer it fermented, whether that's yeast from a starter or harvested from the fermenter.

 

[hotwatermusic]

http://www.brewingscience.com/yeast_care.htm
#4 references this idea.
I believe they explain the theory behind it better elsewhere. However this is all I could find with a cursory search. At any rate it didn't stick with me. I was hoping to find a way of increasing viability while keeping multiple strains going without slanting as I don't have the equipment nor confidence.

 

[hotwatermusic]

I do agree with the woodland brewers thread and generally just save slurries and build starters later. Easy and effective.

 

[rhys333]

http://www.brewingscience.com/yeast_care.htm
#4 references this idea.
I believe they explain the theory behind it better elsewhere. However this is all I could find with a cursory search. At any rate it didn't stick with me. I was hoping to find a way of increasing viability while keeping multiple strains going without slanting as I don't have the equipment nor confidence.

I find refrigerated yeast stays viable for many months and a small starter is usually all that's needed.

 

[LLBeanJ]

http://www.brewingscience.com/yeast_care.htm
#4 references this idea.
I believe they explain the theory behind it better elsewhere. However this is all I could find with a cursory search. At any rate it didn't stick with me. I was hoping to find a way of increasing viability while keeping multiple strains going without slanting as I don't have the equipment nor confidence.

Just store the yeast under it's own beer and it will be fine for quite some time. I've been doing it this way for nearly 6 years. I have revived yeast that was stored that way for over a year and most of the yeast I work with has been stored under beer for at least 6 months and I've not had any issues.