How should my starter taste?

[Brek81]

sorry for the newbish question, i made a starter for tonights brew 2 days ago. its WPL 051- california ale V. It fermented a bit warm (72-74F), and its has almost a dry Riesling wine taste and acidity. OG was 1.035 FG is 1.010. Should i get a new package of yeast? the acidity/winey taste is my major concern.

 

[goswell]

I used that yeast once myself. Same thing, the starter was very much like you described. I went ahead and made the beer anyway and it turned out ok but I will not use that yeast again.

 

[pkeeler]

Most beer tasted at two days will have astringent taste that could remind you of riesling wine. As long as the starter smells like beer, it should be good to use.

 

[doctorRobert]

what was the recipe? Did you dry hop?

Its a starter! Did the yeast grow? multiply? yes? then good, mission accomplished. Unless you think you had an infection, its good. But a starter is not meant for taste. If you were confident in your sanitation, pitch away. If you arent... then consider new yeast.

 

[Beezer94]

A starter typically will not be delicious at all.

It is heavily oxidized, so a nice wet cardboard taste

It is often fermented much warmer, so an extreme quantity of esters & phenols develop

It is flat, makes it seem more watery and less flavorful

It is extremely young, you don't brew your 5gallons today and drink it tomorrow for good reason

 

[Pappers_]

It is extremely young, you don't brew your 5gallons today and drink it tomorrow for good reason

Carp. Apparently, I've been doing it wrong . . .

 

[Brek81]

i didn't throw the starter away, but decided to just cold crash it and pitch new yeast to be safe. I figure i can make another starter from a small part of this yeast for comparison thanks guys