Lager Starter Step Question

[DPlan00]

I pitched two packs of Wyeast Urquell 2001 on into 4 liters on Wednesday night. According to Mr. Malty this will give me 400bil. I was going to chill, decant, and add 4 liters more starter wort to give me another 600bil for my 12 gallon batch of 1.051 wort.

When do I begin to chill? And how long do I cool before I decant and repitch?
Thanks

 

[wonderbread23]

I usually give my yeast 24 hours in the fridge before decanting.

 

[Dog House Brew]

I have been doing the same the past 2 weeks. I've been letting it ferment out, 3 days on avg, then put in the fridge in the morning before work. When I get home I decant and re-pitch. You can tell once the spent wort becomes clear.

 

[osagedr]

How long you need to chill before decanting depends on (a) the starter temp and (b) the flocculation characteristics of the yeast being used.

(a) if your starter is at or near room temp it will ferment out very quickly so put it in the fridge once you are confident it is done. If your starter is being done at the same temp as your main lager batch (high 40s or low 50s) then it will of course take longer to be "done" and you need to build this into your timeline.

(b) I've chilled and decanted starters using highly flocculant strains that would have needed only about half a day for me to get most of the yeast out of suspension. I've done others that seem to take forever for the yeast to drop out. So take a look at the characteristics of the individual yeast strain you are using.

Right now I have a 4 litre starter with harvested & washed second generation W 34/70 going at 50 degrees; started it Tuesday night for a Saturday afternoon pitch. I will turn the stir plate off very late Friday, move the flask to 33 degrees overnight and feel very confident things will clear up enough to pitch by Saturday suppertime.

 

[DPlan00]

It's at 65F. I was planning to pitch on Monday evening or even Tuesday morning, which seems more likely, as it will tak a while to chill all that down to the pitching temp of 45.

So now my question is this: I will take my starter off the stir plate tonight, and chill overnight and get my 4L starter ready for the step tomorrow. Should I ferment the step at 65F, the same as the first fermentation of the original starter? Or, should I ferment the 4L step at the actual fermentation temp of 50F?

 

[wildwest450]

So now my question is this: I will take my starter off the stir plate tonight, and chill overnight and get my 4L starter ready for the step tomorrow. Should I ferment the step at 65F, the same as the first fermentation of the original starter? Or, should I ferment the 4L step at the actual fermentation temp of 50F?

You're running out of time, I would ferment at room temp. If you ferment cold it will take a while. I like to chill my lager starters at least two days before pitching, they can be stubborn to drop out.


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[DPlan00]

Another question, I have chilled my original starter overnight in the fridge, and am now preparing the other 4 liters of new wort. In some way, it is related to the last question.

Should the yeast slurry be the same temp as the new starter when I pour it on top? That is, should it be around 65F?

Thanks for all the help!