Lager Yeast Starter

[kproudfoot]

Made my first lager starter from liquid yeast. Have made several for ales but first for Lager and never had an issue. Made it last night as i always have and today nothing. 24 hours later. Do I just need to wait? I am using a stir plate and I the past after 24 hours I get a nice list yeast bed if I turn of the stir plate but there is nothing right now and no Krausen, almost like the yeast wasn’t added (but I am certain I did).

I am supposed to brew next Sunday and was planning a 2 step starter and am getting a little nervouse

 

[hottpeper13]

At this time of the year I put my starters in an incubation chamber at 72*,even lager yeasts benefit from warmer starters. Give it another 24 hrs.

 

[wepeeler]

After 24 hours it's likely all done. Fermentation probably happened while you were sleeping. When it's on the stir plate, does it look milky/cloudy?

 

[kproudfoot]

After 24 hours it's likely all done. Fermentation probably happened while you were sleeping. When it's on the stir plate, does it look milky/cloudy?

Yeah looks a little like a NEIPA. Not usually what happens with my ale yeast starters so maybe I’ll okay. With the others I’ve made I always would be a nice yeast cake at the bottom but don’t seem to have it with this batch.

I was planning a 2 stage starter where is cold crash and pour off excess liquid leaving yeast to which I’d add more wort for a few more days. (I’ve done with ales successfully before). Since i don’t see a yeast cake I was worried

 

[JimRausch]

Lager yeast is just more sluggish and nondemonstrative compared to most ale yeasts. I did raise a starter for my Vienna back the beginning of December using WY2308 Munich lager yeast. Here's how I did it: I don't use a stirplate anymore. I activated the pack and added 1/2 each to 2 separate qt. jars of wort. Let that go for 2 or maybe 3 days. I was less than impressed with the activity level, but there was krausen rise and fall and eventual separation of spent wort and yeast. 36 hours or so before planed brewtime I made up 2 fresh qts. of wort. Decanted the supernatant, and added the fresh wort to each jar. This was still going at brewday pitch time. I call it an active starter, Denny calls it a Vitality starter. If you pitch at peak of high krausen, you can pitch lower #s, because the yeast is actively growing. The main fermentation took off just fine.

 

[wepeeler]

Yeah looks a little like a NEIPA. Not usually what happens with my ale yeast starters so maybe I’ll okay. With the others I’ve made I always would be a nice yeast cake at the bottom but don’t seem to have it with this batch.

I was planning a 2 stage starter where is cold crash and pour off excess liquid leaving yeast to which I’d add more wort for a few more days. (I’ve done with ales successfully before). Since i don’t see a yeast cake I was worried

Enter your info in here to see how close to the count you are. Just because you don't see what you think to be a big yeast cake, you could still be fine. I'd double up the starter like you say, just to be safe.

 

[kproudfoot]

 

[wepeeler]

View attachment 604309

Looks fine. But without running numbers, you can't estimate yeast count. Depends mostly on yeast viability ie how old the yeast was when you made the starter.

Cold crash that, decant and add more dme. If you're really worried, do it 2 times. You never want to underpitch, and you'll likely never overpitch.