Make a starter or repitch slurry...

[atom]

I recently brewed 5 gallons of a saison and kegged it about a month ago… harvested/washed the yeast (3711) which has been chilling in 4 different mason jars (each with about a ½ cup slurry) for the past month. I plan to brew 10 gallons of the same recipe this weekend. My question is, should I make a big starter out of one of those jars or should I just pitch one jar in each of the buckets…(5 gallons each).

Just trying to figure out if a starter is worth it for this batch.

 

[catdaddy66]

Pitching slurry will work but the results may be less than optimal. For one, you need an amount that can do the job readily which can be estimated via many online calculators. Second, they need to be warmed up and that's where a starter helps with both needs. Warmed yeast are more awake and many yeast cells make for a more complete and quicker fermentation.

Cold yeast and small numbers will get a slow, possibly incomplete fermentation and it will stress the yeast tremendously. This stress can cause funky flavors from the yeast.

Starters make sure the yeast have become alert after napping in the fridge and sans food/O2. They multiply and do what yeast do best, eat sugar! That always helps to make better beer!

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[ajf]

If the slurry is a month old, I would definitely make a starter. I might be tempted to omit the starter, if the slurry is just a few days old, but in my case, this never happens.

-a.

 

[DonH]

I ALWAYS make a starter... it takes about 30 minutes and the returns are great