Question on starter timing please

[Khasta]

Hey guyz, i listen to a lot of brew strong and other brewing podcast, and Jamil and Palmer keep saying that its best not to let your starter on the stir plate for more than 24 hours, since the bulk of the reproduction phase happen in the first 10-14 hours.

I just bough a stir plate and i was wondering if i should throw it in the fridge after i let it on the stir plate for 24 hours? Or would it be best if i let it at room temp for more time before cold crashing it?

Any thoughts? How do you guyz do?

 

[brewshki]

There are a bunch of ways to go about this. I have done a few different ones depending on time constraints or a last minute decision to brew. My "normal" or preferred process would be to let the starter sit on the stir plate for no longer than 24 hours. If I notice that fermentation appears to be complete before that, I will take it off then. At that point, I always put it into the fridge. I am one of those people who wants to minimize the amount of starter wort I put into my beer, so cold crashing allows me to decant later on. I also figure that if there are any other bugs in there, the fridge will help to keep them at bay. I don't think there is any additional value in letting it sit out before cold crashing. I also wouldn't normally let it sit out in room temp after it has fermented for the same reason I wouldn't let a purchased vial or pure pitch sit out.

 

[Khasta]

Right, hey thanks for the inout brother

Cheers!

 

[Cyclman]

I put it on the plate for 48, cold crash 24, decant before pitching.

 

[morbster]

My "normal" or preferred process would be to let the starter sit on the stir plate for no longer than 24 hours. If I notice that fermentation appears to be complete before that, I will take it off then.

How do you tell that fermentation is finished? Preparing to make my first starter in a few days and I'd like to know what to look for.

 

[kh54s10]

How do you tell that fermentation is finished? Preparing to make my first starter in a few days and I'd like to know what to look for.

IMO, you really don't want fermentation to fully finish. You want the yeast to reproduce and be really healthy. That is why you really don't want to go more than 24 hours. After the growth phase, (the 18-24 hours), the yeast will be spending energy fermenting the starter.

If I am doing a one step stater, I figure things backward. I want the flask in the fridge the night before brew day. I usually finish late in the afternoon. I then figure on the 18-24 hours on the stirplate.

If it is a stepped starter then there is another cold crash added along with the first run on the stirplate.

If anything more time cold crashing rather than longer on the stirplate.

 

[brewshki]

How do you tell that fermentation is finished? Preparing to make my first starter in a few days and I'd like to know what to look for.

If it isn't on a stir plate, you can totally see a krausen form and see bubbles like a normal fermentation. If you pull it off of the stir plate early, I can normally see bubbles rise through it.