Ruined Starter?

[BrewinBama]

Fellow Brewers,

I pitched a starter yesterday for my Sweetwater IPA clone that I'm brewing today and I think it went bad. I'm using Wyeast 1968. This morning when I went to swill it, it had formed a solid gelatinous mass on the bottom of the beaker and would not break up. When I picked it up yesterday at my LHBS, I noticed it felt half frozen and when I opened it to pitch the starter, it had a lot of jelly like particles. Is this normal for WYEAST London ESB?

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I've never used it, but I have seen others comment similarly about how this stuff flocculates. Somewhere here on the forum is a pic of this strain during fermentation, looking like a big clump of clay in the middle of the fermentor. I suspect you're okay.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I got three vials of White Labs yeast yesterday and all 3 had formed the solid gelatinous mass you describe. Took some serious shaking but I got it all suspended eventually. I don't think it's gonna matter, the yeast is less than 2 weeks old so I know it's good. Maybe you should DIY up a stir plate to keep everything suspended until pitching time.

 

[MindenMan]

I use 1968 for everything, and yes, it will clump. It flocks quite easily, and makes clear beer.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Here was just one of the pics: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/wyeast-1968-funky-fermentation-430994/