starter culture for bottle dregs (in fridge) has mold on top?

[Ted123]

Hello all,

I thought it would be a brilliant idea to make a starter wort (.030) and place it in a Mason Jar in the fridge, and then gradually add bottle dregs to it every few days from nifty beers (drei fontainen, to ol sour, etc . . . ) in hopes that I would have a stock of bugs to eventually add to a lambic-style beer I'm gonna brew in about a month.

But I'm realizing that this might have been a bad strategy, as it wasn't really an "active fermentation" (with Sach. yeast creating a blanket of CO2 in the headspace of the jar) . . . and instead its just sweet wort, with some weak-ish dregs in there, not kicking up much gas. So, this might not be a pellicle, but the beginnings of mold instead.

I read about folks like the Mad Fermentationist adding dregs to their beers while they are in process (in the primary or secondary), or about folks making actively fermenting starters, stepping up dregs.
And is my technique thus a boo boo?

Thanks--Ted

 

[foltster]

Pics?

 

[finsfan]

Thats not a bad technique at all. I would probably have a couple beers on hand to drink the night you make the starter to get yeast/bugs in there ASAP. I would also suggest using a smaller gravity starter when building up dregs from the bottle, around 1.010. DO NOT use a stirplate the first step and just swirl occasionally instead. You can step up to another larger starter on a stirplate after a week or so.

I have also just dumped a bunch of dregs over time into a jar without starter wort to pitch, and that made some pretty fantastic beers. IF youd like to keep the culture for future use, I would suggest making a multi step starter and building more than you need for the initial pitch.

Also, if the stuff on top on the starter is not white, it is more than likely something not "good". May be mold or something else. If it is white, you have a pellicle and that is perfectly normal. You wont see a lot of activity with bugs so dont worry about not getting a krausen or a lot of airlock activity (if you use an airlock). The bugs are still doing their work and it will be fine.

 

[youreanimpulse]

Sounds like the starter is in the fridge, that's the issue with the technique. Leave it out so it can ferment.

 

[electrolight]

Yup. Just leave it out. And sours clean up nice so you could even ferment room temp np.

 

[Ted123]

Do you folks think that its a goner? . . . (because it went into the fridge after only being at room temp for a day, so it didn't get enough time to "start" and create a C02 blanket, meaning it went into the fridge with oxygen in the head space, and now mold has set in onto the sugarey wort?)
Maybe I should start the strategy over for attempt-2 . . . make a (lighter .020) starter, pitch dregs into it (some of which have Sach in them), so a blanket of CO2 can cover the head space, give it some time at room temp to get things going, then move to the fridge for storage until I need it (to pitch into the secondary of a long-term sour).
Thanks--Ted

 

[foltster]

Also, when you let the starter ferment out, most of the sugars are consumed so there is not much for any other organisms to grow in.

Personally if there is mold on something at the starter size, its an easy choice to dump it.