starter krausen question

[jrodder]

OK, so I probably already know the answer to this, but I'm asking anyway.

I haven't brewed in a year, we moved and it really wasn't a top priority compared to all the house stuff that needed done. Upgraded from BIAB and can now do 10 gallon batches, which facilitated the need for bigger starters in my little ol' 2L flask and stirplate.

I did a step up, and 2nd step had to be 2L. Like an idiot, I filled that flask and let er rip. Of course this morning it's more like 1.5L and lost a ton of krausen. I am assuming that is a lot of perfectly viable healthy yeast that is lost and won't be in the pitch count correct?

Nothing I can do about it now, I'm gonna pitch and RDWHAHB. My question is really how this may affect the final yeast performance. I came across in my reading that when harvesting yeast, the top crop is usually of a different character than the bottom. Characteristics like the top may attenuate more and flocculate differently than the yeast that fell first, so you typically crop from a middle layer, or wash it and mix it all up.

If I am missing what looks like a majority of the krausen from a 1272 starter, would a relatively undisciplined palate detect the difference? If I am too cheap to buy the 4L flask, or another 2L flask and build another stirplate, would it be viable to #10 stopper it and collect the overflow yeast in another container with starsan?

 

[CGish]

My question is really how this may affect the final yeast performance. If I am missing what looks like a majority of the krausen from a 1272 starter, would a relatively undisciplined palate detect the difference?

You don't say what kind of beer you are brewing, but I bet you will be just fine. At this point, I wouldn't worry about it.

If I am too cheap to buy the 4L flask, or another 2L flask and build another stirplate, would it be viable to #10 stopper it and collect the overflow yeast in another container with starsan?

You could buy a new flask or rig an overflow, but I have had good luck with one and two gallon buckets. The five liter ice cream buckets and the 2 gallon Encore buckets from Lowes or Walmart both work fine. You can get a three liter starter in the ice cream buckets and a six liter starter in the 2 gallon buckets.

These are starters for my wheat beers earlier this year:



This is what the buckets look like on my stirplate:



Hope that helps,
Cody

 

[jrodder]

You know what, it never really occurred to me to use something other than the flask. It really should have, but as I was always using DME for starter it was always best to boil it right in the flash before pitching. This is the first time I did and all grain that wasn't BIAB, so I was able to save the deadspace wort for use in the next starter, and I've already boiled and canned it. That's a sexy stirplate btw, I am ashamed to post what mine looks like currently. It's certainly function over form.

Anyway, it's a pale ale, OG 1.06. I estimated 70% efficiency, actually landed at 62. I'm thinking any esters produced won't hurt, it's not like I'm making a chocolate porter or something.

 

[CGish]

This is what I used for years until I built the one above this summer:



An old train controller, a computer fan, and a couple wood blocks.

The beer didn't know the difference. With the wood blocks I could put anything from a 500ml flask to a 2 gallon bucket over the fan and it worked just fine. The new one is just a combination of vanity and love of tinkering.