Starter question

[Soma]

When pitching a starter into wort, do you add the whole volume of liquid or just the thick yeast at the bottom?

 

[bcryan]

you could do both. i just dump it all in. swish it all up real good and dump.

 

[bjohnson29]

Yep, depends on your beer. For very light lagers, I just add the yeast, but for more robust beers you can add everything.

 

[ekjohns]

Also depends on the size for a 5 gal batch 1L you can pitch everything. For a 2L I would crash cool and decant

 

[makomachine]

I always crash cool and decant. But that's just me on my quest for the perfect beer.

 

[944play]

For crazy-active, but perishable, non-flocculent hefeweizen yeast, I think it's better to make a smallish starter at the beginning of the brew day. By the time the main wort is cool and oxygenated, the starter ought to be at or near high kraeusen -- pitch the whole mess.

 

[Clementine]

This is one of those personal preference things. Everyone develops their own routine.

Mine is fridge, warm, decant, pitch into a finishing starter morning of the brew, then pitch into brew at high krausen normally about 6-8hrs later. Use a stir plate for the production of the yeast from a slant but not for the last finishing starter, if possible I will use wort similar to the brew so I'm not detracting from or adding to the flavors. I have all sorts of wort canned.

Clem

 

[PantherCity]

Why would you let it warm before you decant? I've seen people say this before but I don't understand. While heating my strike water I just decant straight from the fridge while there is a nice thick cake. Then I swirl up the remainder and let that warm up.

 

[Clementine]

I gave some thought to this and it was to slow the warming process a bit to avoid shocking them. I guess I could decant cold and then put the whole thing flask in a container of water from the fridge it I was really worried. The other reason is it is one less time I take the lid off the flask, one less chance for a bug to get in there. And before you say it yes I am that paranoid.

Clem