Starter question

[olotti]

So I put some saved 007 into a starter on Wednesday and I just use the shake method and truth be told it's been about 60-70 deg on my main floor where I keep the starter. It just started throwing a Krausen yesterday and is still going today when I swirl it so I think maybe it was a slow start as the yeast was 4 months old and it got colder during the night but I'm just wondering how long would one expect such a small 1.5L starter to ferment like this before I think maybe theirs an infection and I say infection as while it smells like yeasty beer there's something there not phenolic or beligian but more like a white wine smell coming from it that I don't recall coming from my original starter when I had this 4 months ago. Maybe it was the higher ambient temps and now it's growing phenols idk I just want to be sure I don't infect my dipa that I'm about to dump 50$ into with grain and hops. Any thoughts.

Edit 4/24: I decided just to keep going with this and cold crashed the original starter and made the step up portion today of 2.5L. Smells fine like a yeasty malty starter and it kicked off in 2 hrs with a nice clean looking head. So looks like I just panicked per usual and looking forward to seeing how this 007 neipa turns out. Thanks for all the thoughts and advice.

 

[flars]

Give this one extra time if you suspect an infection. Keep the starter at room temperature after it ferments out for up to a week. By the end of a weeks time you should be able to tell if the aroma was just from the fermentation or a possible infection.

 

[olotti]

Give this one extra time if you suspect an infection. Keep the starter at room temperature after it ferments out for up to a week. By the end of a weeks time you should be able to tell if the aroma was just from the fermentation or a possible infection.

I was gonna brew Friday so I actually put this one in the fridge to cold crash because I have to step it up. I was just thinking to be safe of pulling out some 1318 I saved from two months ago and just making another starter with that just to be safe. I thought the 007 is ok and it could just be the English esters being thrown I'm just not 100% sure and since I had an infected starter two years ago but that was from poorly washed yeast and I haven't had one since, ruin two batches of beer I'm just slightly paranoid

 

[kh54s10]

I have never paid any attention to the smell of my starters. There are some yeasts that really smell disgusting to me.

IMO, temperature is not much of a deal with a starter. You are not concerned with making a good tasting beer - you are propagating yeast cells.

With the intermittent shake method I would ferment 36-48 hours. 18-24 on a stirplate.

I would also let the suspect starter sit at room temperature for a couple of days and see if a pellicle forms on the surface. Or that it smells really bad. As in rotten.

 

[brew_darrymore]

like a white wine smell coming from it that I don't recall coming from my original starter

I think that white wine smell is normal. Most of my starters have that as well.

 

[ericbw]

I think I used 007 before and found it finicky. I think I dumped it because it seemed infected. It might not have been.

 

[olotti]

I think that white wine smell is normal. Most of my starters have that as well.

Thanks for the reply. I think I may just wait it out and see if the next step up starter reveals anything. I think I'm just being paranoid for some reason.

 

[olotti]

I have never paid any attention to the smell of my starters. There are some yeasts that really smell disgusting to me.

IMO, temperature is not much of a deal with a starter. You are not concerned with making a good tasting beer - you are propagating yeast cells.

With the intermittent shake method I would ferment 36-48 hours. 18-24 on a stirplate.

I would also let the suspect starter sit at room temperature for a couple of days and see if a pellicle forms on the surface. Or that it smells really bad. As in rotten.

Thanks for the reply. I think I'm just being paranoid. I do remember the one infected starter I did have I'll never forget had this really disgusting looking Krausen to it that even at the time when I was new to making starters didn't look right to me. Krausen on this one looks fine but that may not mean anything.

 

[InLimbo]

If you're spending the money on a nice sounding DIPA, why short change yourself with possibly less than vital 4-month old yeast? I'd personally spend the money on fresh healthy yeast pitch & starter if I was $50 deep into a DIPA. Good luck!

 

[kh54s10]

If you're spending the money on a nice sounding DIPA, why short change yourself with possibly less than vital 4-month old yeast? I'd personally spend the money on fresh healthy yeast pitch & starter if I was $50 deep into a DIPA. Good luck!

The price is a consideration. Maybe brew up a simple APA for that yeast and get some fresh yeast for the expensive DIPA.