Starter Question

[Pete08]

At the risk of sounding dumb, here is a basic question. I have read the Mr. Malty tutorial on starters and am planning to do a starter for an amber ale, which will actually be a starter for a big barleywine.

My yeast is WLP001. I read that it should be pitched between 12-18 hours. If this is only shaken, some fermentation could happen, correct? If stirred, is it stirred the whole 12-18 hours, therefore no fermentation? My confusion stems from the idea of pitching at high krausen, or in some school of thoughts, after high krausen.

 

[DaleJ]

It will ferment whether it just sits or is shaken or is stirred.

The different methods introduce oxygen at different rates causing differing growth rates of the yeast. But the yeast will eat the sugars in the wort no matter.

 

[Yooper]

The point of the starter is to get more yeast, and to ensure that they are alive and ready to go. They start to reproduce, and then they start to ferment. Stirring vs. not stirring doesn't stall fermentation. A stir plate is used to keep the yeast in suspension so that they don't settle on the bottom.

You can pitch the starter at high krausen- but you can also pitch it days later. There are reasons for both, but it really doesn't matter all that much. If you're pitching the whole starter, it's good to have it at high krausen. I like to ferment mine out completely, stick it in the fridge and then decant the spent wort. It's a matter of personal preference.

 

[Pete08]

Much thanks to both of you!