Stir plate first timer

[kerant]

Built and used my stir plate for first time and since yeast was from feb I stepped it up a few times. Kind of nervous because want to brew tomorrow but in each step of starter I left on for about 12 hrs but did not show any krausen. Cold crashing and appears to be more yeast but I'm wondering if its normal not to have a krausen but still have viable yeast. thanks

 

[splyn]

i have never seen typical looking krausen in my starters using a stir plate. normally i just see more or less foam at the edges and in the whirlpool. typically i dont create a starter step for more than 24 hours. in fact my last step for a Maris Otter SMaSH was about 12 hours.

 

[trentm]

i have never seen typical looking krausen in my starters using a stir plate. normally i just see more or less foam at the edges and in the whirlpool. typically i dont create a starter step for more than 24 hours. in fact my last step for a Maris Otter SMaSH was about 12 hours.

This is my experience as well. Tips: 1) Watch for color change of media, for my strains it will turn a rich creamy color. 2) Use your oral hydrometer (taste the starter). 3) Use your visual spectrophotometer (the starter will become more opaque as it nears terminal gravity). While these techniques are qualitative, with experience, they will serve well in determining the stages of your culture.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Some strains of yeast create huge krausen, some nearly none. Depends on the strain and the volume of the starter. FYI, I have a 2L Eflask and prepare 4 cups (700ML) wort for my starters. Ifr yours are smaller, it could complete quite quickly. When i spun up a starter from yeast I had harvested a year earlier, it took nearly 48 hours to show any krausen. However, when I cold crashed, decanted and restepped, it krausened immediately. What are you using for a heat source? I usually place my flask in the corner of my kitchen counter under 2 high intensity under-counter lights. Nice and warm.

 

[kh54s10]

I also find that when doing multiple step starters each step reacts differently. Usually more foam on each step. It is thinner with larger individual bubbles than the krausen I see in my beers.

 

[ControlFreak1975]

I post my questions in another topic but I'll ask here too. I've only got a small ring of bubbles around the edge of my flask. My wort was extra light DME and the yeast is WL Vermont strain. I may have possibly frozen the yeast in my very cold fridge. I did let it sit out for 24 hours prior to pitching into the starter. The O.G. of the wort was 1.028. Did I kill my little yeast buddies?

 

[johngaltsmotor]

Most times a stir plate keeps breaking the bubbles before a true krausen can form. The liquid at the edges doesn't move as fast so the bubbles don't get broken up as quickly. As long as the liquid is cloudy it's got yeast floating around in there and they have no brains so they're going to eat the sugars and reproduce.

 

[ControlFreak1975]

It's cloudy alright. My only other experience with a starter was with Wyeast Oud Bruin. It had a nice 2" tall head on it for a day or so. However I did not use a stir plate with that starter.

 

[jfr1111]

I usually do not get any krausen at all with a stir plate starter, unless I'm using a top cropping yeast, so what you are experiencing is perfectly normal.

 

[MardyBum]

Some strains of yeast create huge krausen, some nearly none. Depends on the strain and the volume of the starter. FYI, I have a 2L Eflask and prepare 4 cups (700ML) wort for my starters. Ifr yours are smaller, it could complete quite quickly. When i spun up a starter from yeast I had harvested a year earlier, it took nearly 48 hours to show any krausen. However, when I cold crashed, decanted and restepped, it krausened immediately. What are you using for a heat source? I usually place my flask in the corner of my kitchen counter under 2 high intensity under-counter lights. Nice and warm.

Is there an ideal temperature to keep the starter? My ambient temperature is at 29c. Would making a starter at that temp be unadvisable?

 

[jfr1111]

Is there an ideal temperature to keep the starter? My ambient temperature is at 29c. Would making a starter at that temp be unadvisable?

That's really high. I prefer my starters to be in the 20-22C territory. You'll need to ferment your beer at much lower temperatures anyway, and such a huge change in temperature will shock the yeast.