When is a starter ready?

[WiscBrewer]

When you make a yeast starter using a stirplate, do you have a rule of thumb for the time needed for it to be ready to pitch? Is 24 hours adequate?

 

[JLeuck64]

Lot's of varying opinions on this... when I first was making starters I was shooting for a 36 hour window before I pitched it in. Sometimes I would notice that it took a solid 24 hours before I noticed the krausen building up. I figured it was taking longer probably because the yeast had been sitting dormant in the fridge for months. Lately I've been shooting more for a 48 hour window just for convenience mostly but that timing does seem to coincide with the krausen maxing out shortly before I'm ready to pitch it in.

 

[MaxStout]

For me it's been about 24-36 hours, just to make sure it's done. Starters can sometimes not show a lot of visible activity, so I err on the safe side and wait it out some. Then I cold-crash and decant, making it about 48 hours total.

 

[Sammy86]

For me it's been about 24-36 hours, just to make sure it's done. Starters can sometimes not show a lot of visible activity, so I err on the safe side and wait it out some. Then I cold-crash and decant, making it about 48 hours total.

I do the exact same thing!

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

My vote is for at "high krausen"...

 

[k_alebrewer]

For me its 24 hours on stir plate, 12 hours at room temp without agitation and then in the fridge for 12 hour cold crash. I decant the liquid as much as possible leaving only a few mm to swirl up the slurry. After that, some of it goes in the vial for next batch, while the remaining into the fermenter. So 48 hours it is.
Cheers!

 

[cjones]

for me its 24 hours on stir plate, 12 hours at room temp without agitation and then in the fridge for 12 hour cold crash. I decant the liquid as much as possible leaving only a few mm to swirl up the slurry. After that, some of it goes in the vial for next batch, while the remaining into the fermenter. So 48 hours it is.
Cheers!

+1