buzzkill
Well-Known Member
always keep a pack of dry yeast in frige...
Well its been 60 hours and still no activity. I took a reading and its pretty much the same. I don't know where I went wrong. I stirred it up and tried to aerate but who knows what will happen. No airlock activity either. I'll take another reading in a day or two and maybe pitch a second vile with a starter.
My OG was 1.064 and today it was 1.042.
It has been about 12 hours and I'm not seeing any activity.
The wort was between 68 and 72 degrees. The yeast had been sitting out for 1.5 to 2 hours and was about room temp. I haven't taken a reading for about 24 hrs but have not seen any airlock activity (which I know I can't go by) but has been present in every other batch I've brewed.
My OG was 1.064 and today it was 1.042. I tasted my sample and it was still very sugary.
Is that normal with White Labs?
Just to nit-pick, a vial of WL pitchable yeast contains 75-150 billion cells, nit 100 million.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but I always make starters (well, six times)... and I still haven't graduated from the school of S-04.
And I have an English grammar and style book open when I post comments.
Yes, I am paranoid.
I'm thinking of using liquid yeasts and wanted to know the difference between Wyeast and White labs; thus, the title of this thread drew me.
Good to hear that the fermentation took off.
To the experienced brewers: does it change the flavour to underpitch, or is it just a matter of lag time?
I don't understand the reasoning behind starters, although I understand that there is reasoning. If you spend 4 days with the yeast in a litre of wort before you pitch into 20 litres of wort, why not pitch into 20 litres right away and just wait the extra 4 days? Is it something to do with the population density? They're not reproducing sexually.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but I always make starters (well, six times)... and I still haven't graduated from the school of S-04.
And I have an English grammar and style book open when I post comments.
Yes, I am paranoid.
I'm thinking of using liquid yeasts and wanted to know the difference between Wyeast and White labs; thus, the title of this thread drew me.
Good to hear that the fermentation took off.
To the experienced brewers: does it change the flavour to underpitch, or is it just a matter of lag time?
I don't understand the reasoning behind starters, although I understand that there is reasoning. If you spend 4 days with the yeast in a litre of wort before you pitch into 20 litres of wort, why not pitch into 20 litres right away and just wait the extra 4 days? Is it something to do with the population density? They're not reproducing sexually.
To the experienced brewers: does it change the flavour to underpitch, or is it just a matter of lag time?
I don't understand the reasoning behind starters, although I understand that there is reasoning. If you spend 4 days with the yeast in a litre of wort before you pitch into 20 litres of wort, why not pitch into 20 litres right away and just wait the extra 4 days? Is it something to do with the population density? They're not reproducing sexually.
I feel that some reproduction in the fermenter may not a bad thing, and plan on experimenting some. My feeling is that I won't be able to tell the difference though.
I generally just pitch the entire starter into my wort. I usually don'tm ake one early enough to refrigerate,crash the yeast and pitch only the slury.
Starters are a no brainer and Mr. Malty has all the info you need at this link: Mr Malty.
What is to prevent yeast cells from reproducing if they're coming from a starter??
Active fermenation is still about cell reproduction, whether coming from a smaller yeast pitch or not. After trying out aerating with O2 and then including starters, I would never say they're mutually exclusive. Even my Rye IPA, which had an OG of 1.080...properly aerated with a modest starter seems to have gotten most all the active fermentation done within the first 24 hours. Before I knew about starters, but was trying out O2 aeration, I was getting slower ferments and slightly less attenuation.
And because of this attenuation, then, I do find a slight difference with flavor profile.
Dunno. Don't claim to be an expert, just spoutin' off what I think that I know!
Nothing. You're just technically under-pitching in that case, which a starter is supposed to keep you from doing.
I have had no detectable off-flavors by pitching the entire starter.
Ah, I completely understand now. So, if I've got this straight, God invented yeast in order to completely confuse me?
The information I've got from all my reading - Mr. Malty and this thread and a few other things - is that a starter makes for a better yeast. Yeast will start from a small population and grow to fill the volume of wort in which they find themselves whether it's graduated (starter - fermenter) or not (straight in the fermenter). If they go straight in the fermenter the beer won't taste as good.
The only possible explanation I can think of is that the yeast like a certain population density.
I usually add yeast nutrients to all my brews, aetrate the H*** out of it and then just pitch the vial, no starter. I have been getting attenuations of 83% - 87% regularly. I am still fairly new, a little over 2 years, and still doing extracgt and partial mashes. Perhaps when I move to AG, I will take on the extra step of a starter. Until then, if you give them all they need, want they will take care of they're job, which is to eat sugar, throw up CO2 and poop alcohol.
Enter your email address to join: