Yeast Harvest and Starter

[dpinette2]

First time re-using yeast....

I drained chronicle, washed yeast few times and stored in fridge for a few days....then made small starter, 400ml, left on stir plate 30hrs. stored in fridge for a few days. Last night made my usual starter,1600ml. Through in the smaller starter and put it on the stir plate. It was even a little below 1600ml(I have a 2000ml flask)

Woke up at 3, and it blew my foam stopper right out(mostly out, was hanging to the side. Put tin foil on top and called it a night. Woke up now and it had some of the foam had made its way out and down the sides. cleaned up and put foam stopper in.

Question is, Is my yeast ok? Smelled it and it smells like yeast. I’m brewing tomorrow and don’t want to waste time and money if my yeast is tainted. Any way to tell?

Any thoughts to why it fermented this crazy? My only thought is that there is much less yeast in the smack packs i always use them the mini starter(yeast harvested) I used? And if that’s the case, could I be pitching tooo much yeast now?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dpinette2]

what it looks like

 

[RM-MN]

First time re-using yeast....

I drained chronicle, washed yeast few times and stored in fridge for a few days....then made small starter, 400ml, left on stir plate 30hrs. stored in fridge for a few days. Last night made my usual starter,1600ml. Through in the smaller starter and put it on the stir plate. It was even a little below 1600ml(I have a 2000ml flask)

Woke up at 3, and it blew my foam stopper right out(mostly out, was hanging to the side. Put tin foil on top and called it a night. Woke up now and it had some of the foam had made its way out and down the sides. cleaned up and put foam stopper in.

Question is, Is my yeast ok? Smelled it and it smells like yeast. I’m brewing tomorrow and don’t want to waste time and money if my yeast is tainted. Any way to tell?

Any thoughts to why it fermented this crazy? My only thought is that there is much less yeast in the smack packs i always use them the mini starter(yeast harvested) I used? And if that’s the case, could I be pitching tooo much yeast now?

Thanks in advance!

Do you think there is a reason for your yeast to be tainted? Otherwise I'd say it's doing great. Your washed yeast probably had more cells and more vigorous cells than in a smack pack. You then did a double starter. Of course your second starter will have a vigorous ferment. Yes, technically you probably will have an over pitch but it isn't likely to do anything bad to your beer. Expect the yeast to take off quickly and unless you have very good temperature control and ferment at the very bottom of the yeast's range expect an explosive ferment.

 

[isomerization]

Try adding some Fermcap (or similar), that helps a ton with keeping explosive starters from blowing off.

I’d agree, if your starter passes the smell test, it’s probably ok. My understanding is either harvest yeast (don’t use a starter) or overbuild a starter to save some more for the next starter.

 

[dpinette2]

I do have a good temp control system(ssbrewtech fts) will hold steady at 65 for a few days, then i’ll slowly ramp up to 71 over a few days and hold there for a bit.

it smelled, more yeasty than usual....if that makes sense, by appearance, it looks like same volume of yeast i usually get....I was not aware yeast could be more vigorous, just assumed yeast cells were yeast cells, still leaning just finished 7th batch

 

[RM-MN]

Depending on what kind of yeast you may want to start the ferment cooler to control how vigorous the fermentation becomes.

 

[dpinette2]

It’s omega DIPA, says low end is 65?

 

[dpinette2]

it’s a 7 gallon chronical, filled to 6.25, with some lid and blowoff cane.....I assumed with that set up I would never have a blow-out