Yeast in Airlock

[medic4070]

Tuesday night I made a starter for a brew I'm planning for Friday night. I made a 1 pint starter and pitched about a 1/4 of a yeast cake from my last batch into it (WLP-400). (It was a 2.5 gallon batch, so smaller yeast cake-hence the starter. And I wanted to try yeast washing and making a starter.) I shook everything up, and put in a three piece airlock, filled with iodophor/water.

Then I learned about blowoff...as I was cleaning out the airlock for the third time, I noticed that there was about 1/4 to 1/2" of yeast sitting in the bottom of the airlock. (At least, I'm ASSuming it was yeast-looked like it.)

Here's my question: could I have dumped that yeast back into the starter and kept going, or did the sanitizer water probably damage/kill it? I ended up dumping out the airlock because I didn't want to risk it, but now I'm wondering if I just wasted a lot of yeast and negated using a starter by throwing away yeast.

Any thoughts?

 

[Saccharomyces]

WLP400 always blows off in the starter for me. I just deal with the loss of yeast, it doesn't seem to harm the finished product any. I always aim to underpitch very slightly with this yeast anyway to ensure I get plenty of phenolic character.

No airlocks on starters! Foil works better. And you don't have to worry about creating a airlock launcher which could leave you using a mop on the ceiling, either.

 

[MNBugeater]

As Sacch mentioned no airlock on starters, tinfoil or sponge stopper. Two other things that will help if not eliminate the starter blow offs...

1) Stir Plate - Helps keep krausen at bay as well as promote oxygen exchange with your yeast
2) FermCapS (2-3 drops)

 

[rsmith179]

Even starters on stirplates have the possiblity of blowing off. I always cover my starters with sanitized foil which is much easier than using an airlock. Don't have to worry about clogging up the airlock or blowing it into the ceiling with foil there instead.