Yeast starter, no kreusen?

[Tesla_HV]

This is my first post here and I'm a relative newcomer to brewing having only brewed my eight batch on Sunday. I've only been using yeast starters for the last three batches. I follow the instructions that came with the kit in terms of DME-to-water ratio. I boil the mixture for 15 minutes, cool it to about 75°F and then pitch the liquid yeast from the vial. So far all of my starters have been using WLP001. Since the mail takes at least two weeks to get here, even if I order the yeast with a cold pack, the liquid yeast is warm by the time I get it. I store it in the fridge until use. After pitching the yeast into the starter, I cover the Erlenmeyer flask with aluminum foil and give it a swirl every chance I get (about 10-times a day usually). While there is a nice layer of trub that forms at the bottom, I don't get a kreusen head. I usually wait about four days and pitch the yeast starter mixture into the brew wort anyway. Am I doing anything wrong? So far, every time, active fermentation in the carboy starts within eight hours of pitching.
Thanks,
- Monty -

 

[llazy_llama]

If you're getting fermentation within 8 hours, I'd say keep doing what you're doing.

Also, what in the world are you doing out on the Kwajalein Atoll?

 

[Tesla_HV]

Also, what in the world are you doing out on the Kwajalein Atoll?

Living on a tropical island...what's not to like about that? Actually, there is a US Army base here with a bunch of radar equipment. I'm an electrical engineer contractor that designs improvements to the radar high-power transmitter equipment....and brew beer too.

 

[llazy_llama]

Yeah, the only time I'd ever even heard of the Kwajalein atoll was from weather reports on AFN when I was stationed in Okinawa. Enjoy your time in tropical paradise!

 

[Tesla_HV]

Ah yes, AFN. That's all we get out here. Not too bad of a price to pay considering all of the other 'perks'. It kindof stunk not being able to see the commercials on Super Bowl Sunday.

 

[woollybugger2]

I was on Kwaj from '68 ~ 72! My brother did four tours out there too.

Yokwe Yuk

 

[Kungpaodog]

I wash my own yeast and make starters from what I've harvested, and I haven't seen any krausen on the last few starters I made. They were actively fermenting within 24 hours, and they have made good beer. One of them even forced me to rig my first blow off hose on a seven gallon ale pale because of how violently it was fermenting! I bet you are doing just fine.

I used to pitch White Labs vials directly into five gallon batches before I learned better, and those still made good beer, so by even making a starter you are ahead of the game.

 

[Tesla_HV]

I wash my own yeast and make starters from what I've harvested,

How does one go about washing yeast? I've heard about using the trub at the bottom of a carboy as a yeast cake and pitching the new wort right on top. It this the same thing?

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I've just amde my second starter and I am on my third batch (thanks to this forum I learned early on to make a starter, and my second brew was fermenting wihtin 6 hours!), at any rate, this second starter I made at about 7:00pm last night and I still had no kraeusen around 2:00pm today when I pitched, however, I did have quite a bit of CO2 release when I would swirl it. I have read that many times there will be little to no activity in a starter? I hope this is true, because I pitched the starter I had made anyway. My first starter had a kraeusen about 3" above the wort in my growler. Completely different yeasies though. This one, no kraeusen. When I did pitch, there was a heck of alot of yeast in the wort, very cloudy and it smelled real nice

 

[KayaBrew]

How does one go about washing yeast? I've heard about using the trub at the bottom of a carboy as a yeast cake and pitching the new wort right on top. It this the same thing?

Ask and you shall receive...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

 

[KayaBrew]

How does one go about washing yeast? I've heard about using the trub at the bottom of a carboy as a yeast cake and pitching the new wort right on top. It this the same thing?

Ask and you shall receive...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/