Yeast Starter Question

[RLinNH]

I have in the past few months started doing yeast starters. It has gone well, but I have a question in regards to how long the yeast should ferment before pitching into my primary. I have heard everything from 12 hours on up to 48 hours. What do you think is the optimal fermenting time for a starter to sit?

 

[homebrewer_99]

With any luck it'll start in a couple of hours to overnight, depending on the ambient temp. But it's good to use for up to several days.

If you're looking for a definitive answer it would be whenever it is in kreusen.

 

[El Pistolero]

Some people like to pitch the yeast when the starter is at full krauzen when the yeast is most active. That can be anywhere from a few hours up to more than a day, depending on temp, yeast strain, age of the yeast, etc. Others like to wait until the starter has completely fermented out and the yeast have mostly fallen out of suspension...that can take up to 3 days or more. It's really a matter of preference.

I personally like to pitch when the yeast is at full krausen (I feel like I get shorter lag times that way), but if something comes up and I can't use the starter for 3 or 4 days, that's cool too.