Yeast Starter

[mbaker33]

Hey Guys,

I've made about 5 or 6 batches now, and have had so much fun trying new things. This most recent brew I made a yeast starter since the WhiteLabs vial bad been in my fridge for a couple of months, and I wanted to make sure it was still viable before pitching. Well, the results have been incredible. The fermentation started only a couple of hours after I pitched the yeast and I went through two growlers of blow off kreusin.

Anyway, the fermentation has been going for 6 days now, and I am still getting bubbles about ever 7 to 8 seconds. When I smell the air coming out of the airlock, it has a very strong yeast smell. I was just curious if a yeast starter will usually make for a longer fermentation period, or not. I should also mention that I made a BlueBerry Witbier and used California Ale Yeast. I added a can of blueberry pie filling in the last 10 or 15 minutes of the boil, and transferred them into the fermenter.

Thanks.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Starters tend to reduce the chances of off-flavors and stalled fermentations occurring - they don't usually prolong active fermentation. Long fermentations are nothing to worry about in my experience - from time to time, they just tend to take a lot longer than usual with no adverse effects on flavor. Poor aeration is the most likely cause for this behavior.

I have some more, unrelated suggestions for you based on the information you provided:

Witbiers are very rich in fairly unique yeast-produced esters and phenols, which California Ale yeast doesn't tend to produce. I recommend using a Witbier yeast the next time. The beer you made will probably taste great, but it won't be a Witbier.

Boiling fruit tends to create a strong pectin haze in the final product. For a cloudy beer like a Wit that isn't such a big deal. Pectic enzyme can be added to break the pectins down if you want to get rid of them.
Most of us add fresh or canned fruit after primary fermentation is complete - this preserves more subtleties of the fruit character and doesn't require additions of enzymes.

 

[mbaker33]

Thank you for the reply. I was aware of the enzyme issues, and as you said, since it's a witbier, I wasn't so much concerned with that. Also, I considered putting the filling in the secondary, but decided to throw it in at the end of the boil instead. I also have some blueberry extract that I plan to add at the end of fermentation.

Also, poor aeration is a possibility, the first night, the air lock plugged and I did not notice until late afternoon the next day, so that definitely makes sense.

Thanks for the suggestions, they have been noted in my brew notes.