Yeast Starter

[Wduncan1983]

I made a yeast starter yesterday so I could brew this afternoon. I boiled 1 cup of DME to 2.5 cups water and pitched WL001 California Ale. I woke up this morning and it doesn't look like there's any activity. Usually it's pretty aggressive. Did I just get a bad batch?

 

[chawn]

Are you using a stir plate? If not, you need to lightly shake it. There's a good sticky on the subject.

 

[Wduncan1983]

Yeah, I used stir plate and every other starter has worked well.

 

[kh54s10]

On my stirplate, often the only thing I see is tiny bubbles rising. I have to get real close and use a flashlight to see them. The color should also turn lighter and milky looking.

Did you pitch it? The other way to check is after 18-24 hours, which is how long you should let it run, put it in the fridge for at least a few hours. Look at the bottom for the layer of yeast.