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WLP570 starter

jtoots

Grandmaster Brewer
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
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Location
Waltham, MA
Hey all,
I've been working on my starter game and would like to ask for feedback on how I handled this weekend's batch:

Friday night I pitched a starter for a 10 gallon batch of Belgian IPA to be brewed Sunday.  3 liters, 2 vials, 1.032, stir plate.

Saturday I kept an eye on it and never saw it reach a really high krausen.  I did see a thin layer of activity on the top, just not a real thick layer like I usually do.

Typically I'll toss the starter in the fridge at high krausen, but in this case I kept it on the stir plate through Saturday night, didn't fridge/decant, and pitched the entire starter.

What do you think?  Would it have been better to refrigerate at 24 hours or did I play this the best way possible?  I didn't want to refrigerate before high krausen (risk of negating the benefit of a starter), and I didn't want to have it chilling for less than 24 hours (risking an incomplete decanting and dumping active yeast down the drain).

I'm thinking this is a RDWHAHB scenario, again just looking to further dial in my starter game.

Thanks all!!
 
I don't see a huge Krausen most of the time, now that I use a stir plate.  You described what my starters look like.  If I get that thin layer of bubbles on top, then to me, that is high Krausen.

I did a lot of batches the way you just did, with no issues, until I learned to see the subtle differences in my starters.

I think you're just fine!
 
Thanks Scott!!


Follow-ups:
Do you think that 24 hrs in high krausen has typically hit (ales and/or lagers)?  Do you think that 12-18 hrs in the fridge is enough for a decant or am I safer sticking with the 24 hr minimum?
 
I can't really answer this, since each yeast starter is unique.  Think of it, like you think of your fermentations.  They are all unique too.  You'll have to become a yeast whisperer.

Another way to look at it is that if it goes beyond high krausen, then you're pitching the appropriate amount of yeast.

An example would be when your yeast calculator calls for 4 smack packs of yeast or 1 smack pack with a starter.

Optimal is to pitch the starter at high krausen, but if you let it go all the way out, then you're not pitching at high krausen, but you are pitching the equivalent of 4 smack packs.  4 smack packs are definitely not at high krausen, but they are the appropriate amount of yeast.
 
Scott Ickes said:
Optimal is to pitch the starter at high krausen, but if you let it go all the way out, then you're not pitching at high krausen, but you are pitching...the appropriate amount of yeast.

Beauty.  Thanks again!
 
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