Yeast starter

[ned]

I'm pretty new to home brewing. I made my first ever yeast starter about 36 hours ago of 2L with wyeast 1214. I used fast pitch for my wort. I was planning to brew today but I haven't noticed much color change to the wort. I've been swirling to oxygenate so there is no krausen. How do I know if my starter is ready? Thanks for any advice!

[brewfun]

If you can put an airlock on the starter to check if the starter is active, that'd confirm.

A single piece of cling wrap sealed loosely and sealed with a rubber band would also confirm as it fills. It shouldn't take too long, from a couple minutes to less than an hour to see a change.

Aroma also will tell you it's working. If it smells like green apples, then it's mid ferment and ready to pitch.

[KellerBrauer]

Hi Ned, I have - on occasion - simply swirled my starter enough to get some action on the slurry at the bottom.  Doing so, typically caused a rush of C0₂ to rise from the slurry.  All that said, your best bet is to invest in a stir plate.  They are not that expensive.  You can set it and forget it.

[ned]

Brewed last night. Didn't use a blow off hose and came home to a huge mess tonight. I think the starter worked fine! Thanks for the advice!

[jtoots]

Brewed last night. Didn't use a blow off hose and came home to a huge mess tonight. I think the starter worked fine! Thanks for the advice!

haha that's the attitude!

[markbrew]

Check the specific gravity.  It is easy to miss the yeast activity in a starter but the SG will tell the truth.