# Ant in yeast slurry - discard or recover?



## Meddo (20/2/17)

So I've just decanted a WLP590 starter and put the slurry into a freshly boiled preserving jar in prep for a split batch to be brewed on the weekend. Only problem is that there's a feckin ant in my yeast. I don't know for certain but I expect it was in the kettle when I boiled the water and then put that in a saucepan with the jar to boil for twenty minutes, and it's gotten stuck to the inside of the jar during the boil.

So, is this a simple case of it'll be rooted so throw it away? My thought was that perhaps if I make another starter and put the yeast slurry back in it (hopefully the ant stays stuck to the wall of the jar...) then the yeast may out-compete anything that was attached to the ant in the new starter? I guess this way at least I'd be able to taste the starter once it's finished and be able to tell if anything horrible got in there?

Thanks for any advice...


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## murpho (20/2/17)

I'm no expert but if it was me, I'd probably give it a whirl and see just how hardy yeast really is!


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## MHB (20/2/17)

There are two possible scenarios.
1/ If the ant was sterilised in the boil, it wont matter that it's there and everything's fine.
2/ The ant wasn't sterilised, in which case the slurry is infected (guaranteed).

Want to bet a brew on which is which, or just toss the yeast and start with a good culture?
Mark


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## manticle (20/2/17)

I wouldn't be worried about the ant quite as much as the other, less visible particles that got in the same way.

Starter not covered?

Possibly fine but the way to find out it isn't is a big waste of time and ingredients.


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## Meddo (20/2/17)

Nah the starter was definitely covered tightly with foil, as far as I can tell the ant would have been boiled at some point - either with the water addition in the original starter or in the boil water I used to sanitise (irony acknowledged...) the jar for the slurry. Having said that I'll look pretty silly if I'm wrong and contaminate a brew with it...

Is it a reasonable assumption that anything likely to contaminate a brew will show up in a taste test if I run this slurry through a second starter? From memory 590 isn't that easy to get a hold of so I'd prefer to at least attempt to save it rather than try to source some more.

Thanks for the replies


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## earle (20/2/17)

Was it a green ant. Might make a great beer. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-17/green-ants-give-aussie-gin-extra-bite/8277414


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## Ducatiboy stu (20/2/17)

Ants dont drink or eat much


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## Danscraftbeer (20/2/17)

Its a hard call. If it happened to me I'd be kicking myself. "How did that get past you!?" I'd be cursing at myself.
How did that get past you? Its one ant, that you can see, is their more maybe? 
sorry man, 
It could be fine and just call it ant ale or something.


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## Meddo (20/2/17)

Oh tell me about it. Fair blistered the walls when I saw the little bastard, trust me.

It's since floated to the top of the slurry - just one so far...

Gonna sanitise an ant-free spoon that's definitely ant-free, scoop the mongrel out and give the yeasties a go in a second (ant-free) starter wort straight away, see how it goes. For the sake of a bit of DME it seems like I might as well have a crack, but this time sans-ant.

Far out.


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## mofox1 (20/2/17)

Oh my, what a pissant.


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## pnorkle (20/2/17)

Well it *ant* going to drink too much, I'd brew with that starter in an inst*ant*. 

sorry


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## Mardoo (21/2/17)

I think your idea of running a second starter is a good one. Taste and smell are the most sensitive instruments most of us have available for testing off smells and flavours. And then there's Lyrebird...


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