# Infected yeast starter....?



## Dan Pratt (14/1/13)

I done a 1 litre starter tonight and upon opening the jar I had the 1272 kept in from December I found this....it's some yuk soft black stuff....looks wrong to me.





Anyway I made the starter I put it on he stir plate but I think I should ditch it and get a new one.

Thoughts?


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## DUANNE (14/1/13)

looks like mold on the lid to me. i would toss the yeast and get a new pack


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## stux (15/1/13)

ditch it, use that pack of us05 you've got in your keg frige as a backup


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## cyrrus (15/1/13)

Was it just the lid or was there some in the actual culture? Did you remember to steralise the lid?

Don't waste a beer on finding out anyway...


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## Dan Pratt (15/1/13)

that spare US-05 in the fridge, hmmmm...........note to self... "get spare yeast"....onya Stux 

There wasn't anything formed on the yeast culture itself just under the lid, i shook the crap out of the jar when i took it out of the fridge to bring to room temp so id say whats on the lid is in the yeast.

From memory i think i kept this yeast from my secondary and it was a last minute decsion, so the jar was only in sodium percarbonate for like 5 mins, silly me.

The safer option is to get rid of it and not risk losing a whole batch.

Thanks guys.


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## cyrrus (15/1/13)

The best thing you can do for your yeast starters IMO is get a borosilicate flask. They're pretty cheap online. Erlenmeyer or similar brand is what you're after.

The advantage is that you can put them directly on your stove, put in some water and malt, and put some tin foil on the top. Once it's boiled for a few minutes you know it's sterile as all hell. Then because of the type of glass it is you can put it straight into a bath of cold water to bring it down to the temp your yeast like and then pitch the yeast into a completely sterile malt solution in a perfectly steralised glass container. Just chuck a bung and an airlock in the top and you can watch to see how your yeast is doing too.

Honestly I don't think they're that expensive. I know they sell them at Grain and Grape but you'd be looking at about $40. I bought about 8 from a lap supplier online for 50 from memory.


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## raven19 (15/1/13)

Pratty1 said:


> that spare US-05 in the fridge, hmmmm...........note to self... "get spare yeast"....onya Stux


Get two, always handy to have just incase.


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## Dan Pratt (15/1/13)

The equipment for doing starters, eg stir plate and bar, Erlenmeyer Flask 2lt etc etc. i have already.

Having tried to boil it on the stove but it boils over so I use a pot and transfer that into the flask(which has been soaking in sanitizer) after boil/cool.

The issue wasnt with the equipment, it was the crap under the lid of the jar in whcih i kept the yeast in from the previous batch which i now know was sanitized correctly.

Quote"
I bought about 8 from a lap supplier online for 50 from memory, thats a bargain.

Has or does anyone use sterlized stubbies to hold yeast? I was thinking of sterilizing one or 2 of them plus caps and after secondary pouring some in and capping them?? does that sound like and ok option?


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## stux (15/1/13)

I used to do that. Works fine. Until someone drinks your yeast

Also uses a lot of space, which is why I use 30ml specimen containers. But for storing big wads of slurry it's a good way to go.


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## JDW81 (15/1/13)

cyrrus said:


> Just chuck a bung and an airlock in the top and you can watch to see how your yeast is doing too.


Thats a bit fancy. I don't even bother with a bung and airlock. Boil the s#&t out of the flask with the foil on top and use the same foil during starter fermentation. Easy as.


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## Damien13 (15/1/13)

JDW81 said:


> Thats a bit fancy. I don't even bother with a bung and airlock. Boil the s#&t out of the flask with the foil on top and use the same foil during starter fermentation. Easy as.


I have the same prob with boil overs though. I have a 5L flask and still get it trouble with a 2L starter! Does anyone else have a boil over prob, or do you guys add whatevet that stuff is that stops it. At the mo, I just boil in a pot, then transfer into sanitised flask...


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## DUANNE (15/1/13)

i just use some of the anti foam stuff from grain and grape and have no problems another trick is to leave the stirbar out of the flask as it provides a nucleation point leading to a rougher boil that is more likely to come spilling out of the flask and lead to another altercation with swmbo over the state of the stove top..


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## Damien13 (15/1/13)

BEERHOG said:


> i just use some of the anti foam stuff from grain and grape and have no problems another trick is to leave the stirbar out of the flask as it provides a nucleation point leading to a rougher boil that is more likely to come spilling out of the flask and lead to another altercation with swmbo over the state of the stove top..


HA! yeah... anyone know what this stuff is called? I might have to get some from Craftbrewer if they stock it.


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## Florian (15/1/13)

It's called antifoam and there's also some other name which I can't remember right now.

Not sure if it's on the CB website yet but Ross has it definitely in store so give him a call if you want to mail order. 

EDIT: Fermcap is the other name for it, exact same product as far as I'm aware.


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## Damien13 (15/1/13)

Thanks Florian!
Oh, and not to be off topic, but the 50L braumeister SMASHES out 60L batches like a champ... 
See you at BABBS bro.


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## Dan Pratt (15/1/13)

Today I got home and checked on the starter and it appears all well and good. Nice krausen formed. Smells alright....







Not sure why the photos attach sideways? And we can't click on them to enlarged view...


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## stux (15/1/13)

Damien13 said:


> I have the same prob with boil overs though. I have a 5L flask and still get it trouble with a 2L starter! Does anyone else have a boil over prob, or do you guys add whatevet that stuff is that stops it. At the mo, I just boil in a pot, then transfer into sanitised flask...


Fermcap/Foamcontrol, it does work http://www.grainandgrape.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=7485

You only need a little boil, not a volcanic one


I use it in my boil, startes and fermentation, because I'm running everything close to the limit


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## Dan Pratt (15/1/13)

Pratty1 said:


> Today I got home and checked on the starter and it appears all well and good. Nice krausen formed. Smells alright....
> [img=[URL="http://aussiehomebrewer.com/public/style_images/barley/attachicon.gif%5D"]http://aussiehomebrewer.com/public/style_images/barley/attachicon.gif][/URL] http://aussiehomebrewer.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=59961]image.jpg[/url]
> [img=[URL="http://aussiehomebrewer.com/public/style_images/barley/attachicon.gif%5D"]http://aussiehomebrewer.com/public/style_images/barley/attachicon.gif][/URL] http://aussiehomebrewer.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=59962]image.jpg[/url]
> Not sure why the photos attach sideways? And we can't click on them to enlarged view...



Whoops got sidetracked.... If it was infected would the krausen still appear? What should I be looking for if it was infected. It certainly doesn't look like it.


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## cyrrus (15/1/13)

I dunno about boil over. I don't tend to use the malt at full strength for starters so havn't really had a problem. Anyways I'll stop distracting from the thread title! As you were, gentlemen.


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## beerdrinkingbob (16/1/13)

Pratty1 said:


> Today I got home and checked on the starter and it appears all well and good. Nice krausen formed. Smells alright....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Smell does give you an idea, but taste will tell you more IMO!!


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## JDW81 (16/1/13)

Pratty1 said:


> If it was infected would the krausen still appear? What should I be looking for if it was infected. It certainly doesn't look like it.


If starters are infected they will still look as if they are fermenting normally. Smell can give you an indication, but some yeasts throw off some really funky smells during fermentation which is totally normal, others can taste a bit funky as well, given the number of yeast cells in the small volume of liquid (i.e. Kolsch yeast smells and tastes like vomit). That said, if something is really wrong you can generally tell pretty easily (especially once you've made a few)

I always smell and always taste, it is IMHO the best way to see what is doing. If I am unsure I chuck the starter and pitch a couple of packs of US05 as I'd rather waste a few bucks worth of yeast, than a whole batch of beer.

JD


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## Dan Pratt (16/1/13)

Ok, I will give it a taste and see how it is. the smell is the normal American Ale yeast smell that i have smelt plenty of times and because its in my fermentation fridge when i open it to check you get a good aroma/smell of the fermented wort like when you check the FV during primary.

Im going to grab some extra US05 today and when i start the mash tonight, turn off the stir plate, let it settle out. pour off the wort and give it a taste....should taset like plain un hopped wort right?


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## JDW81 (16/1/13)

Pratty1 said:


> Im going to grab some extra US05 today and when i start the mash tonight, turn off the stir plate, let it settle out. pour off the wort and give it a taste....should taset like plain un hopped wort right?


Thats what I do. I usually put the starter in the fridge to let it settle really well, take out a few hours before I plan to pitch to let it come to room temp, decant the fermented beer off the top into a glass for a taste then if all is as it should be, I give the yeast slurry a swirl and tip into my well aerated wort. If it is suspicious I ditch it and pitch some dry yeast (or make a fresh starter if the wort is still in a sealed cube). 

It usually tastes like thin, dry, unhopped beer.

JD


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## Dan Pratt (17/1/13)

During the mash/boil I took the 1 litre starter of the stir plate and placed into fridge until it had settled out. removed that from fridge onto benchtop to bring to room temp.

There was no visible signs of infection on the wort surface so I removed the alfoil and took a smell, all good. no pungent or sulphurish smells. 

Decented the wort into a glass and took a tase, plain dry un hopped wort. Good to go, swirled it up, aerated the wort and pitched it. this was at 11.30pm.

This morning i checked the FV, no fermentation has commenced yet? hoping by the end of the day (after work) its up and running.


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## JDW81 (17/1/13)

Pratty1 said:


> This morning i checked the FV, no fermentation has commenced yet? hoping by the end of the day (after work) its up and running.


There is probably fermentation going on, it just isn't really active yet. In my experience it usually takes 12-24 hours for a good krausen to appear. Also if the yeast was still a bit cool from being in the fridge they may take a little longer to fire up. If all is as it should be it will be chugging away nicely by the time you get home from work.


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## Dan Pratt (17/1/13)

Krausen!


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