Cpa Yeast Culture

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MarshallBrew

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Hi Peeps.

I am currently having a go at making a CPA yeast culture for the first time. I did everything that was included in the PDF which I downloaded from this site.

It was going great guns after a couple of days, but am in to day 4 and it seems to have stalled. It has a yeast layer caked on the bottom of the 1.25L bottle I am using, and I am worried I have stuffed it.

It smells find and CO2 is still being produced, so I presume it will be ok.

I am looking to brew tomorrow and was wondering if it will be ok to use for my CPA recipe, or should I get a decent yeast just in case?

Is there something I can add to my yeast starter to help kick it along?

Will I be able to get the yeast off the bottom of the soft drink bottle?

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Also any further info you want just ask.

Cheers.
 
Should be fine to use.

Ideally you would be pitching it into your wort at high krausen (when it was really bubbling away).

It sounds like it has slowed right down as most of the sugars have been fermented.

To get it going again, cool it down and pour off most of the liquid, then pour some more wort/sugar solution on top.

2c.
 
Should be fine to use.

Ideally you would be pitching it into your wort at high krausen (when it was really bubbling away).

It sounds like it has slowed right down as most of the sugars have been fermented.

To get it going again, cool it down and pour off most of the liquid, then pour some more wort/sugar solution on top.

2c.

I'm sure its fine, normal to die down after 4 days :icon_cheers: I did exactly what Raven suggested in my last brew and the thing took off like a rocket! I use glass carboys so can see through the side of the fermenter. This thing looked like a washing machine inside....
 
I'm sure its fine, normal to die down after 4 days :icon_cheers: I did exactly what Raven suggested in my last brew and the thing took off like a rocket! I use glass carboys so can see through the side of the fermenter. This thing looked like a washing machine inside....


Ok so I put down my brew on Thursday night and waited until Friday morning to pitch the yeast - temp about 22-24 degrees. Still no action in the fermenter, am I being too impatient?
 
Ok so I put down my brew on Thursday night and waited until Friday morning to pitch the yeast - temp about 22-24 degrees. Still no action in the fermenter, am I being too impatient?


When you say action what do you mean?

Bloop bloops is one way but not entirely reliable or accurate as CO2 can escape if the lid don't seal properly yada yada...

Do you see a krausen forming?

Is there humidity on the lid of the fermentor?

Have you taken a grav reading?

CPA yeast can be slow to kick at times from what I have read.
 
Should be fine to use.

Ideally you would be pitching it into your wort at high krausen (when it was really bubbling away).

It sounds like it has slowed right down as most of the sugars have been fermented.

To get it going again, cool it down and pour off most of the liquid, then pour some more wort/sugar solution on top.

2c.

I was planning to pitch a recultured yeast today. It's 6 days for me. I was planning to do this after 4 but couldn't. It's still bubbling away (ie I open the top of the coke bottle it's in and still fizzes and bubbles) but not as much as 2 days ago.

I'm a bit puzzled by the above. do I need to get this going to high Krausen again? Seems to me that pouring some wort sugar solution on top would be the same as pouring into the wort in the fermenter. Will this still ferment out properly if I pitch after high krausen?
 
I was planning to pitch a recultured yeast today. It's 6 days for me. I was planning to do this after 4 but couldn't. It's still bubbling away (ie I open the top of the coke bottle it's in and still fizzes and bubbles) but not as much as 2 days ago.

I'm a bit puzzled by the above. do I need to get this going to high Krausen again? Seems to me that pouring some wort sugar solution on top would be the same as pouring into the wort in the fermenter. Will this still ferment out properly if I pitch after high krausen?

No, its not the same....theres a big difference between adding that yeast to a litre of wort (or adding a litre of wort to the yeast), and adding the yeast to 20-23L of wort.

Starters should either be pitched at high krausen, or allowed to ferment out fully. If it ferments fully out, it has time to build up its nutritional reserves, ready for dormancy. This nutrition is required during the reproduction phose when it is repitched. If it is pitched at high krausen, the yeast is in the middle of an active state, and pitching directly into the wort it just carries on. If it is pitched between these two states, it's in the process of winding down, and then has to try to pick itself up by the bootstraps and get going again.
Hope that makes sense.

Edit; if your ready to pitch today, just add some of your wort to the starter and give it a shake. That will get it going again, you should only need to leave it for an hour or 2, then you can pitch it. The high level of yeast compared to the small amount of wort will get it moving again right quick.
 
When you say action what do you mean?

Bloop bloops is one way but not entirely reliable or accurate as CO2 can escape if the lid don't seal properly yada yada...

Do you see a krausen forming?

Is there humidity on the lid of the fermentor?

Have you taken a grav reading?

CPA yeast can be slow to kick at times from what I have read.

I need to check when I get home from work, but there was no activity at all last night. I will check again this arvo and report back.

The yeast culture had finished completely and hoefully is just taking its time in firing back up.

Smells very hoppy!!
 
No, its not the same....theres a big difference between adding that yeast to a litre of wort (or adding a litre of wort to the yeast), and adding the yeast to 20-23L of wort.

Starters should either be pitched at high krausen, or allowed to ferment out fully. If it ferments fully out, it has time to build up its nutritional reserves, ready for dormancy. This nutrition is required during the reproduction phose when it is repitched. If it is pitched at high krausen, the yeast is in the middle of an active state, and pitching directly into the wort it just carries on. If it is pitched between these two states, it's in the process of winding down, and then has to try to pick itself up by the bootstraps and get going again.
Hope that makes sense.

Edit; if your ready to pitch today, just add some of your wort to the starter and give it a shake. That will get it going again, you should only need to leave it for an hour or 2, then you can pitch it. The high level of yeast compared to the small amount of wort will get it moving again right quick.

I understand. I will follow your suggestion and add some of the wort to the starter.

One more noob question... Do I get the wort ready to go, top up to 23 litres in the fermenter then add say 300 ml to the starter, or should I add the wort to the starter before this is diluted by topping up? (I'm still not sure exactly what is meant by wort, ie at what point in the brewing process do I have wort)

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: Marshall, sorry to highjack your thread!
 
get your 23L ready, then add some of that to the starter. Shake the starter to get it nice and foamy; give it an hour or 2; then sanatise a spoon or a whisk and beat the wort like you're a British Nanny beating a child, to aerate it as much as you can; then dump your starter in.
 
I understand. I will follow your suggestion and add some of the wort to the starter.

One more noob question... Do I get the wort ready to go, top up to 23 litres in the fermenter then add say 300 ml to the starter, or should I add the wort to the starter before this is diluted by topping up? (I'm still not sure exactly what is meant by wort, ie at what point in the brewing process do I have wort)

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: Marshall, sorry to highjack your thread!

All good mate, we are obviously both in the same position!! I am sure mine will be fine and hopefully by the time I get home mine should be showing signs of life!!

First time I have used proper hops pellets and they smelt like hooch!! The missus didn't like the smell that was coming from my boil up!
 
Well, just got home and walked into the garage to hear the magnificent sound of the blurp, blurp - so we are all good!!
 
Well, just got home and walked into the garage to hear the magnificent sound of the blurp, blurp - so we are all good!!
Aye, for sure. There's nothing quite like waking up in the middle of the night/ sparrow fart and thinking, bugger it- there's a tap dripping, better do the right thing and shut it off. Crankily getting out of bed, thinking of throttling not just the tap, to sort it out (we're still on level 5 water restrictions), only to discover that its actually the brew you pitched the day before kicking off merrily can be a huge boost to the spirit! Once that happened to me at some ungodly hour so I cracked one and celebrated an experiment in yeast reuse gone right! ^_^
Went back to bed and, according to SWMBO, apparently snored like there's no tomorrow. Serves her right, she should've sorted the tap out. :D
 
Well, just got home and walked into the garage to hear the magnificent sound of the blurp, blurp - so we are all good!!

I think the old tag line "Patience is a virtue" is appropriate here, no? Brewing involves a fair bit of patience, so when you find him clobber him one for me,he seems to abandon me every time I brew! :lol:
 
I had convinced myeslf I had stuffed the starter last night and was not happy. I went to check this morning just looking for some signs of life. Then I heard that wonderful sound!

It really is going crazy now. I moved the fermenter and the movement caused it to froth up a fair bit. Thanks to Butters for all your help.
 
I am usually pretty patient in regards to brewing, but this was my first yeast starter, so was unsure if I had done it correctly. It is blurp, blurp, blurping away so all is good.

Look forward to tasting this brew in a month or so. Loading up my stocks nicely in time for footy season!!

Thanks to everyone for your advice, much appreciated. This site is invaluable.
 
I had convinced myeslf I had stuffed the starter last night and was not happy. I went to check this morning just looking for some signs of life. Then I heard that wonderful sound!

It really is going crazy now. I moved the fermenter and the movement caused it to froth up a fair bit. Thanks to Butters for all your help.

No worries mate ;) As I said, spending the extra time getting the starter 'in the mood' makes it kick off quicker, negating the unhappiness of the wort sitting there...
My last CPA starter, brewing got delayed...I let it floc out, poured off the liquid. Put a litre of my wort in there when I was ready to pitch, and an hour later the baloon on my starter bottle was half inflated. Pitched it in, went out for a couple of hours, got back and had a nice krausen ring already. Good stuff.
 
Sorry for bumping this one fellas, but have just cracked one after two weeks, and just quietly, have almost cracked one myself ;)

It is a bit hoppy at the moment - only been two weeks in the bottle, but it is a pretty special beer. A beer that is similar to CPA, but not quite there. Nonetheless it is a beer that I could drink plenty of. With CPA I tend to get a bloated feel, but with this drop if appears to be a more clean, crisp taste. I LOVE IT.

Thanks to those of you who offered your wisdom and thanks to whoever posted the recipe I based my concoction on.

GOLD!!!
 

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