Forgot to cold crash my starter, decanted 1 litre

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

I made a 1056 starter at the start of this week and decided to let it brew out. Its been on the stir plate since then at 19 degrees in my ferm chamber. It was 2 litres to start off with.

When I was pouring it.. I saw some yeasties on top and it started to look a bit thick and I realised.. oh crap I didn't cold crash it.

I stopped and theres like 900 ml in there.

There are clumps of yeast to the bottom and all krausen has stopped.. but the yeast down the bottom is just around the edge of the flask, about 1-2" around.. the magnet probably stopped it dropping completely with its motion on the stir plate.. but it has dropped around the edges.

Its going in a 23ish litre wort thats been cubed.

Am I safe, or have I wasted this starter by decanting potential 'suspended' yeast?

 

[SimoB]

I reckon you'll be sweet

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Yeah well I'm cold crashing it overnight now. And there is a pretty thick bit down the bottom. How long does one need to cold crash a starter for?

 

[JDW81]

There is nothing wrong with pitching your entire starter. So long as it has nice healthy yeast and isn't infected you'll be fine. The worst that will happen is you'll lose 2-3 gravity points from your OG.

FWIW I never cold crash my starters, I smile let them ferment out and settle a bit, then decant of the liquid and pitch the slurry (or pitch the whole thing, depending on the beer and its OG).

JD

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

There is nothing wrong with pitching your entire starter. So long as it has nice healthy yeast and isn't infected you'll be fine. The worst that will happen is you'll lose 2-3 gravity points from your OG.

FWIW I never cold crash my starters, I smile let them ferment out and settle a bit, then decant of the liquid and pitch the slurry (or pitch the whole thing, depending on the beer and its OG).

JD

Yeah well thats reassuring.

I dunno, I have done a few high krausen pitches, but seems pooey putting light malt extract wort into my nice time consuming AG wort.

Don't think there is anything wrong with pitching whole starters.. some say there are oxygen issues and what not. But hey, if its working for you and your making good beer go for it!

I'm a bit particular about my yeast (god that sounds wrong no matter how I say it) - trying my first pitch in fermenter, tip cube on top - seems like a clean way to go about it rather than having all that nasty stirring business.

 

[SimoB]

I pitched my starter yesterday while still active. I decant but sometime I start my starter too late, I havent had any bad results picthing a non decanter starter.

What ya brewing???

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

I pitched my starter yesterday while still active. I decant but sometime I start my starter too late, I havent had any bad results picthing a non decanter starter.

What ya brewing???

Electric Pale Ale - made it last weekend.. only can have one fermenter going as my chamber only allows for it. Currently drinking Feral hop hog clone I made - its been pretty ace - Electric was a great way to use my leftovers and seems pretty tasty also. Had a few issues on this brew that involved a stuck sparge and an attack of ants for sugar. Sorted them out with the hose and lighting the burner up but.

 

[peas_and_corn]

Why do you cold crash your yeast? Yeast doesn't really like it when you change the temperature it is at quickly before ferment

 

[Trevandjo]

Why do you cold crash your yeast? Yeast doesn't really like it when you change the temperature it is at quickly before ferment

Ref: howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html
Palmer recommends this to help yeast flocculate.

Cheers
Trev

 

[peas_and_corn]

It's unnecessary. Considering that starters aren't all that deep, they don't need help to settle out.

EDIT: Checking my copy of the book, he gives some contradictory info all at once. On page 75 he says you should pitch a starter when it's at high krausen (full activity). Or when the yeast has fully settled out.Then he says that you should pitch it 18 hours after activity has peaked ie 18 hours after high krausen. This in all in the same paragraph. That's... bizarre.