From Slant To Starter - In Pictures

[Thefatdoghead]

So Wolfy if I counted right it took you 6 days to go from slant to pitching?

 

[Wolfy]

So Wolfy if I counted right it took you 6 days to go from slant to pitching?

Yeah, that sounds about right, 5 to 7 days is what I usually allow.

 

[MaltyHops]

From another thread but more appropriate here...

The longest I generally leave each step of the starter-process on the stir-plate is 48hours
(usually it's just 24h), and as I suggested have never noticed a problem.
However, I also let the yeast settle, decant the spent starter and pitch only the yeast, and
use stepped-starters (which would minimise the presence of dead yeast) both of which may
or may not be the same procedures that others use.

Gday Wolfy,

What if the the yeast are still active after 48 (or 24) hours? Do you let them ferment out
after taking them off the stirplate or into the fridge to force them to settle?

From what I've come to understand, the yeast growth cell count is based on the amount of
food (SG & volume) in a starter so if growth is stopped before time, the expected cel count
wont be reached.

Actually, I seem to recall reading somewhere that the bulk of yeast reproduction happens
in the first 12 hours - is this what you're basing your method on?

 

[Wolfy]

Yeast 'activity' is different to yeast growth, most yeast growth occurs within 12 hours, sometimes a bit longer longer for larger volumes.
However, 24h is a much more convenient time-period to step-up starters, and most if not all the yeast growth should be finished by that time, so that works for me.

Only at the last step of the starter-process do you want to consider letting the yeast ferment the starter fully, that way they build up their reserves making them more healthy when pitched into your beer-wort.

 

[MaltyHops]

Trouble is there can often be still a fair bit of 'activity' after 48hrs
(at least for the last few times I've been stir-plating) making it hard
to decant the beer off without losing quite a bit of yeast in suspension
(unless this doesn't really matter?).

Could stick the starter into the fridge to settle the yeast but would
the cool/warm/cool/... of a step up or two be bad for the yeast?

 

[Wolfy]

When I say "on the stir plate" I mean on the stir plate with it turned on, spinning around, stirring and oxygenating the starter.

From one starter-step to the next I do not decant the spent wort, but pitch the entire starter into the next step up.

For larger size starters (greater than 2L) I might leave them on the stir plate for 2 days, however if it's the last step of the process it will be longer than that before it's ready to pitch.
On the last step only, I like to let it fully ferment and then give it time to settle out - that can only happen after the stir-plate is turned off, but how long it takes depends on the yeast and starter-size.

You could easily put that last starter step in the fridge to help it settle, but for me that depends on how quickly I'm going to use it.
If I've planned well and it will be used as soon as it's ready, I try not to put it in the fridge since that could cause thermal-shock to the yeast (if my fermenting fridge is set to the correct temp I'll put the starter in there to settle-out), but if I need to store it for a short time (hopefully a maximum of 1 week) then it goes in the fridge.

 

[MaltyHops]

Ah yes, just realised I've muddied the waters because I'm using a single
1L stir-plate flask only so have to wait for the yeast to settle before
pouring off the starter beer before adding more wort. I guess I could
adapt my process to transfer 3/4 of each starter into a holding jar while
I add wort to the stir-plate flask to grow more yeast.

Thanks.

 

[stux]

Consider investing in a family of erlenmeyers

Everything except a 5L is fairly cheap anyway and its the shipping which kills you

Having a 500ml, 1L, 2L and 5L makes it sooooo easy to do steps!

Just pour one into the next and decant the final one

I like to keep my erlenmeyers less than 3/4 full

 

[donburke]

wolfy,

i notice you boil the full volume of the wort you will be using on day 1 and then splitting

some of this wort is not being used until then next day, and then again the day after, as you reach your next step

have you ever had a problem with the wort picking up any bugs waiting those couple of days to use it ?

 

[Wolfy]

Ah yes, just realised I've muddied the waters because I'm using a single
1L stir-plate flask

You don't have to use flasks, anything of a suitable size with a flat-bottom works fine. I use demijohns for my large starters, it's just a bit difficult getting the stir-bar settled (and they are MUCH cheaper than 4-5 L flasks).

have you ever had a problem with the wort picking up any bugs waiting those couple of days to use it ?

Never had a problem - so far - but I do not remove the alu-foil cap at all, just wrap cling-wrap around it, so the chance of external contamination is very small.

 

[MaltyHops]

have you ever had a problem with the wort picking up any bugs waiting those couple of days to use it ?

Never had a problem - so far - but I do not remove the alu-foil cap at all, just wrap cling-wrap around it,
so the chance of external contamination is very small.

One time I boiled up a 1/2L starter wort, took about 10mL off (for a testtube slant)
while the wort was hot and put alfoil cap on the starter wort. The slant took a couple
of days to take off and I had left the capped wort on the kitchen bench the whole
time which went off and had to be ditched. In hindsight, I think putting the starter
wort in the fridge would have prevented this.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Error ignore this

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Error, ignore this