How Should Yeast Starters Taste?

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petesbrew

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I have a culture of WLP800 pilsner in the fridge that's about a year old. I started it over the weekend, and it seems okay.

Basically i read somewhere to taste it, but I can't remember where, and what it should taste like.

It tastes okay, i mean i'm not screwing up my face or anything.

I've done a few liquid starters before, but my success rate is a bit hit/miss, so I've always got dried yeast as a backup.
Cheers,
Pete
 
You're looking for sourness or phenols (clove, band aid, medicinal, etc). If it doesn't taste sour or phenolic, it's likely fine.
 
You're looking for sourness or phenols (clove, band aid, medicinal, etc). If it doesn't taste sour or phenolic, it's likely fine.
What sucks is when you can't remember what cloves taste like!
Cheers newguy
p.s. It tastes good, but once drunk, there is a strange flavour on the back of my tongue. can't say what it is.
 
The strange taste can be from all the yeast. I get a strange flavour from my starters too, but the beer comes out okay.

Regarding cloves, have you ever tried a Bavarian Weizen? They're awash in clove phenols. A lot of the Belgian beers will usually have a clove aspect too. I guess I should also qualify the clove/sourness for anyone else who reads this thread: you shouldn't get sourness or phenols from most yeasts unless they're meant to produce these qualities. Like the saison strains, most Belgian strains, the wheat beer strains, and the sour (i.e. lambic) strains.
 
Stuff it. Bit the bullet, and the yeast is pitched.
Just a Morgans Pilsner Kit.
 
Mix dried yeast (any yeast, bread yeast or kit yeast) with a little water, just enough to make a paste. Now taste it, that's what yeast tastes like, very hard to describe. You'll remember it!
 
If its gone bad after sitting for a year you will know it.
I chucked a few out that were a couple of years old last week.
Although they smelled fine, After tasting i wished i didnt...foul!
 
I wish I had've saved a few more lager cultures from the previous swaps. It's never been colder in my garage.
It's currently swinging between 11-14c.
 
Mind you stir plate starters can taste odd.
I have made stir plate starters that tasted very tart and reeked of acetaldehyde and made outstanding lager.

MFS.
 
It's a good idea, IMHO, to make a hopped starter.
Then, if the yeast starter tastes like beer, you're good to go.
If it tastes weird, you can more easily identify the culprit, if the starter tastes the way a good beer should.

I decanted a litre of Bavarian starter from a older W2206 yeast starter last night (into a 1 litre stein) and re-inoculated with a 1.5 litre wort (with Strisselspalt hops). The beer was clear and fairly tasty too. This will make a Vienna lager and a few bocks, I reckon.
 
The yeast has taken off well. Currently sitting at 13c on the garage floor. Opened the door to check on it this morning to be greeted with a friendly "bloop!" from the airlock. :icon_cheers:
 
One week down and the pilsner is tasting VERY good.
Taking a while to ferment, it's currently at 1020 (from 1042) but there's no rush.
Glad I pitched that sucker!
 

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