Lager Yeast Starter Temp

[RobinW]

I've been making starters for all my brews lately, normally do a 2L starter, pour off most of the spent wort, swirl whats left and split it to 2 maison jars then into the fridge. On brew day, leave a jar out to warm up, pour off all the spent wort, grab some of wort from the brew, cool it in a flask to pitching temp, pour some into the jar, swirl and add to the flask. It's taking ages to cool a fermentor full and by then the flask is ready to roar, just pour it in.

This has been working really well and I always have yeast on hand but I want to brew a Pilsner. I had a litre of wort from brewing on Tuesday so boiled it up again today, cooled it and pitched in some S-189. I'm going to have to ferment this at around 11C but the starter is stirring in the garage and it's 31C right now. Summer is here finally.

Will making a lager starter at such a high temp damage it at all or am I still just increasing the cell count.

 

[laxation]

The blokes from Imperial yeast said room temp - 22 degrees or thereabouts.

https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/yeast-starter-temperature.52709/
this thread has some more info.

 

[RobinW]

Ya know I searched for for that topic and got swamped with too many useless results to find that one, cheers.

Looks like I'll need to get a new fermenting fridge, I can't even get a 1L flask into this one when the bucket's in there.

 

[laxation]

dont stress i found it googling

I'm in the same boat; if anyone has any tips for doing a starter in summer that doesn't involve buying a new fridge, I'm all ears!

 

[timmi9191]

Sink or bath with a frozen 1.25 soft drink bottle.

I do question your process. Why are you starting the yeast. Stopping and storing and restarting?

A key part of yeast starters is to pitch in their optimal condition. This is generally considered the high krauaen of the starter.

 

[RobinW]

Bit hard to dunk the stirrer in water.

Doing a 2L starter doubles the yeast. Split the result. Use one and store the other.

On brew day restart the yeast with wort from the current brew..

By the time the 20L fermentor is at temp, the starter is at high krausen .

Been working well for me with Ales.

 

[labels]

Do try and keep your starter under 25C for lagers. Keeping them in the kitchen or another cool place in the house is the best option if you want to avoid temp controll for starters.
Doing starters is a great option for better beer however, step it up one more notch, IF you have fermented your starter out completely by brewday, start by adding some boiled and cooled DME to your starter, you can make this up the day before if you can keep it sanitary, then when pitching time comes, you're adding actively fermenting yeast to your wort rather than stagnant yeast. A way better method.

 

[Garfield]

The starter wort will be excessive in esters and oils but you tip that off anyway.

In the adaption phase, yeast grown at 35' will despise their new home at 11'. This may lead to lengthened lag time with you brew at risk of wild fermenting or souring.

So while your starter may not hurt the yeast, it may indirectly impact your finished beer.

Can your lagers wait for cooler months?

 

[RobinW]

Waiting is probably the best move.
It's 9:35PM here and still 28C in the garage.
I see a bigger fermenting fridge in my furture.

 

[Keemju]

Im in brisbane and love my lager. I always use a starter that has been on a stir plate at room temp upto and including 30+ degrees. I have found as long as i let the starter settle at my pitching temp and pour off the excess its fine

 

[manticle]

Another method is to use same/similar wort to your main batch, ferment till it's visibly active at lower temps and pitch the lot

 

[RobinW]

Im in brisbane and love my lager. I always use a starter that has been on a stir plate at room temp upto and including 30+ degrees. I have found as long as i let the starter settle at my pitching temp and pour off the excess its fine

I notice it didn't split as quickly as an ale yeast. With ale yeast, I turn the stirrer off and it's visibly splitting in minutes. This lager yeast needed to be cooled before it split. I might give it a round of DME to see if I get the same result. Won't really need it till probably Tuesday odd so have the time.

Another method is to use same/similar wort to your main batch, ferment till it's visibly active at lower temps and pitch the lot

I always get it to hi krausen with wort from the batch I'm pitching to.
But with lagers, I have no way to lower starter temps to 11C.
Working well so far at room temp, with ales.

 

[Keemju]

I notice it didn't split as quickly as an ale yeast. With ale yeast, I turn the stirrer off and it's visibly splitting in minutes. This lager yeast needed to be cooled before it split. I might give it a round of DME to see if I get the same result. Won't really need it till probably Tuesday odd so have the time.


I always get it to hi krausen with wort from the batch I'm pitching to.
But with lagers, I have no way to lower starter temps to 11C.
Working well so far at room temp, with ales.

I have noticed the same with lager yeast it does take time to seperate. The key word being time. I have a fermenting fridge so i can afford it the time to cool to pitching temp and properly seerate. I ave never started a yeast at 11 i find it better to start around 13 and after i see action lower the the temp go around 11.5 to 12