My Yeast Starter Hasn't

[ohitsbrad]

A seen-it-before thread but an explanation would be appreciated.

Yesterday morning I smacked a pack of Wyeast 3463 Forbidden Fruit. It didn't swell up completely even though I left it for about 8 hours before pouring it into a 1L starter. The first few of those hours it was at about 16deg and then about 22deg later. The date on the pack is May 07. Getting a bit old. Shook it up occasionally last night and this morning. There is no sign of a krausen. Its been just over 24hrs. The yeast is beginning to settle on the bottom.

I will give it more time but should I continue to shake it?

 

[mika]

I wouldn't call May as being all that old...just it has some Vintage
If the pack swelled the yeast is alive...maybe just not real healthy. 16degs is too low, 22 might be starting to get a tad high but shouldn't be real bad.
Shake it every now and then, ain't going to hurt it, you're doing the same kinda thing as a stirplate by shaking it.
What gravity was the wort you threw it into ?

No need to panic yet, just watch and wait, when you least expect it the yeast will come alive and you'll be away.

 

[ohitsbrad]

So its been 3 days now.

The gravity of the wort I made would have been about 1.036, 100g DME into 1L water.

I've taken a gravity reading just now, and it's 1.019.

There was never much sign of a krausen though, just a couple of white foamy patches on top with no thickness and no indication on the side of the container.

Temp is 19 degrees now but would have been fluctuating a little the last few days.

What I want to know is, would it be appropriate to step it up now?

 

[Ross]

Often, there's little indication other than a layer of yeast on the bottom. Sounds like it's going fine now though & yes, step up when you like.

cheers Ross

 

[mika]

Although all of my starters have developed a krausen ring, I've never seen big loads of foam on top...until I've given it a good shake.

 

[ohitsbrad]

Ok that sounds good.

Haven't made a starter before with liquid yeast. I have been comparing the activity in this one to when I re-used one week old yeast from a previous beer and made a starter with it. That frothed up overnight and had an inch thick of foam. So if this is normal, good. There is a layer of yeast on the bottom, and when I swirl it up it foams right up.

 

[brendanos]

A couple days lag for a 5 month old smack pack is pretty normal, and freshly harvested yeast from my experience is always super quick to get back into it. Make sure you give the starter plenty of nutrients/oxygen/agitation to give it the best chance of building up substantially.

 

[PostModern]

nutrients/oxygen/agitation

Yes/yes/yes. I've had long lag times from small samples and old samples (really the same thing). Oxygenate teh wort a lot and frequently, and add a pinch of yeast nutrient to the first and maybe second step-up worts. Should flourish eventually. As a wise brewer once said, "It only takes one cell".

 

[ohitsbrad]

Won't get to the store for yeast nutrient soon, but I do have some old dried kit yeast. If I was to pour some boiling water over it to ensure the cells are dead, then add the solution to the starter, would this provide some nutrients?

 

[Yeasty]

apparently u can buy Saunders malt extract from the local supermarket...use some of that to make 1.040 wort and drop the yeast in that...

ive got some nottingham here thats been in the fridge 5 months and i started it the other day...no great jumping start but 3 days in its bubbling away ready to go...

 

[warra48]

Won't get to the store for yeast nutrient soon, but I do have some old dried kit yeast. If I was to pour some boiling water over it to ensure the cells are dead, then add the solution to the starter, would this provide some nutrients?

It's what I do, and I think it works well. I normally step up my starters in 3 steps, and I add some dried yeast to the DME when I do a 10 minutes boil. My last starter was from a 6 way split of a WLP001, split earlier this year, and it took off like there was no tomorrow, with a healthy looking layer of kraeusen.

 

[mika]

I heard somewhere that the old kit yeast is better than nothing, but not great either. One brewer recommended mens multivitamins. Reckoned on about 1/2 a tab for a brew, so I would imagine a lot less for a starter. Never tried it myself.