First time making a starter, and working with a 2 month old package of WY2308 lager yeast. I boiled 1.5L of starter wort with Pilsner DME and pitched the yeast spread out across 3 mason jars with loose lids and 0.5L each. After 24-36 hours at about 66 degrees and 2-3 agitations/day, I believe that the yeast are active (CO2 definitely comes out of solution when agitated), but there is no krausen formed. IS this slow activity expected, or should I shop for a new batch of liquid yeast?
It’s not odd to have little or no Krausen on a starter. If the yeast count is multiplying at a reasonable rate, the best indication of activity is when the starter becomes milky looking. You’d get much better results with a stir plate, or even agitating more often, so be sure to use a pitching rate calculator and enter the method you’re using if you want to see reasonable predictions.
I used to use a stir plate for many years. Then the Shaken Not Stirred method appeared on this forum. I haven’t used stir plate for the last 6 years.
+1 on the Shaken, not Stirred approach. It’s hard to believe its been around as long as it has. I made a stir plate over 10 years ago and haven’t moved it from storage cabinet in a similar 6 year period…time flies.
To the OP - the Shaken, not Stirred approach is simply using a larger vessel (gallon jug for 1 liter starter, for example) and pitching the starter yeast into a well shaken, foamy wort - then pitching the starter at high krausen into the full batch of chilled and aerated wort.
Good luck with your brewing!
I remember before my stir plate days, and before anyone ever mentioned SNS, I would just shake/swirl my starter every time I walked past it. I didn’t realize science was abound!
I agree with Bob. I often have very little krausen in my starters and I don’t believe I’ve ever had one fail me. As long as they get cloudy and bubble, they seem to work very well.
Paul
If the OP was splitting a 1.5 liter starter between 3 mason jars, I doubt he/she had a vessel big enough for an SNS.
Thanks everyone. The starters are definitely very cloudy and smell like very yeasty beer. After 72 hours (probably a little overkill but the temps were a bit lower than expected), I put the starter in the fridge to flocculate out. Next step is a step up! Thanks again!
As a bit of a gear nerd this makes me both happy and frustrated at the same time.
Option 1) you want to maximize agitation in your starter to help it to fully develop before pitching. Therefore, set your stir plate to the following parameters…
OR
Option 2) Pick up that jar and shake that s#*t whenever you think about it.
Occam’s Razor at it’s finest.