This may be a stupid question but I read something somewhere that has me questioning my process. How long should the stir plate stay on when you’re making a starter? Throughout the entire fermentation, or turn off when active fermentation starts?
My process is to let it run until the bubbles are no longer seen rising to the top. Then it is turn off and the flasks put in the fridge to flocc out for a day or 2 before brewday. Decant off most of the liquid, swirl to suspend the yeast and pitch. You can also add some of the fresh wort, swirl, and pitch.
How long it takes is hard to give a number of X for. It depends on the starter size, the yeast pitch rate and health, yeast strain, and room temperature you have the starter in to name a few things.
I tend to leave it on the stir plate for about 24 hours before cold crashing or just pitching into fermenter.
Cheers,
Jeff
I have had fresh vials of lager yeast take a day before they show any signs of activity. It all depends.
I have no experience with lagers, i should of specified Ale Yeasts.
Cheers,
Jeff
I do up to 24 hours with the stir plate on, then turn it off and let it finish on its own. Often it is finished and flocc-ing out well before then. Either way I leave it at room temp another day or so before it goes in the fridge.
I let it spin until the solution turns really milky looking. I have some stored yeast and outdated packages that took their sweet time to get to that point. Up to 3-4 days in 5-800ml of starter wort. I also always taste the decanted beer after cooling to make sure that the extended time period has not allowed any unwanted yeast or bacteria to propagate.
I recently acquired my first stir plate. I’m making my starter momentarily (my Wyeast smack pack is swelling after 1 hour at 72°F) and plan to brew tomorrow.
The expert at my LHBS recommended 12 hours on the stir plate with deep vortex then cold crash for a few hours while brewing.
After much deliberation, my plan is to see how it looks after 12 hours and either crash overnight or keep it on until morning and cold crash it for at least 3 hours.
BTW - I’m a newbie and this will be my 3rd starter and 6th extract brew.
I generally like them to spin for 36 hours.
Really depends on the yeast strain. Some are so thick in 24 hours that I can’t spin with a stir bar further. IIRC the Wyeast Scottish Ale is such a beast. I like to have at least two days of cold crash, also, because some don’t floc out quick.
at room temp (70ish) i have yet to have a starter that didn’t fire up and burn out within 36 hours. visually, they will start spinning fast and color is darker; lightens, than spinning slows, bubbles and krausen generally; followed by less bubbles faster spins and a very different looking mixture of flying yeast…that’s when shes all done and time to throw into the cooler to crash and decant before pitching. that’s my story and im sticking to i :