storing a starter question

[Dale Wheeler]

I began a Belgian Ale WLP550 yeast starter yesterday, it's in a 2 qt jar w/ about 1 qt of wort. I planned to brew today but now can't, and won't for a couple of weeks.
Suggestions on a relatively easy way to store it to revive then?

[Blktre]

Id pop a pint of fresh wort on it and toss it in the fridge. The cool temps will burn thru the pint slow and keep the starter lively until you can get to it. Even just storing it in the fridge as is, then adding another qt. to it a few days before brew day would work too. I personally use airlocks on my starters that are being stored, others use foil.

[Jensen]

Id pop a pint of fresh wort on it and toss it in the fridge. The cool temps will burn thru the pint slow and keep the starter lively until you can get to it. Even just storing it in the fridge as is, then adding another qt. to it a few days before brew day would work too. I personally use airlocks on my starters that are being stored, others use foil.

I use heat-flashed foil on top of the jar and then store in a large gallon zip-lock baggie. The yeast will still work, but at a much much slower rate due to the fridge temps. It'll need to gas-off a bit still-- so don't seal it tight! The fridge is the dirtiest place in your house, so a sanitizing wipe before lifting lids, airlocks, etc. is a good idea. Feed it like Andy said, then store. If within two weeks, you can decant off the clear liquid the morning of, leaving the cake on the bottom, and dump a fresh quart on it-- and it'd be ready by the time you are ready to pitch. If much more than that I'd increase the time by 12-24 hours. High krausen is your friend!

[Blktre]

High krausen is your friend!

Oh yea. Talk about knocking the hell out of lag time.

[wlockwood]

great advice from two goto members who have answered countless questions of mine.

not long ago I started a yeast starter, about 2 liters in a 4 liter jug and some stuff came up and was not able to brew. It sat in my cold garage for a few weeks then I finally put in in the frig. Final able to brew I decanted the top off (it seemed to smell fine, have not yet got to the finished product yet) and added about 3 liters fresh wort and let it work a day or two. It took off nicely and after I pitched it into about 5 gallons of a high gravity situation, my lag was very short at lots of stuff puked out of the top of my 6.5 gallon jug when I was not around. Luckily I had just covered it with loose foil. This may also have been part or wholly realted to upgrades in my method of oxygenating.

so don't worry but brew clean

[klickcue]

Be careful of too much O2 and under pitching your yeast. If pitching the correct amount of yeast for you SG, a minute or two of O2 should be plenty depending on the air stone size that you are using. This also depends on the temperature of the wort since a colder temperature will hold more O2.

Keep records of your O2 period and the yeast growing rate versus the taste testing of your final brew.

Keep us posted on your results.

[Jensen]

Be careful of too much O2 and under pitching your yeast. If pitching the correct amount of yeast for you SG, a minute or two of O2 should be plenty depending on the air stone size that you are using.

So true! Too much o2 can be as detrimental as not enough. A brewer really needs to watch o2 in a starter especially-- you can really over do it in a hurry. Look for the smallest micron stone for starter oxygenating. I find a nice little 1" in head of foam seems to be plenty from my experience (about 10 seconds with my set up.) I o2 first then add yeast to a starter.

[wlockwood]

by the way, I decanted prior to pitching, and records are good idea, I keep some, not sure if I noted oxygenation.
It was a minute or two with a smaller micron stone (2?) its pretty cool so I should write a review for it.

The stone is bonded on the end of a ss wand so its kinda like a racking cane, I like it.

An oxygen meter seems over the top, does anybody have one.

[Jensen]

An oxygen meter seems over the top, does anybody have one.

oooh, maybe the club could by one...

[Dale Wheeler]

Thanks for everyone's great advice. I stored the starter in the refrig. Then a couple days before brewing, I brought it back to room temp, decanted all but the cake, added new wort and the yeast fired like crazy. Pitched it and had almost immediate primary fermentation.

[Jensen]

Thanks for everyone's great advice. I stored the starter in the refrig. Then a couple days before brewing, I brought it back to room temp, decanted all but the cake, added new wort and the yeast fired like crazy. Pitched it and had almost immediate primary fermentation.

Awesome! Hopefully you decanted carefully right off the bat while still cold-- that'll always work best.... as the solution warms those yeast start swimming quite actively. I just put some yeast to sleep in my fridge about a half-hour ago myself-- brew day got called because of STUFF.

[Dale Wheeler]

Yes, i decanted while it was still cold. thanks again for the tips.