First Starters, what to expect????

[EuBrew]

I have 2 starters going that I started last night about 6:30 PM. I used Mr Malty to calculate wort volume and yeast count so here's what I have going. I pitched 2 vials of WLP002 and 2 of WLP004 in seperate 1 gal jugs containing a little over 1.5 liters of wort each.

I boiled 325 grams of light DME with 3.25 liters of water for 15 minutes, cooled and added a little less than a teaspoon of yeast nutrient then split the contents between the 1 gal jugs before pitching the yeast. I shook the crap out of each and added an airlock. I continued agitating the solutions every .5 to 1 hr.

After some more reading on here I changed out the airlocks for sanitized aluminum foil. The WLP004 seems to have had some Krausen activity during the night, but the WLP002 just looks like it did last night, wort with yeast in solution.

FYI the predicted OG of the brews these are going in is 1.101 and 1.103. I expected to wake up and see some of the crazy flocculation from the 002 that I read about, but no dice. Is this normal??

 

[david_42]

First, you really didn't need to use two vials of each. The doubling time for yeast is around two hours, so the extra expanse doesn't gain you much.

Since the yeast is growing, the flocculation process won't kick in.

 

[EuBrew]

First, you really didn't need to use two vials of each. The doubling time for yeast is around two hours, so the extra expanse doesn't gain you much.

Since the yeast is growing, the flocculation process won't kick in.

Even with high gravity like 1.101 you don't need 2?? Just a newb following the calculator from Mr Malty. I'd love to save the jack though, those things are expensive!!!

 

[Bsquared]

Even with high gravity like 1.101 you don't need 2?? Just a newb following the calculator from Mr Malty. I'd love to save the jack though, those things are expensive!!!

You probably could have gotten away with just one if you made a 4.5L starter, because you are making it with intermittent shaking, not a stir bar. If you has a stir bar, you would only need one, for almost 3L for the starter.

this is my 007 on a stir 1L, for a small batch, but you can see all the yeast ar in suspension, so they grow much better.

 

[EuBrew]

I know, I know, I need to get a stir bar and stirrer set up. But it came down to doing 2 brews or 1 and lets face it, I'd rather brew than buy gadgets when there are methods that I can make due with until my wallet recovers from the initial shock of getting into brewing

Just checked on the starters and they are happy, looks like someone dumped cottage cheese in the 002, pretty cool!!

I had planned on doing one brew sat, the other sun, but I may do one today and one sunday, SWMBO always forgets to tell me what my plans for the weekend are until last minute.

If I pitch the whole starter today (around 7:00) when the wort is ready i'm good right?

For the sunday brew, I'd like to decant the spent wort off, when should I put it in the fridge?

 

[Bsquared]

Just checked on the starters and they are happy, looks like someone dumped cottage cheese in the 002, pretty cool!!
...
For the sunday brew, I'd like to decant the spent wort off, when should I put it in the fridge?

Yep that 002 is a mother flocculater!

I'm sure there a ton's of opinions, but I let my starter go for ~24hr the put it in the fridge, and then when I start brewing pull it out and let it warm up...The starter, that is...

P.S. get a sir plate!