Let me start by saying I have made dozens of yeast starters and regularly wash and reuse yeast. I am very confident in my sanitation methods.
I am trying to harvest yeast from a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy. On Saturday I did a 1 cup starter in a sanitized spaghetti jar and was pleased to see the yeast multiply. Monday I went to step up to a larger 2 cup starter and noticed some white spots (.5mm diameter) near the top of the jar. My first thought was infection or mold but then common sense set in.
It smells good - like beer - no off smells. I am thinking there is no way it could be an infection or mold - has only been 48 hours. I did swirl the starter vigorously, and am assuming it has to be some dried beer/foam. However, I am having doubts - I hate to ruin a batch of beer over this. I normally do a starter in a 2L erlenmeyer with a stir bar - I've seen starter krausens but don't recall white dots like this in the past.
I did pitch the original starter into a larger erlenmeyer flask. I replaced the foil on the original jar and will keep an eye on it to see if anything grows.
Curious if anyone else has seen something like this? I took some pictures but none of them came out very clear. I will try to get a good pic posted tonight. If it smells good when I am brewing over the weekend, would you pitch it?
I am trying to harvest yeast from a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy. On Saturday I did a 1 cup starter in a sanitized spaghetti jar and was pleased to see the yeast multiply. Monday I went to step up to a larger 2 cup starter and noticed some white spots (.5mm diameter) near the top of the jar. My first thought was infection or mold but then common sense set in.
It smells good - like beer - no off smells. I am thinking there is no way it could be an infection or mold - has only been 48 hours. I did swirl the starter vigorously, and am assuming it has to be some dried beer/foam. However, I am having doubts - I hate to ruin a batch of beer over this. I normally do a starter in a 2L erlenmeyer with a stir bar - I've seen starter krausens but don't recall white dots like this in the past.
I did pitch the original starter into a larger erlenmeyer flask. I replaced the foil on the original jar and will keep an eye on it to see if anything grows.
Curious if anyone else has seen something like this? I took some pictures but none of them came out very clear. I will try to get a good pic posted tonight. If it smells good when I am brewing over the weekend, would you pitch it?