Thanks for the advice.
I think I used two vials of yeast for the starter. I used yeastcalc.com with the jamil stir plate option and two stages. WLP 838.
The starter fermented out faster than any other starter I've ever made,
I think my issues stem from a couple of things.
First off I cold pitched at 45 and let it free rise up to 49. However, my thermo well temp probe is sitting in the fermenter and 11 gallons of liquid. It never raised to 49 like I thought it would. By the time I noticed, was a week. I tried to leave door open a bit, maybe an hour, to warm up. It then fluctuated between 47-49 for at least another week. I realized that it was still fermenting too low, below optimal temps. So I bumped it to 51, and its been there a week now. I think I'll bump it to 52' and verify temp controller accuracy with a pulled sample of beer and an accurate thermometer.
Also I think I'll sanitize a spoon and try to stir up the yeast a bit through the fermenter lid, to try and get things going. I have used my IR thermometer on the conical, and I am dubious of its accuracy on stainless steel, but there is a temp differential between the top of the fermenter and the bottom. It's hard to know exactly where the beer level is inside, but even still I was shocked by the differential in temps, at least 10 degrees, much much colder at the bottom.
TD
I think I used two vials of yeast for the starter. I used yeastcalc.com with the jamil stir plate option and two stages. WLP 838.
The starter fermented out faster than any other starter I've ever made,
I think my issues stem from a couple of things.
First off I cold pitched at 45 and let it free rise up to 49. However, my thermo well temp probe is sitting in the fermenter and 11 gallons of liquid. It never raised to 49 like I thought it would. By the time I noticed, was a week. I tried to leave door open a bit, maybe an hour, to warm up. It then fluctuated between 47-49 for at least another week. I realized that it was still fermenting too low, below optimal temps. So I bumped it to 51, and its been there a week now. I think I'll bump it to 52' and verify temp controller accuracy with a pulled sample of beer and an accurate thermometer.
Also I think I'll sanitize a spoon and try to stir up the yeast a bit through the fermenter lid, to try and get things going. I have used my IR thermometer on the conical, and I am dubious of its accuracy on stainless steel, but there is a temp differential between the top of the fermenter and the bottom. It's hard to know exactly where the beer level is inside, but even still I was shocked by the differential in temps, at least 10 degrees, much much colder at the bottom.
TD