Yeast starter Problem

[lem14]

Hey everyone I have 3 extract kit batches of beer under my belt, but tomorrow I am planning on brewing a 5 gallon Bock extract kit that recommended a yeast starter. So today I made the yeast starter in the method described below.

I cleaned, then sanitized (using Starsan) my Erlenmeyer flask, Wyeast liquid pack after activation, and a pair of scissors.
I did not clean the permeable foam stopper I was used, but I did sanitize it.

I then mixed 1000 ml of water with 2/3 DME and boiled for 5 minutes.

I then poured the "wort" into the Erlenmeyer and covered it with a sanitized piece of tinfoil and let it cool in a cold water bath to ~70 F.

I then air-rated, took the tinfoil off, cut the yeast pack open, and poured the yeast in.

Then I squeezed the sanitizer out of the stopper and placed it in the opening of the flask.

This was all at ~3:45 pm, now six hours later I have a whole lot more yeast, but I have a few other microbes as well. I can see a green protist looking organism at the surface as well as a few almost unnoticeable black organisms near the surface as well.

What did I do wrong?

Should I pour the yeast out and make a new started tomorrow hoping that I will have enough time to have the get through their lag phase? I think it would mean that I would not brew till about 10 tomorrow night?

Any help would be great thanks. I am excited to join the forum.

 

[Dynachrome]

Yeast is a strange thing. Its also tougher than a lot people give it credit for.

If you aren't looking at it under a microscope, I'm betting you are worrying too much.

Can you get a close-up picture?

Here is one of my non-starters:

I' basically just re-hydrating yeast.

Check the bottom of the page for more posts with related titles.

Vodka for airlocks - look it up.

 

[kh54s10]

My guess is that there is nothing wrong. I don't know what you are seeing but if you have an active starter fermentation it is likely good.

It will take about 12 - 18 hours for the starter to produce the proper yeast count. That is, if you are using a stirplate. If not I would ferment a starter for 24 to 36 hours swirling it up every time you pass by.

 

[45_70sharps]

I have no idea what those things you see in your starter are, but in that time frame it seems unlikely that microscopic organisms would grow that big.
If what you're saying is invaders, and they grow that big that fast, it should be obvious by the time you're ready to brew.
About all I can say is look for any change in it.
Pictures would be nice.

 

[lem14]

Thanks for the responses thus far. Here is a rough photo of what I am seeing. It is a larger, green looking organism that is swimming.

 

[dogbar]

Nothing's growing that fast in six hours. Could be a clump of DME or yeast. If you cleaned well before you started, RDWHAHB.

 

[lem14]

Nothing's growing that fast in six hours. Could be a clump of DME or yeast. If you cleaned well before you started, RDWHAHB.

You are right, I will relax and have a brew. Thanks for the imput guys.

 

[beerman0001]

Your next issue is you are making a bock that is a lager. If you are are using lager yeast and plan to pitch at 48-50 deg you need a much bigger starter then you made.

 

[metanoia]

Nothing's growing that fast in six hours. Could be a clump of DME or yeast. If you cleaned well before you started, RDWHAHB.

I'm worried that the OP mentioned sanitizing something that wasn't cleaned first. Hopefully it was just the stopper, but still, you cannot sanitize something that's not clean!

Also, I'd just make sure to have a backup pack or two of dried yeast, just in case the starter isn't ready in time or it doesn't end up starting fermentation.

 

[acidrain]

Thanks for the responses thus far. Here is a rough photo of what I am seeing. It is a larger, green looking organism that is swimming.

It's a bug. Strain it out.

 

[Dynachrome]

How did this story end?

Did you use this yeast starter or make a new one?

Did you make the bug stand on one foot, tip his head back, and touch his nose?