Yeast Starter Still Good?

[hlhorne]

I was planning to brew yesterday, so the day before (Sunday) I made a ~2 L yeast starter. After about 22 hours, I placed the starter in the fridge to make the yeast fall out of solution in preparation for pitching. I had timed this perfectly so it would be ready by the time I was done brewing yesterday.

Unfortunately, something came up (car issues), and I had to postpone the brewing until Thursday. I left the starter in the fridge (~40 F setpoint).

If I take it out Thursday, and assuming I let it warm up to ale pitching temperatures before pitching into the wort, it should still be good, right? No harm in letting it stay in the fridge a little longer than originally expected?

I figured it'd be just fine, but I wasn't sure.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

Sure, you'll be fine.

 

[Golddiggie]

A few days delay won't do any harm. If you were talking a few weeks or over a month, I'd say make a small starter to make up for cell loss.

I would advise letting it get to room temp, or closer to the chilled wort temp, decant almost all the spent starter wort before making a slurry of what remains and pitch that. Just be sure to keep the stirbar from falling into the fermenter. I use a rare earth magnet to hold it in, or retrieve it before pitching.