Yeast starter taking too long, should i use it?

[Metalhead_brewer]

Hi everyone
i did this yeast starter last thursday for my brew in saturday, from a washed yeast of last batch that was like 2 months ago, i put just a pinch of yeast nutrient and i left it in the stir plate for about two hours because i thought yeast was too old and may be it needed more oxigen and food to happy multiply , the starter showed activity till saturday morning (i put it in my fermentation chamber at 19C)and i decided to use one packet of yeast i had on hand instead of the starter, now is tuesday and the starter looks like this it has some "chunks" of yeast floating around, it doesn't smell bad it smells tangy and citrusy very pleasant aroma, i'm planning on brew a black ipa this saturday what should i do? i just throw this starter away and get a new packet of yeast? or can i use it for saturday? the fact is that i don't have any yeast packet on reserve and i have to order it so maybe i'll have to wait to the next week until yeast arrive to brew.

 

[kh54s10]

What makes you think it is taking too long? It looks like you have a lot of yeast there and even more still in suspension. 18 hours on a stirplate is enough for a relatively fresh package of yeast. Longer than that and most of the energy of the yeast is then going to fermenting the wort instead of growing new cells.

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

What makes you think it is taking too long?

because normally at least in my case when i do a starter with washed yeast takes about 3 days to be ready with all the yeasties settleded down and ready to pitch, and this time they have 5 days and they're still playing around i was afraid it was infected or something.

 

[kh54s10]

When you do a starter you do not need to let it ferment all the way. Unless your washed yeast is really old, 18 hours on a stirplate or 36 - 48 hours with intermittent shaking should be plenty. After that time the cell growth has already happened and the yeast are spending their energy in fermenting the beer. It is healthier to use the starter sooner.

I run my starters for about 18 hours. Cold crash overnight, remove it from the fridge and pour off the beer. Let it warm for half of the brew time and pitch in the late afternoon.

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

Thank you very much for fast response
so do you recommend in this case that i have to put the flask in the fridge till brew day (Saturday) and pour it all in the wort?

 

[kh54s10]

If you have it in the fridge for a few days most of the yeast will fall out of suspension. You can then pour off the liquid on top. Leave a little to help swirl and loosen the yeast at the bottom. Whenever I make a starter over .5 liter, I decant the "beer" which has been made in conditions that are not good (too warm) for making good beer. I don't want that in my fermenter.

Except for when I don't plan well and don't have the time to cold crash it. Then it all goes in.

 

[mongoose33]

When you do a starter you do not need to let it ferment all the way. Unless your washed yeast is really old, 18 hours on a stirplate or 36 - 48 hours with intermittent shaking should be plenty. After that time the cell growth has already happened and the yeast are spending their energy in fermenting the beer. It is healthier to use the starter sooner.

I run my starters for about 18 hours. Cold crash overnight, remove it from the fridge and pour off the beer. Let it warm for half of the brew time and pitch in the late afternoon.

Just to extend....made a starter on Friday night with the yeast going in at 11pm. Pitched the next afternoon at 4pm, that's 17 hours. The roughly 18-hours time frame is what I use as well.

I don't usually crash my starters; they go right into the fermenter at the same temp (within a couple degrees). The whole starter, no decanting. Pitched at about 71 degrees, then the worts were dropped to 64 degrees in a ferm chamber. I made two batches, split the starter between them, and both were going at 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours.

I oxygenate my starters with O2 and a wand, include a pinch of yeast nutrient, and put them on a stir plate.

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

thank you both i i'll consider your tips for future yeast starters as the were very instructional for me, with this one i just decanted some of the "beer" in the flask and swirl the rest with the yeast and dropped it into the fermenter it took like a 30 hours or so to start fementation an now is actively bubbling and smelling reaaaally good inside the fermentation chamber i think this black IPA will turn out delicious