I've had a number of batches brewed over the recent past that have not had the good taste that I was expecting. I had been attributing it to my 1/6 barrel SS keg that I use for fermenting that I never could be sure I was getting fully clean due to the small opening on top. I've recently made a tool that should be able to clean it well. Now I'm wondering if there might have been another reason for the off-tastes.
I just made a DME starter from a batch of WLP001 that I had grown, split and then frozen in 30ml vials with glycerine. The yeast did propagate well in the starter, but the smell was not too appealing. I don't recall smelling my starters much before, so maybe they're all like that. These frozen samples had been in the deep freezer (manual) for probably 9 months now, and there was some separation in the vials.
Even though the yeast propagated, what are the odds that it's not something I want to use for brewing, and how would I be able to tell?
I just made a DME starter from a batch of WLP001 that I had grown, split and then frozen in 30ml vials with glycerine. The yeast did propagate well in the starter, but the smell was not too appealing. I don't recall smelling my starters much before, so maybe they're all like that. These frozen samples had been in the deep freezer (manual) for probably 9 months now, and there was some separation in the vials.
Even though the yeast propagated, what are the odds that it's not something I want to use for brewing, and how would I be able to tell?