Is a yeast starter an accurate representation of yeast aroma and flavor?

[beervoid]

I've been making yeast starters and IIaleays decant and taste them.
I do this to check if anything might be wrong with the yeast but also to get an idea of the flavor and aroma.

What surprised me is that the difference for the yeasts I've used so far are very very minimal.
I always have the chance to taste them side by side as I make 2 starters every time.
So far I've used
London ale III, S-04, gy054 vermont, wlp0644, kveik hothead, ebbegarden, voss..

The only one that really stood out was hornindal with its typical mushroom like flavor.

It makes me wonder if perhaps making a starter is not representative of the finalf yeast flavor and aroma.

 

[505-Brewer]

Starters usually utilize a large amount of yeast nutrient. So if you are doing so that could certainly skew the flavor.

 

[beervoid]

Starters usually utilize a large amount of yeast nutrient. So if you are doing so that could certainly skew the flavor.

I make my starters with DME and usually no nutrient. If I do I add very little

 

[NeverDie]

I haven't made starters (yet), but I'm surprised you didn't notice any aroma to the kveik hothead, if only because in my case it had its signature aroma even coming straight out of the Omega packaging.

 

[beervoid]

I haven't made starters (yet), but I'm surprised you didn't notice any aroma to the kveik hothead, if only because in my case it had its signature aroma even coming straight out of the Omega packaging.

To me they all had a similar soft fruity smell and taste I would describe as peachy/appleish
Hothead was perhaps a little more honey like... but the difference was so small!
Now I throw a ton of hops in the beers and I have a really hard time picking out the differences with all these yeasts...

 

[NeverDie]

Well, the honey smell is correct. I'm making a hothead mead right now, and it really seems to greatly amplify the smell of the honey in the mead. i.e. its aroma seems multiplicative, not additive.