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Author Topic: Cold Yeast in a starter  (Read 3206 times)

Offline krustybb

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Cold Yeast in a starter
« on: January 25, 2012, 06:08:08 pm »
Okay I taught my buddy how to make a yeast starter because I was going to be gone for work on the scheduled date that I  wanted the started made. He did everything right as far as I can tell except he took the yeast out of the fridge about ten minutes before he pitched it. I know this will not kill the yeast or anything. I want to get your guys feed back on what this will mean for a time frame and growth in the starter. It is a white labs english ale yeast. The OG of the start was 1.032. Thanks.

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Cold Yeast in a starter
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2012, 06:09:13 pm »
10 minutes before he put it in the starter?  It will be fine assuming the starter was room temp.  It will proceed as normal.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline krustybb

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Re: Cold Yeast in a starter
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2012, 06:31:55 pm »
Yeah the starter was at 70 degrees when he pitched it. I guess what I want to know is should I expect a big extra lag time before it starts active fermentation? I am going to do a step up on this so I want to know how far back to push the second phase.

Offline tygo

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Re: Cold Yeast in a starter
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2012, 06:44:45 pm »
I wouldn't expect a lot of extra lag time.  Don't worry about it.
Clint
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narvin

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Re: Cold Yeast in a starter
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2012, 06:59:37 pm »
Nothing wrong with that.  Pitching yeast cold prevents it from starting to use its reserves before they're needed.  Keep doing it!

wildknight

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Re: Cold Yeast in a starter
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2012, 07:17:09 am »
I am still playing with my process a bit for making and timing my starters.  However, what works me now is to pitch my yeast cold.  I whirlpool chill using ice, so my wort gets down to 40-45 F.  This lets me dump the cold break before going into the fermenter.  I also crash my yeast starter in the fridge a day or two before brew day so that I can dump the liquid and just harvest the yeast.  Since both are cold, I just pitch and let them warm up to ferment temperatures together.  I have not noticed an increased lag time; if anything, the lag time is decreased. 

Often with microbes, the temperature differential is as or more important than the absolute temperature. I believe them sensing increasing temperature over a wide range in a sugar rich environment impacts them more than whether you ultimately hold at 67, 68 or 69 F (or wherever you ferment) in terms of progressing through the lag phase and initial growth phase.