Wondering specifically about yeast cakes and starters?
-Sometimes I rack and just leave the cake...with a thin cover of beer..in the carboy for a few days before I harvest it and transfer to mason jar for the fridge.
-A few weeks ago I made a starter, got busy, and forgot about it in the back room where it still sits in the flask with "beer" on top.
I imagine that temperature is key...that room stays about 60-65 this time of year.
What do you folks think? Am I OK with this rather laggard treatment of my yeast or am I actually harming the yeast and risking something foul?
Is actual refrigeration critical in the above cases?
Thanks for your thoughts.