[mabrungard]

+1 to chilling and settling the starter. However, I never pour off the spent wort after chilling and settling. That would disturb the yeast cake too much. I always siphon off the spent wort and avoid any disturbance of the cake in the process.

Since I blow filtered air into the starter flask head space during the starter production, I am left with that sanitized small air line that then serves as my siphon hose. By the way, never use an air stone during your starter production if you use a stir plate. All you need to do is keep an ambient atmosphere above the wort that can then exchange plenty of oxygen with the wort throughout the growth phase. On top of that, I found that using an air stone just promoted excessive foaming of the starter. Getting rid of the air stone solved all my problems! 

[youngdh]

So, I'm confused. I've read that you want to pitch the yeast from your starter at or near the end of the respiration and growth phase (high krausen) and before the yeast are well into the alcohol production phase so they are well nourished and ready to hit the ground running when pitched into the full batch to minimize the lag phase. If you decant the bulk of the starter wort first and to avoid pouring yeast down the drain then you need to either cold crash the starter so yeast go to sleep and settle out or let the yeast go to completion and then they floc out (this would take several days). Either way defeats the purpose of reducing the lag phase as yeast have to wake up again when pitched into your full batch.

[bboy9000]

If you decant the bulk of the starter wort first and to avoid pouring yeast down the drain then you need to either cold crash the starter so yeast go to sleep and settle out or let the yeast go to completion and then they floc out (this would take several days). Either way defeats the purpose of reducing the lag phase as yeast have to wake up again when pitched into your full batch.

This is another reason why I rarely decant, but I've done it both ways and they both work.  As long as you have good cleaning and sanitizing practices,  the lag time isn't a big deal.  I (like many homebrewers) have waited until the next day to pitch lager yeast so the wort would be at the desired temperature and have made excellent beer.

The other reason I rarely decant, other than what I stated in my previous post, is it allows me to decide to brew less than 24 hours in advance.  With my job it is often hard to plan a brew day enough in advance to chill a starter for decanting.  It's just easier for me.

[yso191]

This is a great thread on the topic: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=20692.0

[denny]

+1 to chilling and settling the starter. However, I never pour off the spent wort after chilling and settling. That would disturb the yeast cake too much. I always siphon off the spent wort and avoid any disturbance of the cake in the process.

Out of curiosity, Martin, have you tried the pouring?  I've never found it disruptive to the yeast cake, so I'm wondering what the differences are between our methods.

[denny]

So, I'm confused. I've read that you want to pitch the yeast from your starter at or near the end of the respiration and growth phase (high krausen) and before the yeast are well into the alcohol production phase so they are well nourished and ready to hit the ground running when pitched into the full batch to minimize the lag phase. If you decant the bulk of the starter wort first and to avoid pouring yeast down the drain then you need to either cold crash the starter so yeast go to sleep and settle out or let the yeast go to completion and then they floc out (this would take several days). Either way defeats the purpose of reducing the lag phase as yeast have to wake up again when pitched into your full batch.

Well there's theory and then there's reality.  While the theory you're working on is great, the reality is that chilling and decanting works every bit as well.  The yeast will wake up fine when they go into the warm wort.  And the significance of the "lag phase" (which doesn't really exist) is much less than it's made out to be.  In practice, your beer will turn out the same whether there's a 4 hour lag or a 24 hour lag.  One final data point...yesterday, I took a 3 qt. starter out of 1056 out of the fridge, decanted the spent wort, and immediately, without warming it up, pitched it into 61F wort.  I had fermentation starting in 3 hours and this AM I'm getting blowoff at 63F. 

All of that is a rather long winded way of saying that the only thing that counts is your own experience...try it more than one way and decide for yourself.

[denny]

The other reason I rarely decant, other than what I stated in my previous post, is it allows me to decide to brew less than 24 hours in advance.  With my job it is often hard to plan a brew day enough in advance to chill a starter for decanting.  It's just easier for me.

Even though I don't have a job, my brew days often get shifted around at the last second.   So I let my starters ferment pout and keep them in the fridge.  Yesterday, a chance to brew arose.  Fortunately, I'd had a starter of 1056 in the fridge for a week or 2.  I was able to just pull it out, decant, and pitch it.

[HoosierBrew]

I've decanted and not decanted over the years and it's one of those things where you'll make good beer either way IMO. So having said that, I choose to not pitch spent DME with no hops or resemblance to my grist.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Not brewed a 10th as much as Denny, but I'm in the same camp. I've poured my starter wort off, pitched it without matching temp of wort, had it take off in 3-4 hours or 12-18hrs.....can't say I perceive any difference in the finished product. Healthy yeast want to get in and do their job, and seemingly are indifferent to the variables in theory that we have all gotten hung up on at some point.


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[klickitat jim]

Yes they are fairly tough. Its funny how we scrub and soak in acid and flame to be sure we kill them when we don't want them, then when we want them we worry that they will all die unless we handle them just so. But, it's still a good idea to do the best we can.

[slats]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to decant my next starters.