fruity starter

[brewranger]

i have a white labs 028 edinburgh starter that was a bit fruity/cidery.

Given that my last blond was most likely infected....would that fruity/cidery be coming from the fact that it is 90F outside (starter closer to higher 70s) or that it is infected again.

being that everything is closed today, i just pitched and prayed...

if it could be an infection, would buying more yeast tomorrow and pitching help at all?

[brewinhard]

Did you happen to taste any of your starter? If it tastes fine (obviously yeasty) and not overly funky, sour, "off", then it is probably good to go. Are you using DME to make your starters? If it is fermenting in the high 70's than it probably is giving off lots of esters at that temp (doesn't mean the starter is bad though). Remember you are just trying to build up the yeast for a larger batch, not make a good tasting beer with your starter. If it was infected, pitching new yeast will not change that and you would just be wasting your money. Let the beer ferment out and take a sample to see how it tastes/smells. Do some "airlock sniffing" as well and see if the aroma getting scrubbed out of the fermenter is pleasurable.