Beer Forum

Alright so I made a starter Tuesday. Went on the stir plate for 48 hours. Crashed it in my chest freezer and now I want to decant it. Is it as simple as just pouring off the wort? What sanitation issues do I need be concerned with? I am worried that the yeast cake will be hard to pitch. Should I leave a little wort on to ease this issue? Prior to pitching should I let it warm up for three hours? Any incite that could be provided is great.

jagoffyinzer wrote:Alright so I made a starter Tuesday. Went on the stir plate for 48 hours. Crashed it in my chest freezer and now I want to decant it. Is it as simple as just pouring off the wort? What sanitation issues do I need be concerned with? I am worried that the yeast cake will be hard to pitch. Should I leave a little wort on to ease this issue? Prior to pitching should I let it warm up for three hours? Any incite that could be provided is great.

Everyone should march into the streets! break windows! flip over cars and demand Meet. . .what? I'm inciting. Oh! Insight! Got it!

It's that easy. Just pour out most of the clear liquid. I leave a little to cover the yeast cake to protect it (from what I don't know) and to swirl up just before pitching. I make wonderfully mediocre beer this way.

By crashing in your chest freezer, I'm assuming you didn't actually let it freeze? That would be hard to pitch. I usually pull it out and decant before I start my brewday and pitch whenever I'm chilled down.

Dont be offended Jagof. Dirk is a compulsive grammar corrector. He once got on my case about a run on sentence. He's tough on spelling too.

I usually make a judgment call on how much to decant off based on the style ia am brewing. For a light lager I will chill and decant. You could always torch the rim of the flask if you are worried.

Two approaches:
1. Pour off all but a little of the spent starter, leaving you something to swirl up the yeast cake with.
2. Pour off all of the spent starter and add back a little sterile wort to swirl up the yeast cake and also get the yeast active.

I either flame the lip of the flask before and after decanting with a kitchen torch or will wipe the rim with a paper towel dampened with star san

Any jag off from Steeler country ought to know how to handle yeast an at. If you get too dry a yeast cake just pour a little Ahrn City on top of it and swirl it up. KnowwhatImean. I don't even bother decanting unless its going to be a lower gravity beer. Yinz guys can just pitch it all in a high krausen. Here we go...