Saison Starter Shenanigans

yeah coconut doesn't sound that great. but I tried maui's coconut porter and it was actually quite tasty, so .......... I don't know what that means. But yes, some things probaby shouldn't be put into beer (rocky mountain oysters, for instance).

 

So it appears that most people end up having to make bigger starters because they don't use their stirplates, and like to pitch the starter wort?

I mean, I'm not knocking it, I've pitched it before, but in the case when I used previous sparged wort from a past beer, boiled it up and put it in the fridge. Boiled and cooled again before I used it, tasted it and pitched yeast. I've done that when I cut the brew day really close.

I use a stir plate though. I can normally do a starter Thursday night, let it run all night, all day, and the next night, crash it for Saturday evening pitch and I'm golden. No shit in my beer for the sake of getting a large pitch.

 

"No shit in my beer for the sake of getting a large pitch."

You mean no stir plate oxidized shit in your beer for the sake of getting a Xtra large, jumbo pitch ala calculator (IMHO)

 

I don't know about most. Some.

My normal procedure is to do my starters, to Mr Malty specs, with a stir plate, early enough so that I can cold crash 'em and pour off the starter beer. I know that there are excellent brewers who do it that other way, but this is what makes sense to me because a) starter beer tastes like shite and I don't want to put it in my beer if I don't have to, and b) I think the logic behind pitching actively fermenting starter yeast is dubious since the yeast will need to go through a phase of exponential growth either way and it's not as if that actively fermenting yeast will ferment your whole 5 gallons without a massive amount of reproduction first.

Your results may vary and all that.

 

I generally decant the starter. The couple times I have poured the whole thing was when it was a second smaller amount of starter wort just to rouse up the yeast (after they had been decanted and refrigerated) so they'd be in full growth mode when they hit the wort. Not sure if this was/is optimal but I got no off flavors (it was about a quart of starter each time). To be fair, these were for ales that had plenty of hops and/or roasted malts, so any off flavors wouldn't glare like they would in a kolsch.

For the lager starter, yes, I am going to step it up several times, and decant most of the spent wort.

 

The terminology of “big starter” is subjective. A “big starter” can certainly be pitched as long as the starter is consistent with the beer being brewed. A starter is essentially a mini-beer. If you produce a starter with a wort composition that is consistent with the beer being made and ‘ferment’ the starter consistent with the beer being made (ferment at the same temperatures and do not oxidize the wort) there is absolutely no reason that the entire “big starter” cannot be pitched in the beer wort.

I really don’t think I need to caveat this but ... if you use a stir plate (which results in oxidized wort) it is not a best practice to pitch the entire yeast starter contents. If you produce a yeast starter (big or otherwise) where the wort is not oxidized via a stir plate and the starter was fermented at the temperature that you will ferment the beer, pitch away.

Cheers!

 

That's an opinion and of course you're entitled to it. I happen to disagree. My point was that I didn't want anyone thinking that Jamil had said that.

 

The terminology of “big starter” is subjective.

Cheers!

 

Can you taste the starter in your finished beers?

 

I know I can't...even lagers with 1:10 starter:beer...but then I don't use a stir plate, pitch within ~18 hrs of making starter, and always match the ferment temp.

Anybody ever measure temp of something coming off a stir plate? Just curious...maybe that's why decanted wort from a stir plate tastes so bad (in addition to the massive oxidation)

 

“…I don't use a stir plate, pitch within ~18 hrs of making starter, and always match the ferment temp.” A BIG +1 to that!

Cheers to GreenKrusty101!

 

92 F the last time I checked with my thermapen. Then again I use a lab grade stir plate, none of the wimpy ones sold at the brew stores.

 

Apparently the terminology here of "starter" is subjective as well.

 

Wait, is "taste" subjective?

 

Mine will come over slightly above room temp when I'm about to crash it.

I taste the starter beer too. Not something I'm keen on dumping in a beer I've poured over for a few hours or days designing and getting together.

 

That too!

Some people like oxidized starter wort in their beers, others love 75* ale fermentation esters, and others like fuggles.

 

And some people like Nelson Sauvin hops!?!

Cheers!

 

Can you taste Nelson Sauvin hops in your beers?

 

If I had beer in my mouth when I read that I would have lost it onto my screen. Nice.