Starter yeast is clumpy

[Spivey24]

I made a yeast starter from some WLP007. I noticed at the end of ferment of the starter after a day it was a bit clumpy in suspension. I was using a stir plate. This is third gen yeast just doing split starters - not harvesting. I tasted the beer the starter made and it is a bit sour. Smells fine and has no other off flavors. Should I use the starter or dump? I have a batch ready to be pitched.

 

[Qhrumphf]

007 egg drop soup is to be expected. You're just fine.

 

[VikeMan]

I made a yeast starter from some WLP007. I noticed at the end of ferment of the starter after a day it was a bit clumpy in suspension. I was using a stir plate. This is third gen yeast just doing split starters - not harvesting. I tasted the beer the starter made and it is a bit sour. Smells fine and has no other off flavors. Should I use the starter or dump? I have a batch ready to be pitched.

The yeast has finished the job (or nearly so) and most of it has flocculated, and is trying to settle out. Your stir plate is stirring it back into suspension. If you were to turn off the stir plate, you'd see it settle out before long.

 

[Spivey24]

The yeast has finished the job (or nearly so) and most of it has flocculated, and is trying to settle out. Your stir plate is stirring it back into suspension. If you were to turn off the stir plate, you'd see it settle out before long.

Yea, I turned off the stir plate and it dropped in like 5 seconds. Never seen a yeast do that to that extent. First time using 007. guess I should have googled it before panicking.

 

[Snuffy]

I’m pretty sure this IS the place to yeast-google.

 

[JAReeves]

If you don't mind my hijacking the thread for a related question:

I made a batch of wort and added it in 1/3's to my starter on the stir plate. It smells like beer, so the yeast I resurrected seem to be doing fine.

The question I have is about the wort made from DME. It had some greyish clouds floating near the bottom, and I wasn't sure if it was just cold break from being chilled until added to the starter or if it is possible to have something go bad in three days while at 37F. The wort did not smell beery, it definitely smelled worty. Everything was soaked in sanitizer before any sugar touched it and twice I opened the jar to pour some into the beaker and then immediately closed it. I am pretty anal about sanitizing, but I know that no system is perfect.

Should I postpone brewday until I get a different starter and pitch this one?

 

[Spivey24]

I always taste and smell the starter beer. I am a little paranoid, but that should help to see if it is an issue, which it doesn’t sound like. Post a picture though.

 

[IslandLizard]

The question I have is about the wort made from DME. It had some greyish clouds floating near the bottom, and I wasn't sure if it was just cold break from being chilled

I get that too, probably some form of cold break. I always make sure to get at least some of that into the starter, possibly containing extra nutrients and such.

if it is possible to have something go bad in three days while at 37F.

If you're sanitation regimen is solid, wort should be able to last around those temps for a few days. Boiled and chilled wort that's sitting at room temps will start to ferment after 12-24 hours, even in a closed vessel.

 

[JAReeves]

Thanks for the input, folks, I truly appreciate it. Here are a couple of pics. The starter smells yeasty, perhaps a little sharper than I am used to, but there could be any number of factors for that including the fact that this is only my third batch this year and my sense of smell might be off a bit! It did get cloudier with the last addition of wort, but that doesn't seem unusual from my experience.

 

[JAReeves]

After a day in the fridge to drop the yeast out of suspension for Sunday's brewery, I gave it a sniff and it is TART! Not what I expect for WL007, and after only a week! I probably should give it a taste and see if it would make a good kettle sour.

Buuuuutttt, as for the IPA I have planned, nope, no way, not gonna do it.

I am going to pitch a fresh pack of WL007 with a minimalist rejuvenation starter I made of S-05. Between the two, they should be able to handle 7% without too much stress or funky flavors. What the hell, it'll be beer.