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After my third try of culturing this yeast from 3 tallies, I've movement in the airlock. Yeah!!! However, after two days the activity is very slow and the colour is a very wholemeal/brown bread (cardboard) colour. I'm used to the pale colour of safale US. Is this the normal CPA yeast colour???

Hirns

Yeah that sounds about right..

I've found that most of my starters tend to ferment out within about 24 hours, or even overnight.

The colour of the yeast sounds fine to me. Remember, it's been harvested from an ale, not a smackpack or tube, so I think it's bound to have some residual colour from the Coopers.

Personally, I prefer to ferment my starters right out, then cold crash them for a couple of days to drop the yeast. I pour off most of the starter beer, and only pitch the slurry. However, I'm fortunate in that I can brew on any day, seeing as I'm retired and not at work.

warra48 wrote:I've found that most of my starters tend to ferment out within about 24 hours, or even overnight.

The colour of the yeast sounds fine to me. Remember, it's been harvested from an ale, not a smackpack or tube, so I think it's bound to have some residual colour from the Coopers.

Personally, I prefer to ferment my starters right out, then cold crash them for a couple of days to drop the yeast. I pour off most of the starter beer, and only pitch the slurry. However, I'm fortunate in that I can brew on any day, seeing as I'm retired and not at work.

Thanks all, especially Warra for reminding us all of what we all truely wish for....

After reading about recuturing CPA yeast on this forum, I thought i would try to restart the yeast as I had a can of CPA + ready for brewing. After draining 3 stubbies of the "real" CPA I put the dregs into 600mm of wort, left it in the family room (temp range 18 - 23C) and after 36 hrs there was a half inch"crust" on top. And the yeast/slurry that had settled out was the wholemeal/brown bread (cardboard) colour. Wow!!
So yesterday (approx 2pm) I piched the lot onto 22lt water containing the CPA kit, 500gm LDME, 500gm dextrose and 250gm malto-dextrin . At this stage there was no crust on the starter but small bubbles still rising. Left the brew in the same room and this morning ( approx 5;30am) I had to look. It was fermenting and tonite its working over time and still smelling OK.. I'm amazed !?!


Warra, if I read correctly you let it fement all the way out, then refrigerate it . I assume this is to let the yeast settle to the bottom ? and give you some leeway for when you wish to pich the yeast ? Do people experience a different taste using this method vs the dried yeast. I guess the proof will be in the tasting. )

gunna wrote:Warra, if I read correctly you let it fement all the way out, then refrigerate it . I assume this is to let the yeast settle to the bottom ? and give you some leeway for when you wish to pich the yeast ? Do people experience a different taste using this method vs the dried yeast. I guess the proof will be in the tasting. )

I build my starters up in stages, up to about 2½ litres for an ale, or double that for a lager.
I don't want all that starter beer diluting etc my actual brew, so I do let it ferment out all the way, then cold crash it for a couple of days to settle it all out.
Pouring off the starter beer really gets me back to what's in the Wyeast pack, but with a lot more cells.
The character of the yeast is the same as the original smack pack.

I've also, at times, built up a starter to about 3 litres. After crash chilling, I poured off all but about 1 litre, and after swirling the yeast to suspend it, poured it into some 250 mil bottles. The yeast will settle again in the fridge, and the yeast in the bottom can be used for a further starter.

Here's a photo to sort of show what I do, with a 3 litre starter bottle, and one of the 250 mil bottles alongside.