Yeast Starter: how little is too little?

Donoroto

Donoroto

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I recently received a few packets of Crossmyloof yeast from my friend @AHarper but one (the Belgian, which unfortunately is the most interesting to me) had somehow been slit open and spilled. Our friends at Royal Mail re-wrapped it in a plastic bag, and some of those yeast 'pellets' made it over to me.

Is is crazy to think that i can make up a starter (2 or 3 steps?) to get enough yeast to pitch into 5 gallons if:
A) I have only about a gram of yeast to start, and
2) What is there has been exposed to the air, envelope, and rest of the environment (i.e., contaminated)?

I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts.
 
It's likely contaminated. That said, you have a gram of yeast. Make a 100 ml starter, then step it up to a liter. Sniff the starter, if it smells off, don't use it.
 
I'll send you another... this time I'll wrap it better. The PO are not the best at protecting stuff here but maybe it was customs?
 
AHarper said:
I'll send you another... this time I'll wrap it better. The PO are not the best at protecting stuff here but maybe it was customs?
Click to expand...
No, no, let me give this a go. It isn't like yeast is hard to get here, and international mail is more than the yeast! I mean, you've been doubly generous to this point, it isn't really necessary.
 
I'd go with what Nosey said and I'd go one step further give it a taste :)!

In regards to starter supernatant it doesn't taste like beer but as long as it isn't vinegery or spicey or taste like bandaids well I'd step it up again at that point then repeat.

Maybe brew a small batch before going the whole hog.
 
Honestly, there's little cost and effort to see what you get from it.
I'd go for it with low expectations and if it seems fine, maybe brew up a table beer and then maybe top crop for some fresh yeast going forward
 
Want some easy starter wort overbuild your next batch don and save that for your starter...
 
So 24 hours after I took that gram of yeast and ran it on the stir plate (used 300 ml of the brown ale wort pre-boil, thanks @Trialben for the idea) I have a couple of grams of nice yeast slurry. The smell is pleasant and the supernatant tasted ok, if slightly boozy.

So today it becomes a 1 liter starter with Propper Starter and boiled water, if all goes well I'll have enough to build another liter starter, which is enough to pitch. Thanks @AHarper for this Belgian yeast, seems like it might work!

I guess this means a Belgian is in my near future. I think I'll re-brew Alan's Pee.
 
Don, are you injecting any Oxygen to the starter or just stir plating ?
 
Plain stir plate after a good shake at the start
 
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