First yeast starter - no sign of fermentation?

[brottman]

I started my first yeast starter using a home-made stir plate yesterday around noon. Now at 4pm today, the starter smells yeasty, but I don't see any signs of fermentation at all. No kraussen, nothing... Hoping this is normal when using a stir plate?

I made the starter using some cider from my batch, and White Labs - Old English Cider yeast

 

[richmke]

I made starter from water, sugar, and yeast nutrient. The only sign of fermentation was when I shook it up, it released the CO2. No foaming because there wasn't anything to make the foam.

If you have it constantly being stirred, you could be continuously releasing CO2. Is it getting more cloudy? If you smell yeast, I'm sure it is doing fine.

 

[Tenbears]

Rehydrated yeast smells yeasty. Yeast even in a starter can take as long as 48 hours to take off. Patience is the greatest skill to acquire in wine making.

 

[Ernest T Bass]

I must be doing something wrong, I have never rehydrated yeast, just sprinkle it on top of the must and it takes off. Would I gain anything by Rehydrating the yeast, or am I just lucky?
Semper Fi

 

[Tenbears]

I must be doing something wrong, I have never rehydrated yeast, just sprinkle it on top of the must and it takes off. Would I gain anything by Rehydrating the yeast, or am I just lucky?
Semper Fi

It is not a case of being lucky, pitching the yeast on the wine is a good way to start a ferment, and the way I most often do it. Occasionally pouring a starter onto a must with a lower temperature will shock the yeast. You can't hardly go wrong by letting the packet come to room temperature, then sprinkle it on top or the must.

 

[richmke]

Ernest, there are pros and cons to each method. If you have time, the least risky method is to make a starter. You have to time it right. You don't want to have un-fermented juice sitting around.

 

[GreginND]

Well - I have sprinkled, hydrated and done all kinds of things and they all worked just fine in the past. NOW, when I had a 90 gallon batch of rhubarb wine to start, it wouldn't. First time I ever had a problem. I made it work by hydrating 100 g of yeast with 125 g goferm, then feeding it over several hours with some of the rhubarb must a couple gallons at a time until I had a 10 gal starter. I let it sit for a day and it was bubbling like mad. Added it to the bulk and fermentation took off. Dropped from SG 1.090 to 1.020 in 2 days!!!

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I have learned a lot about go-fem and fermaid this last year or so ! Both very good products in order to get a proper fermentation and the best outcome with minimal traces of SO2 - I definitely recommend these 2 products

 

[Tenbears]

Has anyone noticed I was able to answer Earnest T bass' question before he asked it? How's that for perception?

 

[WaterWolf]

Out of curiosity, why are you using a stir plate on your yeast starter? It only really needs to be stirred very occasionally which you can just do with a spoon. A stir plate would be very useful for degassing though...

The main advantage of a yeast starter is that you're sure that the yeast is alive before you pitch it. It takes one variable out of the equation if fermentation doesn't start!