Yeast Starter Begun

Due to the untimely demise of my Rolled Up Irish Red, I began a yeast starter yesterday morning.  I fed and watered it and kept it warm all day, then popped it in the fridge last night before bed.  When I got up this morning, I poured the beer off and left the yeast slurry in the bottom.  After letting it come to room temperature, I boiled another pot of wort, chilled it, and dumped it in the yeast bottle.  I may be pitching the yeast tomorrow or Tuesday - depends on how I feel.  But if the next batch fails, it won't be because of the yeast!

Rolled Up Irish Red: DOA

Well, I knew it would happen sometime.  I had to pour 5 gallons of beer out and start over.  Too bad it happened on the first beer I was truly looking forward to.  Oh, well.  I'm pretty sure between me not making a starter, the yeast sitting in a hot FedEx warehouse over Labor Day, and the high OG of RRIR, the yeast gave up the ghost.  Oh, well . . . I'm going to tweak the recipe and try again in a couple of months.  In the meantime, I'm going the starter route for every brew from now on.

Yeast Starter

I have now discovered the need for a good yeast starter on any brew with a high OG.  My Rolled Up Irish Red had an OG of 1.070 when I pitched one vial of White Labs #004 Irish Ale yeast.  After 24 hours, it isn't even twitching.  Now, I know it will probably start in the next 24 hours or so, but that's at least a day of fermenting lost which screws up my brew schedule.

So, from now on, I will be making a yeast starter the day before I brew.  I doubt I'll only do this for the big OG beers, but for all that I do.  That seems like it would just make life a lot simpler.