Black Speck in my Starter

So I have a nice Wyeast 1272 starter chugging along, and I noticed something strange in it this morning. A small black speck is sitting on the top edge of the yeast cake, and it’s producing bubbles at a higher rate than anything else in the flask. I’ve never seen this before, and I was very thorough with sanitation. Anyone know what this is?

Did you boil your water/starter wort in a rather cheap non-stick pot or pan? It reminds me of coating that peels off/comes apart after the pot or pan gets scratched or over-used.

Nope, the starter wort was boiled in a clean 6-quart stainless steel pot. At no point did any non-stick coating get around or into the flask/pot.

It’s probably not “giving off” bubbles, but is acting as a nucleation site to allow the gases to escape easier.

That said, I have no idea what it could be.

[quote=“Silentknyght”]It’s probably not “giving off” bubbles, but is acting as a nucleation site to allow the gases to escape easier.

That said, I have no idea what it could be.[/quote]

you sound smart.

Could be anything. Could be something that fell in. maybe it was already in the flask. maybe it came out of your sink faucet… who knows. it’s not something the yeast created. infections dont come in the form of singular black specks. Hopefully it’s not something dirty that entered the flask after the boil.

To be honest, it’s impossible for any of us to KNOW what something like that is. You have 2 choices, procede hoping that the starter is fine (it very well could be). or pitch a dry yeast.

[quote=“S.Scoggin”]Could be anything. Could be something that fell in. maybe it was already in the flask. maybe it came out of your sink faucet… who knows. it’s not something the yeast created. infections dont come in the form of singular black specks. Hopefully it’s not something dirty that entered the flask after the boil.

To be honest, it’s impossible for any of us to KNOW what something like that is. You have 2 choices, procede hoping that the starter is fine (it very well could be). or pitch a dry yeast.[/quote]

I pitched it. Aside from the one tiny black speck, the starter looked and smelled just like a starter should. Fermentation has been going nicely, and I figure if there’s anything seriously wrong with the beer I’ll know in a few days.

[quote=“Joester”]
I pitched it. Aside from the one tiny black speck, the starter looked and smelled just like a starter should. Fermentation has been going nicely, and I figure if there’s anything seriously wrong with the beer I’ll know in a few days.[/quote]

I’d bet that it will be fine. Personally, I wouldn’t worry about it