Hi, all.
I got a yeast starter going last night - this is my first one ever - and I’m takin the Shake To Stir approach since I don’t have a stir plate. That said, the starter was not stirred over night. I stirred it this morning and it immediately foamed over.
After the foam settled, the starter now seems dead. When I shake stir it vigorously some foam is generated, but I’m not sure what to expect.
Is my starter dead or am I ok?
Brew day is tomorrow morning in case that changes anything.
The foam is C02 trapped in the liquid generated by fermentation. When you got the foam over you most likely released all the trapped C02. The fact that there is no more foam is because you released all the trapped C02.
You may have lost some yeast with the foam over but I would assume you are alright.
This is a common problem and a good lesson learned. If you haven’t shaken the starter in a few hours, a very gentle swirl is the way to start. At some point, the yeast will consume the sugar in the wort and will start to floc. The beer layer will clear and you will know that the yeast is ready for the big show.
