pitched starter, but yeast cake didn t fully break up...

timsch

I made a liter starter of WLP001 and the yeast caked up pretty well after I put in the fridge. In spite of how much I shook the container before pitching into wort, and how much I agitated the wort pouring it back and forth between buckets, when pouring the wort into the fermenter, I still noticed many good sized chunks.
Will these break up in fermentation, or will a lot of my yeast be isolated from the activity?

GoodTruble

I had this same thing happen with my last brew day (using Omega Scottish yeast). I made two 1-liter starters (brewed two different beers). One of the starters sat out an extra 1-2 days and had a stubborn yeast cake form at the bottom. I didn't think/worry much about it, but then that second beer took almost a full 24 hours longer to get fermentation underway (notably slower than the first beer, which was well into fermentation within 8 hours).
In the end, no harm, but that mini yeast cake getting left behind seemed to slow things down. Next time, I will plan to work harder and try to dislodge it if possible (though it did make harvesting a bit easier). If it the yeast cake sections made it into the fermenter, then I wouldn't worry at all. Yeast cells will still generate, split off, and fall out in time.

McMullan

Glucose promotes deflocculation. It takes time and a little longer for highly flocculant strains. I'd resuspend in some of the fresh kettle wort on a stir plate before pitching. It might take 20 minutes or so. Best to have them at pitching temperature, too.

timsch

That's my plan, pretty much. Next time I'll leave the stir magnet in, pour off excess and restir before pitching. True about the temperature matching, which I failed to do this time (30F temperature difference).

Deadalus

I leave the stir bar in myself. It can be a little stuck in the bottom but it'll break out with a little encouragement. I have a magnet I use to hold the stir bar inside when pouring and I will drag the stir bar around a little bit with the magnet then stick the flask back on the stir plate.

Dr_Jeff

Then say crap as you pour the magnet into the fermenter.

wsmith1625

Take your starter out of the fridge before you mash and decant if you choose to. This should give it enough time to warm up for when you're ready to pitch.

Bramling-Cross

Just wait until you try the Fuller's strain
Try vigorously swirling, rather that shaking, next time. There's a reason why chemists swirl.

timsch

Shake, swirl...I did everything but backflips, and all with as much vigor as I could muster.

Deadalus

Murphy's Law I suppose if you use a small weak magnet. I use one of these cell phone car mounts. Won't fit in a carboy neck, which I predominately use but more importantly, it stays attached without needing to hold it.