RDWHAHB

So I finally got around to making my mighty yeast starter for the Rauchbier last night.

I carefully measured out the dried malt extract, the water, and the yeast nurtient.

I washed and sanitized my fermenter to make sure there were no remnants of the Saison yeast.

I boiled the wort for 15 minutes total after placing my wort chiller in the kettle.

I chilled the wort down to 65°F before I poured it into the fermentation bucket.

Everything went as planned.  Everything happened as I imagined it.  No surprises.

After the wort was safely in the fermentation bucket, I brought it inside my basement to pitch the yeast.

I twisted the cap off of the vial of yeast….and…it spun right out of my hands and into my fermentation bucket.

I didn’t have anything sanitized to pluck it out.  Besides, the wort’s foam obscured my view.  I couldn’t see the cap and I wasn’t about to go looking for it.

I decided to let it be.  I put the lid on the bucket and moved it to a nice dark corner of my basement.

Let’s hope there weren’t too many nasties on the cap.