Ozwald wrote:brewinhard wrote:
I would much rather pitch late in the high krausen window than have wort sitting at 60-70F for a few hours.
I think if your sanitation is good, that leaving a carboy at 60-70F for a few hours would not be a huge deal if pitching at a later time. And the good thing about this 2nd method is if fresh wort from your batch is used to "wake" up your previously made starter to high krausen that it only really takes a few hours at best to hit this point. So, by the time you are cleaned up from your brew day you would probably be pitching that starter at peak 2 hrs at most after cleanup.
In fact, the last lager I made took me a good 5-6 hrs to get it cooled down to 48F before I could pitch my starter. No issues with fermentation, and the final product was great. I think a lot of brewers employ this method that live in warmer areas and can't get their wort chilled down to proper temps from warmer ground water with no issues.
Granted a good health, vital pitch, sanitary procedures, and proper aeration are crucial for best results.
BTW, Ninkasi looks healthy as ever!