sourdough stopper

[kitchen_kink]

My sourdough starter, which had been smelling, well, like sourdough and going strong, now smells like something between beer and vinegar. Seems the yeast is overactive and a bunch of alcohol is coming through.

Is there anything I can do to recover it? Should I dump what's in there and start a new batch without washing the jar, or might the whole batch be problematic now?

Comments

[redheadedmuse.livejournal.com]

If its that far gone, I would start over. But Im not an expert.

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm no expert, but I'd say make a simple batch of bread and see what you get. You don't need that much alcohol to smell like beer, so as long as you've got some life in the starter, it can't be that far gone.

[pseydtonne.livejournal.com]

Have you thought about taking about a third of the starter, giving that some more flour, putting this into a separate container and seeing whether the smell changes? Maybe it just needs to be fed so it doesn't drown in waste.

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

I endorse this plan.