Wow, what a sourdough saga, Ian! We've compiled our collective knowledge as bakers, and we think it's very possible that your starter initially was stirred with something contaminated that affected the yeast culture and changed the rate of activity. Letting it rest in the fridge may have given the starter the time it needed to revive itself.

If you ever need to revitalize a starter in the future, try feeding it with rye flour for a few days. This will especially help during the wintertime when it's cold and starters are naturally less active. The vitamins and minerals in rye flour might be just what the starter needs to pick up activity.

In addition, it's worth nothing that there's not much difference in yeast on the top versus the bottom of the starter — it's not like wine-making, where the dead yeast falls to the bottom. You may have scooped up a notable amount of "hooch," the alcohol byproduct when you made your pancakes, which contributed to the unique flavor.

We like to conclude sourdough musings by saying that human foible is almost always a factor, and it's difficult to discern all the things happening to and in your starter right now. We encourage you to call our Baker's Hotline at 855-371-BAKE(2253) to talk further about your starters. Kye@KAF

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