I’ve often joked that I actually run the RSPCS – Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Sourdough starters. I have kept a starter for over 6 months and revived it. It goes very smelly. This is the butyric and hexonic acid. It smells like parmesan or old trainers, and gets a dark hooch on top.
Can you revive it? Yes. It has to be built up again in the same way you would start a new one.
Is it worth reviving? Well that depends how attached you are to it. If the starter has an emotional significance, then yes it is worth doing.
It will take a few days to get it going again with repeat refreshments, and sometimes it is simply easier to start again.
