Stirplate Vortex Question

Skipstr21 · 03-19-2009, 02:10 AM

I'm getting ready to use my Stirplate for the first time to get some lager yeast (WLP820 Oktoberfest) ready to pitch. Mr Malty says I'll need 2 vials so I made a simple starter to get one vial of yeast going and hopefully double it's size. Next I'm going to decant, and add twice the wort and use my newly built stirplate to get it ready for a 1.063 lager, again based on Mr Malty's calculations. My question is, do I let the vortex contact the stirbar or not? If it does it injects air into the wort which is what I thought a stirplate is supposed to do. Or, is the stirplate only supposed to keep the yeast in suspension. I want to make sure I do it right!

**bad coffee** · 03-19-2009, 03:07 AM

You want to feed your yeast O2. As long as there's an indent, you have enough movement. You don't have to let it go clear to the bottom of the flask. But I don't think you'd hurt anything.

B

Skipstr21 · 03-19-2009, 03:19 AM

Thanks for the response. One more thing, I assume there will not be a krausen with a stirplate so I don't have to worry about leaving too much headspace, correct?

**GNBrews** · 03-19-2009, 03:21 AM

Right. You may have a small amount, but I usually don't see anything more than ~1/2" when making starters with my stirplate. The more movement you have, the less krausen will stick around.

enderwig · 03-19-2009, 03:27 AM

As long as the surface is moving, you will be transfering oxygen into solution, it doesn't have to have a full fledged tornado in it to do that, though I see no reason why it would hurt.

MgMt_Home_Brew · 03-19-2009, 09:42 PM

How did you build your stirplate? Do a lot of people build stirplates and are there easy to follow plans laying around?

I have been thinking of stirplates and it doesn't seem like something I wouldn't be able to make myself.

**JVD_X** · 03-19-2009, 09:45 PM

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-stirplate-cheap-easy-build-86252/

MgMt_Home_Brew · 03-20-2009, 06:09 PM

Sweet thanks

**Nightbiker** · 03-22-2009, 07:48 AM

I'm finishing up building a 3 plate stirplate from a modified 'cheap and easy build'. For a power source, I'm using an old computer power supply, and other than the fact that I'm building my own project box to have three plates instead of one, its pretty much the same as the one in the cheap and easy build thread. Will include pix after I get done tho.