First awesome yeast starter with cheap and easy stir plate.

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iambeer

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A couple weeks ago, two starters I made from a slant were very disappointing. I used the 'shake' method every day or two and after a week, didn't yield much yeast (a good amount, but not enough for a batch, not even enough to fake it).

So while I have 25 odd slants with about 6 or 7 different yeasts, I thought I would make a logical move or end up sitting on useless culture. :confused:

I read this incredible Yeast Propagation and Maintenance: Principles and Practices post from 2009. It blew my mind about yeast and aeration. And it has a must see graphic comparing yeast growth under different aeration conditions.

6 months ago, I posted about how stir plate people were too impatient. I have since then recanted my statement and see the wisdom--nay, the necessity--in the stir plate. Especially after today.

I made a stir plate from these directions and tested it on an old glass kettle:
4628413309680P.JPG


First, I took out a culture slant from the ol' fridge and let it acclimate to the temp. This btw was White Labs Wit II. I needled some cells in about 100ml of 1.020 wort (about 5 grams Dry Malt Extract per 100ml water) and bumped it to 500ml two days later in the glass kettle, and put it on my new stir plate.


Lo' and behold! Four days after opening the slant and taking out a handful of cells, I now have 500ml of very cloudy water settling in a chilling bell jar as I type. :ban: It's like the most beautiful snow globe! :drunk:

Yeast is awesome!!! :tank: (and so are stir plates)
 
Cool man...thanks for the post...and the link on how to make yor uown stir plate.

BTW....dumb question maybe.....but how do you stir plate users get the spinbar out of the yeast starter before pitching? :confused:
 
mgortel said:
Cool man...thanks for the post...and the link on how to make yor uown stir plate.

BTW....dumb question maybe.....but how do you stir plate users get the spinbar out of the yeast starter before pitching? :confused:

It is a great article! Thanks for the link.

To answer: get another magnet and use it to"grab" the stir bar and slide it up the side to the mouth and snag it:D
 
I don't know how others do it, but I put a spare hard drive magnet against the flask & capture the bar. Then I slide it up to the of of the flask opening & it pops on.

Bjorn Stronginthearm's your uncle.
 
The hardest part of making that stir plate wasn't putting it together or going to radio shack (they had all the pieces and the part numbers were valid).

The hardest part was getting the bolts from the hardware store. I ended up buying a #8-32 package of four 3" machine bolts and washers. The #10 did not fit in the computer fan holes. By buying the 3" bolts, I didn't have to drill through the metal plate of the 3" project enclosure or buy whatever tubular things are in the photos that hold up the fan.
 
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