fxdude said:The starter is done faster (although maybe it actually is a bit), the fermentation of your 5 gallon wort is what really starts faster. I've been happy with my stir plate although the only real advantage I've seen is that I don't have to manually shake it and the starters are a lot smaller.
I can now make starters for lagers and large gravity beers in my 2L flask without having to step up at all.
Take all the guess work out of yeast pitching by using Mr. Malty
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
I usually start mine the night before I intend on brewing. By pitch time, that sucker is rocking! I just dump in the whole thing.
If I get delayed by a day or two, I turn off the plate and allow the yeast to settle out. Then decant most of the liquid, swirl, and pour.
Any magnet will work. it doesn't take much to lift the magnet up the side of the stirplate if you want to fish it out. Or just hold the stirbar in the flask while you pour the yeast, then take it off when you are done so you can dump the magnet.
I usually stir for 24 h, rest for 24 h, then crash cool in the fridge. I then decant most of the liquid then pitch the slurry once it has warmed to a temp that is close to the fermentation temp. If you make a small starter then there is no need to decant, but in general you should try to avoid pitching more than 5% of your total wort volume. If you allow the starter to go to completion, then it is best to let it rest to help build up the glycogen reserves. This will help your final attenuation.
A stir plate is probably one of the best investments I have made.
i have dumped the stirbar in my wort every time. it was also sanitized before it was put in there, so no worries.
That works best if you DON'T want to use the stirbar again before the beer is done fermenting...
I just picked one up from my lhbs yesterday. I actually came with another magnet to hold the stir bar to the side while you dump in the yeast.
I'll be using it for the first time tonight to make a starter for wy 3944 for an Allagash white type beer that I will be brewing tomorrow. Any tips before I start?
Enter your email address to join: