I pitched my stir bar!

Well, after pitching countless starters, I finally forgot the stir bar yesterday and pitched it with my yeast! I was cleaning my flask afterward and realized the stir bar was no longer in it and that I had forgotten to use a magnet to hold it to the side of the flask when I pitched. Oh well, I'll just dig it out of the trub after I bottle. I'm sure I'm not the first brewer to do this.

You'll do it once....then you will figure a solution to prevent it from happening again.

I use a couple powerful magnets. Slap them on the side of the flask when it is time to pitch. Keeps the stir bar snug to the side of the flask.

Thats why you always keep a couple of spare bars so you can continue to brew while your waiting to get that one back from the trub.

Wheelchair Bob

I have an extra, but haven't needed it because i always remembered to hold the stir bar to the side of the flask with a magnet (in fact a magnet for this purpose came with my stir plate) I just think it's funny that we can get into the habit of doing something a certain way countless times, and then just suddenly forget it.

i did the same thing on my last brew but then I never found the stir bar. somehow I dumped the trub and didn't find the bar

I never tought of the magnet trick. I have pitched a stir bar twice before. One I got back the other I forgot about and dumped in my compost pile. I have a bunch of spares now.

I usually pitch bucket lid gaskets when inserting air locks, although I recently pitched a whole rubber stopper that was too small for the neck of my 1.5 g. mini batch primary PET bottle.

Magnets - +1

I use buckets to ferment and was brewing with a buddy of mine. One of the first times I was pitching after getting stirplate and did the same thing - pitched the bar right in with the yeast. Cursed and swore. Buddy calmly walked over and took a relatively ordinary magnet off my beer fridge..... moved it around on the bottom of the bucket and then proceeded to slide the stirbar right up the side of the bucket to the top lip and I grabbed it and took it out.
Easy on a flat sided bucket - need a little stronger magnet on a curved flask (or carboy).

I just did the same thing Friday night. I think I pitch my stir bar 25% of the time. I just tape a note on my fermenter "hey ******* you pitched your stir bar," so I at least remember to retrieve it come bottling time.

I have a ton of stir bars because my company makes them, so I always do this just so I don't have to bother with carefully pouring out my flask. They're coated in an inert polymer (usually teflon) so it's not going to bother your beer at all.

I've done that, more than once!

And, I've lost some stir bars, due to putting the yeast into the compost pile and forgetting about having the stir bar still in there!

matt2778 said:

I just did the same thing Friday night. I think I pitch my stir bar 25% of the time. I just tape a note on my fermenter "hey ******* you pitched your stir bar," so I at least remember to retrieve it come bottling time.

Click to expand...

LOL! I put a post-it note on my bucket that says STIR BAR....to remind me to look for it when I bottle! :rockin:


Hey Yooper......it was your oatmeal stout recipe i was brewing yesterday when i pitched my stir bar!!! Tasted it along the way....it's going to be delicious!!

matt2778 said:

I just did the same thing Friday night. I think I pitch my stir bar 25% of the time. I just tape a note on my fermenter "hey ******* you pitched your stir bar," so I at least remember to retrieve it come bottling time.

Click to expand...

this sounds more like it! my stirbar has personally supervised many a fermentation. i'd say the little guy finds his way in there maybe... 35% of the time!

It happens to me when I´m drinking while brewing... that´s why I only allow myself the first beer when I´m already 15-20 minutes into the boil

Been there done that...One batch I pitched the stir bar AND my thermometer(slipped from fingers).

When I got my stir plate earlier this year, I SWORE I wouldn't do this on my first pitch. Well, I did it, too. LOL. I just put a magnet on the end of my long stainless steel spoon, hit it with santizer, then stuck the spoon in the wort and moved it around until I heard a click - pulled that stir bar right out of the bucket.