Making Yeast Starters....

I'm going to start making yeast starters instead of just pitching liquid yeast directly to the wort. Unless anyone has other recommendations, I'm thinking of buying two or three 1000ml Erlenmeyer flasks and trying to get my hands or build a stir plate. Jamil seems to think you should pitch a vial into 1 liter of wort...which makes me think I may need 2000ml Flasks (expensive!).

Any suggestions on where or what to purchase? I want to brew this upcoming weekend, so I want to order tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks!

If you are going to use a stir plate, definitely get a 2000 ml flask -- that is the minimum size I would use.

I had a 1000 ml and it collects dust now.

FlyGuy said:

If you are going to use a stir plate, definitely get a 2000 ml flask -- that is the minimum size I would use.

I had a 1000 ml and it collects dust now.

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Any suggestions on where to get a stir plate and 2000ml flask for a good price?

You can get the flasks at most of the big online homebrew shops for a fair price.

If you want a stir plate, check out the Equipment thread (and DIY sub-thread). Lots of good suggestions on how to build one for very little cost.

Cheers!

You don't NEED a flask and a stirplate to make starters. They're nice, though, I have them, too. But before I used them I got by nicely with a one- gallon apple juice jug. Just a suggestion if you're trying to keep the costs to a minimum.

I've thought about buying a stirplate and flasks, but can't justify spending the $$$ when I have great results with growlers and simply hand swirling the starters around whenever I think about it.

maltMonkey said:

I've thought about buying a stirplate and flasks, but can't justify spending the $$$ when I have great results with growlers and simply hand swirling the starters around whenever I think about it.

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This is what I do-and I can keep it up on top of the fridge where it's a bit warmer and the yeast can get going. I've found that starters really help the final product.

Bernie Brewer said:

You don't NEED a flask and a stirplate to make starters. They're nice, though, I have them, too. But before I used them I got by nicely with a one- gallon apple juice jug. Just a suggestion if you're trying to keep the costs to a minimum.

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Agreed. This equipment is by no means necessary to produce viable, pitchable starters. A sanitized plastic 1 gallon apple juice jug works just fine for me.

I went ahead and bought a pair of 2000ml Flasks...but I'm not building the stir plate quite yet...probably leave it for a good summer project. Should I get stoppers and Airlocks for these puppies or is foil on the top sufficient? I think i heard Doc from BNetwork say that neutral pressure enviornments are more suitable for yeast growth in starters...

I like the foam stopper/plug with the 2L flask I have. Supposedly they allow gases to pass through but will stop microbes. I've seen them at most of the online home brew stores.

EeryBug said:

I like the foam stopper/plug with the 2L flask I have. Supposedly they allow gases to pass through but will stop microbes. I've seen them at most of the online home brew stores.

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Hmmm, sounds good-- I'll check my LHBS for it later this week!

Aluminum foil (sanitized) works great.

I use sanitized aluminum foil and just swirl once in a while to keep yeast in suspension. If you use a stopper/airlock and chill/decant, you'll be sucking all the water into your flask.

I bought a 1000ml flask at a local lab supply store - they also had a variety of stir bars...if I recall, the stir bars cost more than the flask!

I made a DIY stir plate with a new computer fan from compUSA - the fan has three speeds, when I plug it in on low, the stir bar catches and life is good. The fan cost between $10-$15 and I used an old cell phone charger for the power source.

When I decide to use liquid yeast, I make a starter. After pitching the yeast from a starter, vigorous fermentation begins within five hours. Some times I get lazy though, and just use the dry yeast.