Stir Plate Question

Okay, I've searched through several threads, but I can't seem to find an answer.

I've read that when doing a yeast starter, the starter should go in a dark place. To me, this makes sense...if you need to ferment in a dark place, shouldn't your starter also be in a dark place (since you are basically making a mini batch of beer)?

Looking over the threads for the stir plates, though, I don't see any mention of putting the stir plate in a dark place. During a recent visit to a fellow homebrewer's house, I noticed his stir plate was just out in the open, in the middle of the counter.

Is this a concern, or do those of you with stir plates move them to a dark place while they are in use?

Light skunks beer WITH hops in it.

Most starters are extract only and do not have hops and therefore won't skunk.

I still keep mine relatively dark anyway. I set it up in a 5 gallon homer bucket just in case it gets messy and then drape a dishcloth over it.

so other than keeping bacteria and such out of my flask, I shouldn't have any other worries? (yeah, I'm a nu-bee)

jtucker101 said:

so other than keeping bacteria and such out of my flask, I shouldn't have any other worries? (yeah, I'm a nu-bee)

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That's right, light exposure is not an issue when making a starter. The yeast do enjoy classical music though. I always give them whatever they want.

Catt22 said:

The yeast do enjoy classical music though. I always give them whatever they want.

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Those controlling b@stards! With the plate in a bucket, does it hinder cooling of the assembly? Mine is home made, and runs a little warm in the open.

StoutFan said:

Those controlling b@stards! With the plate in a bucket, does it hinder cooling of the assembly? Mine is home made, and runs a little warm in the open.

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I haven't had any temp issues but my study has become my fermentation room and it stays around 68-70. I had one foam over and that is why I use the bucket. I still use tin foil over the flask and then the dish cloth over the bucket keeps out light and most airborne particles from the window a/c unit.

hmmm..... sounds interesting. TO HD!

Room temperature is ideal. High temps can cause problems with some of the yeast mutating or something like that I read about it recently. Higher temps will speed up reproduction, but the yeast may not be as healthy as those propagated at more moderate temps.

I keep my stir plate out in the open and use a foam stopper. I've also found that using some foam control greatly reduces foaming problems both when boiling the wort and when fermenting.

As for keeping the unit in a bucket, a lot depends on the ambient temp. I run mine in an unheated garage so overheating is not a problem. Just the opposite for me and I use a heat lamp to keep it warm in the cool seasons.