How much weight can a stir plate hold

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Cold_Steel

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They have to have a weight limit right? I wanted to do a 5 gallon starter.
What would be the best method beside me and a hula hoop
 
A 5 gallon starter? That's a batch of beer!

I definitely don't think a stir plate can hold that kind of weight. Why such a large starter?

-Steve
 
They have to have a weight limit right? I wanted to do a 5 gallon starter.
What would be the best method beside me and a hula hoop

Yikes. If you need that big of a starter, why not just brew a low gravity batch of beer and drop the brew that needs the big starter on the yeast cake?
 
I dont know what a cake is but i would imagine it being a concentrated yeast cake.
 
What they're saying that is if you brew a 5 gallon batch of beer, when you rack off the beer you basically have a 5-gallon starter right there. Pitch that in your gigantobatch.
 
What they're saying that is if you brew a 5 gallon batch of beer, when you rack off the beer you basically have a 5-gallon starter right there. Pitch that in your gigantobatch.

ok gotcha. This is the first time for this brew. So i dont have a cake for it. I was going to make a 2000ml starter and then add it to a 5 gallon bucket.
This is good to go right?
 
It just seems like a waste. A starter is basically just a small batch of beer that you pour out and use the yeast for a bigger batch. If you're going to make a 5 gallon "batch of beer" you might as well get the beer from it. :D
 
ChshreCat has it right. A 5 gallon starter would be a waste of good beer. Brew a 5 gallon batch then pitch the Mega batch on to the yeast cake. OR Call White Labs and get a Gallon of yeast from them. I'd bet it will cost less then making a 5 gallon starter.
 
ChshreCat has it right. A 5 gallon starter would be a waste of good beer. Brew a 5 gallon batch then pitch the Mega batch on to the yeast cake. OR Call White Labs and get a Gallon of yeast from them. I'd bet it will cost less then making a 5 gallon starter.

And the yeast will definitely be in better shape than repitching from a previous fermentation.

But it may not be feasible. Certainly it would be OK to use the repitch method on the inaugural batch in the mega-conical.

-Steve
 
Your average stir plate is not going to be powerful enough to move 5 gallons of liquid, even if the plate could physically hold it. You can buy specialty stir plates for these volumes, but the last one I looked at (for my lab) was over $4,000. If you really need to move that much volume, you'd be better off with some sort of stirring, along with continuous oxygenation.
 
It just seems like a waste. A starter is basically just a small batch of beer that you pour out and use the yeast for a bigger batch. If you're going to make a 5 gallon "batch of beer" you might as well get the beer from it. :D

I am sorry I dont think I was clear when I said 2000ml to 5 gallons. I meant the 5 gallons to be more starter not a beer. However, I am starting to wonder if i should get 2 stir plates cuz im not going to do 4000k :eek: .
I really dont want to under pitch 80 gallons. So i guess the question still remains. how much weight will a stir plate hold?
And am i on the right track with the pitch?
 
I have a stir plate that will stir up to 5L, so it should definitely handle the weight of a starter that size.

As for pitching rate, have you checked Mr. Malty's pitching rate calculator? I don't know if it is valid to use that tool to scale up to such a large brew, though.

-Steve
 
It's up to you, but I still think a 5 gallon starter would be a waste. A starter is just a lower gravity beer without the hops. Just add the hops and you'll get 5 gallons of beer AND your 5-gallon starter's worth of yeast for your big batch. It's a win-win situation.

But in my opinion, more beer is always a good thing. :D
 
Is it homemade or purchased? The weight it can hold will depend on the construction. The volume it can stir is a different matter! A homemade PC-fan type might hold the load if you have a strong case, but it isn't going to move that much mass of wort.

Here is one rated for 10 to 208 L. A mere $1,800. (The $4000 one is for up to 53 gallons!)

Fisher Scientific - null - 3793580 - Product Details

But I still think an impeller like leboeuf linked to might be better/cheaper.
 
I have a stir plate that will stir up to 5L, so it should definitely handle the weight of a starter that size.

As for pitching rate, have you checked Mr. Malty's pitching rate calculator? I don't know if it is valid to use that tool to scale up to such a large brew, though.

-Steve

no I had no idea about this awesome calculator. Wow!
However it says I need 10 gallons!!!
i used 1.130 og and 80 gallons.
 
What yeast are you trying to grow?

80 gallons of 1.130 OG beer?

What sort of mash system are you using to fill this fermentor? What sort of boil kettle?

You can buy bricks of dry yeast I think.
 
Is it homemade or purchased? The weight it can hold will depend on the construction. The volume it can stir is a different matter! A homemade PC-fan type might hold the load if you have a strong case, but it isn't going to move that much mass of wort.

Here is one rated for 10 to 208 L. A mere $1,800. (The $4000 one is for up to 53 gallons!)

Fisher Scientific - null - 3793580 - Product Details

But I still think an impeller like leboeuf linked to might be better/cheaper.

i need to think. 1800 bones, duckets, notes, and greenbacks is no where i want to be.
I dont know how the mixer would be air tight?
 
It's up to you, but I still think a 5 gallon starter would be a waste. A starter is just a lower gravity beer without the hops. Just add the hops and you'll get 5 gallons of beer AND your 5-gallon starter's worth of yeast for your big batch. It's a win-win situation.

But in my opinion, more beer is always a good thing. :D

I respectfully disagree. A starter is about making healthy yeast, not making beer. Different desired outcomes. If you need a bunch of healthy yeast, make a starter. If you need a bunch of beer, make beer. The techniques for making a good starter are not compatible with making good beer.

Now, I probably just contradicted myself from a few posts ago, but this time I'm right. ;)

I totally agree on the more beer thing.

-Steve
 
i need to think. 1800 bones, duckets, notes, and greenbacks is no where i want to be.
I dont know how the mixer would be air tight?

You don't want a starter to be air tight. The more oxygen the starter takes up, the better off you will be. All you need to do is seal it enough to prevent bacteria and wild yeast from infecting it.

-Steve
 
It's up to you, but I still think a 5 gallon starter would be a waste. A starter is just a lower gravity beer without the hops.
Not strictly. A starter should be optimized for yeast growth (maximum biomass) which means oxygen. Fermentation occurs in the absence of oxygen.


Mind you, Mr Malty suggests a 7 L stir-plate starter for 45 gallons of 1.048 OG beer, whereas you would need 20 L of a simple starter (i.e. yeast cake from a 4 gallon prior beer). So a starter beer might work...
 
I agree...

A sucessful starter, makes CRAPPY beer. Why? You ferment it warm, agitate it, oxygenate it etc. By doing an actively stirred starter, you will produce the same amount of yeast with HALF the starter size.

Starters dont grow yeast well without O2, so air tight is not a good idea.
 
I went into a pretty small local brewpub (they do 6 barrel batches I think) and took an empty White Labs yeast vial hoping I could get a squirt of their Belgian ale yeast for a batch I wanted to brew. The owner/head brewer kind of laughed at me and offered to fill a growler with yeast instead.

You might want to head down to your local craft brewer, tell them what you're up to, and ask them if the can spare some yeast for your first batch. You should be able to harvest enough yeast from your first brew to use for multiple batches in the future.

Or just go with dry yeast as others suggested.

To answer your question about weight, build your stirplate on a base that can support 50+ pounds and use a big motor, strong magnets, and a large stir bar if you really want to go that route.
 
Yah, Id recommend looking to a local brewer to give you some yeast, OR Fermentis sells 500g packs of thier yeasts.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000A14RI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
would this work for a mixing blade. I came up diy solution for the starter. The mixer does seem like the best solution for building a starter. However, i dont want to pay for 400+ bucks. So i would take a drill and mount it over the barrel and set a low speed to mix the starter. Will this work?
I also have to stir 45 gallons and I wanted to know if the link above will work for it too?
Thanks
 
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