What's a good vessel for BIG starters?

I have a big beer or two I would like to make sometime down the line. Something that might require a gallon or so yeast starter. What's a good vessel for such a large starter? I currently use a growler for my 1/2 gallon starters, and I have a 1000ml flask as well.

I use old methanol bottles I get from lab, so if you know anyone in the research field, you can try that. Otherwise, they do sell 4L flasks.

I've done a 1gal starter in a growler. Do 2L, ferment it out, cool, decant, and add fresh wort.

I would think there wouldn't be enough wort at point to help grow the yeast properly?

You won't double your yeast count by doing this, but you will get an increase in your cell count.

What's wrong with a glass gallon jug? Word from the mead end of the world (where they are popular) is look for them in the waste stream of wings places, as hot sauce jugs. Mine were a few years back from a place that was still putting cider in them. IIRC you need a slightly bigger stopper (7 rather than 6, perhaps - but check rather than trusting my memory) for glass gallons than for the usual carboy.

Or get a 3 gallon carboy and have plenty of room/headspace/whatever.

I use a carboy. It can make 1 to 4 gallons of starter.

My only trouble with that is the my carboys are generally in use. Although I could probably make it work with good timing. Thanks guys!

I'd suggest making a smaller beer and pitching on the yeast cake as a good way to make a starter for a big beer, that's what I've done in the past.

I've done that before, too. But not for anything hugue (say, 1.080-1.120+). Although, duh, that does make plenty of sense.

I pitched my 1.106 999barleywine on to a notty yeast cake from a previous 5 gallon batch, so far fermentation has gone well though taste test of a barleywine are gonna take a while to really tell the tale.

I stepped up a WLP380 hefeweizen starter to 2L on wednesday night. It is in a 1 gallon glass wine jug. This morning I noticed it had "overcome" the foil I put over the opening. Never thought about needing a blow-off tube for a starter!

I got some blow off on my 1/2 gallon heff starter, and I still didn't get full fermentation. I'm shy a couple points.

You could always join the "Rossi Possi" and get a gallon of wine in a glass jug for $8.

How "big" of a beer are you planning on making? What's the recipe?