when pitching yeast from a flask

Can you just pour the starter right out of the flask or do you need to sanitize
the inside of the flask above where the liquid sits? Seems like a lot of build up from the boil gets caked on the sides.

Many people torch flame the inside of the flask before pitching.

Chris_Dog said:

Many people torch flame the inside of the flask before pitching.

Click to expand...

Is this as simple as holding a flame for a few seconds to the outside of the flask? Anyone have any more info on this?

A common lab practice is to flame (briefly expose to an alcohol or gas flame to kill any unwanted organisms) the opening of the glass tube or flask to prevent contamination of the media being drained from the container. Flaming the opening of the flask with a vertical flame source is difficult to do if there is a lot of liquid in the flask. A nice mini torch used for browning creme brulee is a great tool for flaming the opening of a flask. I use mine a lot. It only takes a few seconds. If you've covered the flask with sterile foil or plugged with a foam stopper or airlock just flame the opening. There's no reason to worry about about any deposits down the neck. If they were not sanitary, you're hosed already.

I just wipe the neck around the stopper with a rag dipped in sanitizer, pull the stopper and pitch away....no worries.

AKbrewer said:

I just wipe the neck around the stopper with a rag dipped in sanitizer, pull the stopper and pitch away....no worries.

Click to expand...

I do the same thing with these per moisten Alcohol wipes I get from Walley's.

icu812 said:

Can you just pour the starter right out of the flask or do you need to sanitize
the inside of the flask above where the liquid sits?

Click to expand...

The *inside* is fine, or if it isn't then the starter is jacked anyhow.

The outside lip is what people usually sanitzize when decanting. If foiled, I flame the lip. If airlocked, I spraybottle starsan or whatever all around the stopper/lip area and remove the stopper by wiggling the airlock rather than by touching the stopper with my fingers.

raceskier said:

A nice mini torch used for browning creme brulee is a great tool for flaming the opening of a flask. I use mine a lot. It only takes a few seconds.

Click to expand...

Those little torches are great but an alternative is one of these from the store for $18 and will last a long time. I use mine for flaming loops when making plates for yeasts, flaming the opening of the flasks, oh and for plumbing repairs.

AKbrewer said:

I just wipe the neck around the stopper with a rag dipped in sanitizer, pull the stopper and pitch away....no worries.

Click to expand...

Bingo Award for the day. Now if I could just remember to get the stir bar before I dump it into the wort....

TD

I agree, I had a stir-bar sit in the bottom of my primary for 2 months since I re-pitched on that cake. Now I use the 2nd stir-bar to stick to the bottom of my starter-flask when I think of it, that way the magnet stays inside.

I'm a big fan of single use isopropyl alcohol wipes to quick sanitize bottle openinings (especially if the container is not pyrex) and always keep some around the kitchen where I do my yeast culturing and starters ect. You will find some at your local pharmacy or you can do your own with cotton balls and rubbing alcohol (isopropanol 70%)