No. The only advantage the flask gives the user is that it can be mixed with one hand during titration or mixing and the neck is thin so it can be easily clamped. None of which applies to homebrewing in general.
-Jefe-
Yooper said:That, and my flask is boiled right on the stove (NOT the mason jar!) and then can go right into a ice water bath for chilling!
You might do a quick google search for 2000 ml erlenmeyer. They are half that cost online.
Seriously, the 2000ML flask is effin $40 at my LHBS. Is there any detriment to just using a half gallon mason jar thats a fraction of the cost?
All flasks are not created equal. It's like someone saying they paid $40,000 for a car and someone saying they paid $10,000 for a car. You can't make a decision until you have more information. I have two different flask's and the cheaper priced one is cheaper quality. Back to the OP question I now use a saucepan to boil my starter and pour into a flat bottom jug for the stir plate. I just got tired of watching the boil when using the flask. I really have my eye on the wife's cookie jar since the bottom is actually concave and the stir bar rides perfectly. Since it is one of the few NO you can't have it. I won' t take it, but I am keeping my eye out for a similar jar. I also use a 1 gallon pickle jar for starters. I also use it for making Sun tea.
Hooray for the jugs! (I just wanted to say that)
I like to use clear, 1-gallon growlers for most of my starters. They are cheap and give you plenty of extra headspace.
Flasks are good also for the reasons the others have mentioned but I personally prefer to use growlers like this one.
thegerm said:... but the erlenmeyer was such a huge mess every single time with boilovers to clean up on my stove.
Fermcap foam control drops are the greatest invention in history. Eliminates the boilover problem.
Billybrewer09 said:Check Midwest brew supply ...they sell a yeast starter kit for like 30 bucks
It has a 2L flask one pound dme air lock and some yeast nutrient
I got lucky and my neighbor "accidentally" ordered an extra at work in an order for his lab. Then that extra one accidentally fell into his truck on the way home I really need to bottle a 6'er and take down to him.
Airlocks are not something you want to use with a starter. Unlike with the actual beer you'll be making... the more oxygen that can constantly be delivered to it, the better.
Zamial said:I dislike this comment because it is very illogical. I am also going to say it is a myth. I will explain...
- O2 is used within hours of pitching the yeast they do not require "constant" O2. (This is taken from Wyeasts site)
- Just because it looks like a tornado does not mean it has a vacuum and/or suction to it. It is a rotation that is mostly isolated to the liquid.
- When the yeast party starts, they produce CO2 creating positive pressure inside the vessel. In other words the flow of gas is out not in.
- I use bungs and airlocks on all my starters on a stir plate or not, I have never had a starter NOT work. I have also never seen an airlock get "sucked down" by negative pressure inside the flask/vessle, ever.
- The stir plate is able to make more yeast because the stir bar keeps the yeast in suspension continually and has little to nothing to do with aeration past the 1st few minutes of it being started.
If I am wrong or off base I would love to have someone with hard data/proof to show me, other than what "someone else told me"...because all of my basic observations say differently...
I dislike this comment because it is very illogical. I am also going to say it is a myth. I will explain...
- O2 is used within hours of pitching the yeast they do not require "constant" O2. (This is taken from Wyeasts site)
- Just because it looks like a tornado does not mean it has a vacuum and/or suction to it. It is a rotation that is mostly isolated to the liquid.
- When the yeast party starts, they produce CO2 creating positive pressure inside the vessel. In other words the flow of gas is out not in.
- I use bungs and airlocks on all my starters on a stir plate or not, I have never had a starter NOT work. I have also never seen an airlock get "sucked down" by negative pressure inside the flask/vessle, ever.
- The stir plate is able to make more yeast because the stir bar keeps the yeast in suspension continually and has little to nothing to do with aeration past the 1st few minutes of it being started.
If I am wrong or off base I would love to have someone with hard data/proof to show me, other than what "someone else told me"...because all of my basic observations say differently...
McMalty said:ok, i hear you. so can anyone corroborate this, b/c i don't know which way is correct. Do you need constant oxygen like the other poster stated or can you use an airlock. An airlock makes more sense to me, seems like the only way to ensure bacteria doesn't get in
ok, i hear you. so can anyone corroborate this, b/c i don't know which way is correct. Do you need constant oxygen like the other poster stated or can you use an airlock. An airlock makes more sense to me, seems like the only way to ensure bacteria doesn't get in
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