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The Pol

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So I bought this stir plate, today is my first time using it.

When I brewed today, I simply ran off some preboil wort 1000ml into the flask and boiled it up on the stove.

Dropped the flask in some cool tap water and brought it down to about 70F quickly

Tossed in some S-04 yeast slurry that I washed yesterday from my OFest

About 5 hours later there is so much yeast in the flask it is unreal! Even with the stirring motion, there is about 3/8" of krausen forming that the stirring action does not knock down.

I cannot wait to see how fast my start is tomorrow when I pitch this!

Got it from Stir Starters: Yeast stir plate for the home brewer, he is a Vendor here.
 
Let me know how that ferments out...I was interested in his stir plates as well. I'm just getting into yeast washing and lagers, and starters are a must apparently. I'd like to hear if you notice any real difference in your beers due to using a large starter.

:tank:
 
I used to make simple starters, but the stir plate dramatically increases the cell counts in the same volume of starter... I have pics

Stir_Plate1.JPG
 
I just bought one as well and made my first starter yesterday. It definitely rocks. Yours looks like mine. Did you get the "stir starter"?

Yes I did, the yeast growth is explosive! The starter keeps getting milkier and milkier... I am going to have one hell of a great start on this beer.
 
Yes I did, the yeast growth is explosive! The starter keeps getting milkier and milkier... I am going to have one hell of a great start on this beer.

You would have an even better starter if you filled that flask all the way. I typically fill mine to about an inch above the two liter mark. It usually finishes out in about 24 hours give or take. I then chill it and decant it to another flask reusing the big flask for round two. This two step method typically produces in excess of a cup of slurry, maybe as much as 800 ml within just a couple of days. Lag times are usually very short and I cool the fermenters in a fridge to slow things down. IMO, large starters and cool fermentation temps can really improve your beer.
 
You would have an even better starter if you filled that flask all the way. I typically fill mine to about an inch above the two liter mark. It usually finishes out in about 24 hours give or take. I then chill it and decant it to another flask reusing the big flask for round two. This two step method typically produces in excess of a cup of slurry, maybe as much as 800 ml within just a couple of days. Lag times are usually very short and I cool the fermenters in a fridge to slow things down. IMO, large starters and cool fermentation temps can really improve your beer.

Thanks CAT... I will try that next time, the larger starter. Typically for my ales I only use about 1qt of wort, and no stir plate.

This time I used about a quart, washed yeast slurry, and the plate... I should have much more yeast than I typically do.
 
I just finally finished building a stir plate. I ended up using the circuit from that site, and I used a radio shack project box so mine looks the same. I'm about to start whirling on some washed Wyeast 1007 for an Oktoberfest I'm doing tomorrow. I've never had a problem with shaken starters, but now that I'm washing yeast (first time), it seems like a stir plate was necessary (or at least sort of fun to build).
 
Not to disagree with you here or anything, because I'm a stirplate owner and advocate their use, but just because I'm a few beers in and I want to stir up the sh*t (like a stirplate stirring sh*t...call me a sh*t-stirplate! :D): judging your cell count by how "milky" it looks is no good! It looks milky because the stirbar does not allow anything to settle. Now, of course, your cell count IS higher, because of the constant stirring and the increased oxygen absorption, but the milkiness of the liquid is no measure of anything, especially when it's on a stirplate.

Anyway, glad you finally got one for yourself...they rock. I suggest getting a bigger flask (mine is 5L) so you can make big honkin' 4L starters for lagers and 10g batches...:D
 
Not to disagree with you here or anything, because I'm a stirplate owner and advocate their use, but just because I'm a few beers in and I want to stir up the sh*t (like a stirplate stirring sh*t...call me a sh*t-stirplate! :D): judging your cell count by how "milky" it looks is no good! It looks milky because the stirbar does not allow anything to settle. Now, of course, your cell count IS higher, because of the constant stirring and the increased oxygen absorption, but the milkiness of the liquid is no measure of anything, especially when it's on a stirplate.

Anyway, glad you finally got one for yourself...they rock. I suggest getting a bigger flask (mine is 5L) so you can make big honkin' 4L starters for lagers and 10g batches...:D


I am not basing my cell count on how milky it is... rather comparing the amount of yeast in suspension now, to 12 hours ago. Cmon EVAN, you know I am more scientific than that!

I may get a larger flask... may.
 
Not to disagree with you here or anything, because I'm a stirplate owner and advocate their use, but just because I'm a few beers in and I want to stir up the sh*t (like a stirplate stirring sh*t...call me a sh*t-stirplate! :D): judging your cell count by how "milky" it looks is no good! It looks milky because the stirbar does not allow anything to settle. Now, of course, your cell count IS higher, because of the constant stirring and the increased oxygen absorption, but the milkiness of the liquid is no measure of anything, especially when it's on a stirplate.

Anyway, glad you finally got one for yourself...they rock. I suggest getting a bigger flask (mine is 5L) so you can make big honkin' 4L starters for lagers and 10g batches...:D

The starters I've made noticeably change color and consistency as the yeast multiply. Sometimes you can see globs of yeast in the solution. Stopping the stir plate for an hour or so at 24 hours and letting the yeast partially settle out will give you a pretty good idea of the quantity of yeast produced. It's only a crude measurement, but I think it is a far cry from no good. Lagers can be a little fussier as they don't settle out as easily or quickly. A longer chill period is usually necessary over ale yeast.

Pol...that slug of yeast slurry you put in the starter will probably consume everything edible overnight. There's gotta be a bunch of yeast in that.

I'd like to get a five liter flask eventually, but for now I'm planning to run dual two liter flasks with two stir plates. When I can afford it I would like to get two five liter flasks. That would rock for sure.
 
The starters I've made noticeably change color and consistency as the yeast multiply. Sometimes you can see globs of yeast in the solution. Stopping the stir plate for an hour or so at 24 hours and letting the yeast partially settle out will give you a pretty good idea of the quantity of yeast produced. It's only a crude measurement, but I think it is a far cry from no good. Lagers can be a little fussier as they don't settle out as easily or quickly. A longer chill period is usually necessary over ale yeast.

Mine change color too, but they also changed color when I wasn't using a stirplate.
 
Yeah, this is some S-04 that I harvested from the fermentor yesterday, washed... then threw it in the starter today. I am certain it will be fermented out by morning, then I will chill and decant... pitch the slurry.

I mean, this is going into a 1.062 beer... an ale at that. Just wanting to play with the yeast a little!
 
Awoke this morning to a starter that was obviously finished...

The krausen was gone and the yeast was barely staying in suspension even with the stirring action.

Switched off the plate and within 5 minutes there was 1/8" of yeast settled on the bottom, it is in the fridge now chilling so I can decant.

Pretty cool toy, and it is pretty cool to be able to GROW yeast at home more efficiently than I did before. Simple starters got me by, but this should supercharge my yeast growing procedure for certain. I will get a pic up once it has chilled.

FWIW, Mr Malty shows that I need 222 billion cells...

2L simple starter
1L stir plate starter
OR about 100ml of thick slurry

My simple starters take a while to get going... I will watch this one closely today to see when I get visible activity. After all the fussing I did to get this yeast, I hope not long!

Two hours in the fridge:
P1020983.JPG
 
Okay, now decant (rack) that malt liquor into a jar (secondary) and dry hop it with 1/4 oz. cascade for a day or two and let us know how it turns out! :cross:
 
Yeah, stir plates are phat. I would second Evan's point on getting the larger vessel. While a flask is nice for the hot transfer, I just use gallon jugs since they are like $3. You cant boil in them or even dump hot wort in them, but I just collect chilled wort from the kettle since I recerc my chilling.

Rob, I know you are an advocate of no-chill, so this may not work for you, but may help others. With the gallon jugs, you really can fill 3/4 of the way, pitch your yeast and have enough cells to take on most any beers you can brew. Oh, and a healthy dose of O2.
 
Yeah, stir plates are phat. I would second Evan's point on getting the larger vessel. While a flask is nice for the hot transfer, I just use gallon jugs since they are like $3. You cant boil in them or even dump hot wort in them, but I just collect chilled wort from the kettle since I recerc my chilling.

Rob, I know you are an advocate of no-chill, so this may not work for you, but may help others. With the gallon jugs, you really can fill 3/4 of the way, pitch your yeast and have enough cells to take on most any beers you can brew. Oh, and a healthy dose of O2.

My one gallon jug will not work on a stir plate... the bottom isnt flat

I can get the same amount of yeast from a 2L stir plate starter as I can from a 4L simple starter with O2.

When I lager, I will probably start with a 2L starter, decant and step up if needed. Mr Malty shows 160ml of slurry needed for a 1.046 lager, which doesnt seem like a lot.
 
Mine isn't flat either, it has a slight dome to it, but it works fine on the homemade stir plate, not sure why it wouldn't work on yours?

I never really understood his numbers. Does anyone actually measure the slurry prior to pitching? I just make a healthy starter, and pitch the resulting slurry - for ales and lagers. The only variable I use is the size of the starter wort. Smallest is a 2L for a typical 5G ale and I go up to a 1G starter for lagers and large ales. All on stir plate with 02. As a typical stupid american, I couldn't eyeball 160mL if my life depended on it.

Realistically though, I only make starters once in a while since I seem to use the same yeasts regularly. I try to plan the brews so I can reuse slurrys when one finishes. But when the yeast gets up in generations or I need a new strain, I make up a starter from a slant or store bought culture. Happy yeast=happy beer.
 
Well with the flask it is easier to eyeball the amount of slurry. If I place my one gallon jug on my stir plate, it throws the bar every time. Perhaps your bottom is shaped differently than mine? Mine is convex inside, so the stir bar slides off the center and gets thrown.

If I need 200 ml of slurry, it would be pretty easy to eyeball about 1/4 the way to the 800ml mark IMHO.
 
I have some 1-gal apple juice jugs, and they have a convex dome like you said, but if you try real hard, you can get the bar to balance up there. I've done it tons of times. That having been said, I got the 5L erlenmeyer at my LBS for like $32. Worth every penny.
 
Let me ask some personal questions:

1. How big can you get your stir plate vortex? (admittedly, mine is tiny, 1")
2. Do you have to turn it up when the yeast grows? (i do)
3. How big is your stir bar? (3/4" or 1" i dunno)
4. Does it throw easily? (mine does if i turn it up a bit)

mine is homemade and slighty janky, so I am wondering what to expect.
 
I am running a jerry-rigged POS stir plate with a 1" bar and a 9v wall wart... I get a vortex to the bottom of the flask (2000ml w/ 1600ml of wort/yeast starting)... After it thickens up a bit, the vortex isn't quite as impressive, but reading up on it, that isn't a big deal...

My first batch was a starter of S-05... I know, you don't need a starter with dry yeast, but I figured I just got my flask and what the hell?... Blow-off city with my Pumpkin Ale...

Just made a Pacman starter for my pale ale v2.134 (originally v2.0 but after a grain mill tip over, I just threw in what I thought was the lost grain amount)... Had a nice amount of yeasties to pitch...
 
Let me ask some personal questions:

1. How big can you get your stir plate vortex? (admittedly, mine is tiny, 1")
2. Do you have to turn it up when the yeast grows? (i do)
3. How big is your stir bar? (3/4" or 1" i dunno)
4. Does it throw easily? (mine does if i turn it up a bit)

mine is homemade and slighty janky, so I am wondering what to expect.

I can get a vortex in water with 2000ml to the bottom of the flask

I have only used it once, but didnt turn it up when the yeast got growing

I have a 1" stir bar

Mine doesnt throw unless my vortex sucks solidly to the bottom, then I throw my bar.
 
The depth of the vortex is not a very good indicator of how thoroughly the liquid is being stirred. I've experimented with various sizes of stir bars and various running speeds. A larger bar drawing a shallower vortex does a better job of mixing than a smaller bar drawing a skinny but deep vortex. You can see this in action by adding food coloring to water while the stir plate is running. OTOH, I don't think it really makes any difference how big the vortex is so long as the wort is being stirred.

for the above questions:

1. I'm using a 5/16" x 2" stir bar and can draw the vortex to the bottom, but I never run it that fast. Typically I run it so the vortex is only a an inch or so deep.

2. Sometimes yes, but usually the initial setting is enough all the way through.

3. 2" stir bar (I think it's actually 50 mm, but approximately 2")

4. No. It's very rare for mine to throw the bar and then only when I run it full throttle.
Well centered and aligned magnets help to avoid throwing the bar.
 
I've read somewhere that if you put 2 O-rings on the ends of the stir bar, it will allow it to sit on a convex bottom. I have yet to try this, however.
 
I use a 2" stirbar in a 1/2 gallon growler, a bit noisy (I havent tried the o-ring trick yet) but it stirs well, and does not throw the bar easily. I am only using a 6v cell phone power supply, but i think if I up that to a 10-12v supply i could probably take the vortex to the bottom with a thicker starter slurry. From what I understand it just needs to be stirred constantly as most of the gas exchange takes place on the surface. It really isn't necessary to draw the vortex to the bottom for the starter.

Best 28 bucks I've spent towards fermentation!:rockin:
 
+1 on depth of vortex not all that important.

The point of the stir plate is to facilitate the release of CO2 produced by the yeast so it can be exchanged with oxygen to help the yeast reproduce. Keeping the wort moving is the key to this.
 
+1 for stirplates.
Did my first starter with my brand new stirplate last week. I didn't have a flask (was ordered but not delivered yet) so I used a 1/2 gallon glass jug. Within a couple hours there was obvious co2 activity and within about 6 hours it was cooking.

I ordered my stirplate from Derrin here, via Stirplates.com
I gotta give him some props... I ordered later than I planned, sent him a PM to see when he might ship and he went out of his way to make sure I had it by the weekend.
My stirplate looks to have a larger footprint than the picture posted above, my 2L flask dosen't hang over very much at all.
 
+1 for stirplates.
Did my first starter with my brand new stirplate last week. I didn't have a flask (was ordered but not delivered yet) so I used a 1/2 gallon glass jug. Within a couple hours there was obvious co2 activity and within about 6 hours it was cooking.

I ordered my stirplate from Derrin here, via Stirplates.com
I gotta give him some props... I ordered later than I planned, sent him a PM to see when he might ship and he went out of his way to make sure I had it by the weekend.
My stirplate looks to have a larger footprint than the picture posted above, my 2L flask dosen't hang over very much at all.

Maybe the shape of the flask? I bought mine from StirStarters as well
 
I am bidding on one from Stir Starters. Less than one day left. I have my fingers crossed. If I loose it, I will just do a "Buy it now". Can't blame me for trying.
 
Maybe the shape of the flask? I bought mine from StirStarters as well

I think the flasks are the same... Definately different Stirplates.
Mine came from Welcome to Stir Plates .com and is in a translucent case.

That is not the same company as StirStarters.com.

I'm not knocking StirStarters cause other than the pic, I have NO experience. And I'm not trying to make a commercial... But I would recommend anyone interested to take a look at StirPlates.com. Derrin from StirPlates IS a member here, not sure about anyone from StirStarters.

If you want to DIY, StirPlates also has a Kit. They have a very nicely designed circuit board and electronic speed control.
 
I think the flasks are the same... Definately different Stirplates.
Mine came from Welcome to Stir Plates .com and is in a translucent case.

That is not the same company as StirStarters.com.

I'm not knocking StirStarters cause other than the pic, I have NO experience. And I'm not trying to make a commercial... But I would recommend anyone interested to take a look at StirPlates.com. Derrin from StirPlates IS a member here, not sure about anyone from StirStarters.

If you want to DIY, StirPlates also has a Kit. They have a very nicely designed circuit board and electronic speed control.

StirStarters is a Vendor here on HBT, with a lifetime warrantly, that includes the cost of shipping it.
 
Derrin and I are both stir plate vendors. He is www.stirplates.com and I am www.stirstarters.com, two different sites.

I wanted to clear up any confusion about us. He makes a nice stir plate, he has lots of happy customers, and that's what it's all about, giving homebrewers a good product for a fair price.
 
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