WLP007 Starter

Hey Guys.

Just finished making a nice 1.5L starter with 2 WLP007 vials (brew shop gave me a free one since they gave me reallllly bad advice on my last beer =D). I am using a 2l pyrex flask.

My last starter went crazy while I was at work and I came back to a puddle of yeast. I'm really worried this ones going to do the same.

First off, has anyone used this yeast? Or made a starter with it? And what has your experience been in terms of the kauss and how active it gets?

And second, does anyone have a method of keeping the krauss from exploding out of the top? I am going to stir it as often as I can but I do have to sleep at some point!

I use a stir plate and drop of fermcap.

If you're using a blow off tube, let it do its thing. Some krausen may creep into the tube, but that's fine. The aggressiveness of the fermentation will depend on the amount of fermentables in the wort. I've had some vigorous fermentations with WLP007, especially in the RIS I brewed.

By the way, if you're doing a starter, no need to double pitch. Save the other vial for the next brew!

I am using a Ferm lock on my 6.5 gallon carboy and just tin foil on my starter. You dont mean a blow out tube on the starter do you Hophazard?

I actually used both vials for the starter cause according to Mr. Matly I need 366 billion but I don't have time to step it up if I want to brew tomorrow.

No - just use tin foil on the starter. If you're double-pitching because of a quick brewday, you might as well just skip the starter and double pitch into the wort. Just my experiance. The whole point of the starter is to grow the yeast so that you don't have to double pitch.

Of course, this assumes that you're not trying to brew a RIS or DIPA tomorrow; in that case, a double-pitch starter (or yeast cake) isn't a bad idea.

Like Dok said, a drop or two of Fermcap will help a lot.