What size Erlenmeyer?

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elpenoso

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Looking to get into the yeast starters with a stir plate. I am wondering which size flask I should get I do many 5, 10 and 15 gallon batches always over 5%abv. I am thinking the 5L but maybe I really need two like a 5L and a 2L.
What do most people use?
 
2L is a great size for the first flask. Most people go with a 2L or 1L. But with modern knowledge of optimal pitching rates, 1L is really too small to be useful in most situations, and it's only real advantage is cost... and even the situations it IS useful for, you can still generally take care of with a 2L flask.

So I STRONGLY recommend starting with a 2L flask. If/when you want a 2nd one, I would suggest a 5L, which can be VERY useful. These are the two I have. Then, if you start getting into more advanced stuff (eg banking and culturing) and need to work more often with yeast, particularly small amounts, THEN think about a 1L (or even smaller) flask.
 
The 2L is probably a good choice if you are only going to buy one flask. You can do 2L starters in them and even decant and step them up if you need a bigger starter.

I just got into trying yeast harvesting from bottles and got a small 500ml and a 1L so I can start small and then step them up.

Decide what it is you are going to use it for most and start there.
 
Just my .o2$....Try Martinelli's apple juice jug. Why???? Well I found that it has a flat interior bottom which works well with a stir bar. Most glassware out there has a convexed interior which is not so good for a starter jug.(you know humped up on the inside-which of course will throw the bar) This jug is 1.6 liters and the juice is approx. 6$. Now if that size works for ya or in your mind you need more this is a cheap way to find out before you spend 30$ on the famous Erlenmeyer flask. Now they say you can cook in that flask -- I'm not saying you can do that in a juice jug we're strickly going after volume sizing. Hope this helps - it did for me.
 
I do normal gravity 10g batches (for me that means 1.040-1.060) and I usually use my 2L flask, but sometimes use my 5L flask and plan to use my 5L flask when I finally make some lagers I've been planning on. Possibly stepping it up by making a 2L first and then going to the 5L.

If I could only have 1 I'd get a 2L.

I also have a 1L, but haven't used it since I got the 2L. It's easy to boilover in an Erlenmeyer flask. I boil my water, pour a little of it into a pyrex measuring cup and mix in my DME then remove the flask from heat and add the wort back in. Then I'm very careful bringing it back up to a boil. I never do a "full-boil" in the flask. I might be making this more complicated than it needs to be, but it's how I've come to do it after a lot of trial and error.
 
You will need several. I have a 150ml, 500ml, 1L, 2L, and a 5L. I harvest yeast so I have t step up starter cultures. I would suggest a 1L, 2L, and a 5L. Make sure you get different stir bars and that you have a good stir plate that can actually turn 5L of water.
 
Bought a 5L when I did 10g batches only. Now I am back to 5-6 gallon batches and the 5L works fine. I have no need for anything besides that.
 
heeler said:
Just my .o2$....Try Martinelli's apple juice jug. Why???? Well I found that it has a flat interior bottom which works well with a stir bar. Most glassware out there has a convexed interior which is not so good for a starter jug.(you know humped up on the inside-which of course will throw the bar) This jug is 1.6 liters and the juice is approx. 6$. Now if that size works for ya or in your mind you need more this is a cheap way to find out before you spend 30$ on the famous Erlenmeyer flask. Now they say you can cook in that flask -- I'm not saying you can do that in a juice jug we're strickly going after volume sizing. Hope this helps - it did for me.

The point of an Erlenmeyer flask for homebrewers is that you can boil right in it, keeping it all much more sanitary, which is especially important when propagating yeast. The ones we use are typically made of lab-grade Pyrex (borosilicate), which is why they can handle the heat without cracking.

Though, if you know you're never going to boil in it and just want to go the cheap route, the 1gal jugs often used for fermenting, and available at most Homebrew stores (or similar jugs can be bought containing Carlo Rossi "wine"), make a heck of a lot more sense than the ones you're talking about...
 
If you're only getting one, get a 2 L like everyone's said. If you don't plan on doing cultures, lagers, large volumes (1o gallons), or super high gravity beers (greater than around 1.090), then you will never need anything other than a 2L. If you do start doing cultures, you'll want a range of sizes. If you do any of the other items in the above list, you'll want a bigger one (6 Liter is often the same cost as 5... seems its more common)
 
I agree with a few of the other posts here, though. A 2L flask is the best starting point, and if you can afford it, getting a 5L flask as well is really ideal. Those are by far the most useful and versatile sizes, and having both of them enables you to do just about anything you want, in the most sanitary manner possible (compared to the extra steps a smaller vessel requires).

Later on, if you get into more advanced yeast work, you can pick up some smaller flasks if you want. But in my experience, the people who recommend newer brewers (or just people new to starters) start off with a flask smaller than 2L are almost always constantly underpitching. It's kind funny how, whenever there's a post asking for sound advice, people tend to the recommend the path they happened to originally take (even if they should know better by now, or if it's clearly inferior), rather than just giving the best advice possible.
 
If you're only going to buy one get the 5L. That way if you do high gravity ales or normal gravity lagers, you will be good to go.
 
Looking to get into the yeast starters with a stir plate. I am wondering which size flask I should get I do many 5, 10 and 15 gallon batches always over 5%abv. I am thinking the 5L but maybe I really need two like a 5L and a 2L.
What do most people use?

Whenever I'm looking to get into something new, I try approach it as a minimalist, then buy the expensive stuff. I just started doing yeast starters a few months ago, and I started with just a 1/2 gallon growler, since I already have plenty of them.

IMO, a 1 quart starter is sufficient for a starter of a 10 gallon batch. A 1 quart starter in a 1/2 gallon growler will have way more than enough room for krausen. With fermcap, you could probably do a 1/2 gallon starter in a 1/2 growler.

I use a stir plate, and my stir bar stays on the convex bottom just fine at high speed. It's not perfectly quiet like it would be with a flat bottom, but you can barely hear it, and there's no harm in it.
 
Go big or go home, I guess?

In all honesty, I have 2x 2L erlen's, which is more than sufficient for 2x 5.5-gal batches. I occasionally bump up my starters (decant + add a second dose of wort). In general, I use 1L for each 5.5-gallons fermenter.

6L erlen:

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Though, if you know you're never going to boil in it and just want to go the cheap route, the 1gal jugs often used for fermenting, and available at most Homebrew stores (or similar jugs can be bought containing Carlo Rossi "wine"), make a heck of a lot more sense than the ones you're talking about...

I have a 2L flask for my starters for 5 gal batches, but I want to attempt some lagers this fall and I know that I'll need to make bigger starters. I was at Sprawlmart last weekend and saw a display for Carlo Rossi 'wines' and picked up a gallon jug of Sangria that actually doesn't taste that bad (my wife likes it). It was 12.99, and I'll keep the jug for my lager starters later. I don't expect it will work on my stir plate, but that's OK. I'll do a 1700ml starter in the flask on the stir plate, decant and then do a 3L starter in the jug.
 
I've got 50ml, 125, 250, 500, 1l, 2, and 5. I think that all of them are handy to have. You can buy a kit of 50, 125, 250, 500, and 1000ml in borosilicate for pretty cheap. If you start culturing, you should consider getting that.
 
Yea looks like I want at least two a 5L and a 2L. Maybe more as I am sure Ill like it and want to culture some yeast. I better get started on those stir plates then.
Very interesting responses thanks, keep em coming.
 
I vote for the one gallon glass jugs. They are what I use (with a stir plate) and for the price, you can't beat them.
 
elpenoso said:
Yea looks like I want at least two a 5L and a 2L. Maybe more as I am sure Ill like it and want to culture some yeast. I better get started on those stir plates then.
Very interesting responses thanks, keep em coming.

Spot on. Really the ideal plan, IMO. You can always wait for the smaller culturing flasks until you feel that you need/want them.
 
I vote for the one gallon glass jugs. They are what I use (with a stir plate) and for the price, you can't beat them.

Yea I really like the idea of using the flask from boil to pitch. I have a couple growlers I use and I hate cooling in the sink with a saucepan.
 
BBL_Brewer said:
I vote for the one gallon glass jugs. They are what I use (with a stir plate) and for the price, you can't beat them.

Sigh... another one of these posts forgoing the ideal advice simply because "I did it this way."

It's clear that the OP doesn't mind paying a little bit extra to have the most functional stuff. Don't get me wrong, I even have a few of those jugs myself - but I use them as small fermentors rather than starter vessels, since E-flasks are MUCH better-suited to starters... mainly because you can boil the wort right in the flask.
 
Sigh... another one of these posts forgoing the ideal advice simply because "I did it this way."

It's clear that the OP doesn't mind paying a little bit extra to have the most functional stuff. Don't get me wrong, I even have a few of those jugs myself - but I use them as small fermentors rather than starter vessels, since E-flasks are MUCH better-suited to starters... mainly because you can boil the wort right in the flask.

I like e flasks too, but since I make canned wort that is already sterile, I don't need to boil it. I can just sanitize a jug, pour in the sterile wort and add yeast. It's obvious e flasks work better for you, but for others a 1 gal glass jug might be a better option, regardless of cost. BBL was sharing "his way of doing it", it doesn't make it any better or worse than "your way of doing it".
 
bigljd said:
I like e flasks too, but since I make canned wort that is already sterile, I don't need to boil it. I can just sanitize a jug, pour in the sterile wort and add yeast. It's obvious e flasks work better for you, but for others a 1 gal glass jug might be a better option, regardless of cost. BBL was sharing "his way of doing it", it doesn't make it any better or worse than "your way of doing it".

Uh... of course some methods are better than others. Canning may be more convenient (read: lazy), but it's also less sanitary (which, again, is MOST important when propagating yeast), as you can't sanitize the vessel/stir-bar/foam stopper (or other contamination barrier) nearly as well as you could if you just boiled it all in the flask.

Not to mention the disadvantage of not being able to make the *exact* size of starter calculated to yield the optimal pitching rates... you're stuck with whatever volume you had previously decided on while canning.

So, it most certainly IS an inferior "way of doing it." Although simply boiling in the flask isn't even the *best* method either, since you can completely STERILIZE - and not just sanitize - the whole setup with an autoclave or adequate pressure cooker. Of course, a borosilicate E-flask (or some other appropriate vessel) would have to be used for this method as well, anyways.
 
Uh... of course some methods are better than others. Canning may be more convenient (read: lazy), but it's also less sanitary (which, again, is MOST important when propagating yeast), as you can't sanitize the vessel/stir-bar/foam stopper (or other contamination barrier) nearly as well as you could if you just boiled it all in the flask.

Not to mention the disadvantage of not being able to make the *exact* size of starter calculated to yield the optimal pitching rates... you're stuck with whatever volume you had previously decided on while canning.

So, it most certainly IS an inferior "way of doing it." Although simply boiling in the flask isn't even the *best* method either, since you can completely STERILIZE - and not just sanitize - the whole setup with an autoclave or adequate pressure cooker. Of course, a borosilicate E-flask (or some other appropriate vessel) would have to be used for this method as well, anyways.

Sigh... another one of these posts forgoing the ideal advice simply because "I did it this way."

Are you listening to yourself? Save it for the debate forum.
 
Uh... of course some methods are better than others. Canning may be more convenient (read: lazy), but it's also less sanitary (which, again, is MOST important when propagating yeast), as you can't sanitize the vessel/stir-bar/foam stopper (or other contamination barrier) nearly as well as you could if you just boiled it all in the flask.

Do you boil your siphon, carboy, hoses and stoppers too ? Why would immersing in star san or other sanitzing solutions be fine for these items, but not when they are used in a starter culture. I get that when stepping up multiple times, the less messing around with the starter, the less chance for contamination, but yeast starters don't need to be stepped up 3-4 times on a regular basis unless you are propagating from bottles.

Not to mention the disadvantage of not being able to make the *exact* size of starter calculated to yield the optimal pitching rates... you're stuck with whatever volume you had previously decided on while canning.

Hmm, how about canning in 2L ball jars and only using the amount you need ? There's really no need to pitch the whole thing or settle for what you have in the jar. You can open two jars if you need a gallon starter you know.

Canning, measuring, transfering, etc. all of that might not be optimal, but the real optimal way of doing it is not your way either, unless you have a clean room where you step your starters and ferment your beer :D
 
Uh... of course some methods are better than others. Canning may be more convenient (read: lazy), but it's also less sanitary (which, again, is MOST important when propagating yeast), as you can't sanitize the vessel/stir-bar/foam stopper (or other contamination barrier) nearly as well as you could if you just boiled it all in the flask.

Not to mention the disadvantage of not being able to make the *exact* size of starter calculated to yield the optimal pitching rates... you're stuck with whatever volume you had previously decided on while canning.

So, it most certainly IS an inferior "way of doing it." Although simply boiling in the flask isn't even the *best* method either, since you can completely STERILIZE - and not just sanitize - the whole setup with an autoclave or adequate pressure cooker. Of course, a borosilicate E-flask (or some other appropriate vessel) would have to be used for this method as well, anyways.

ROTFLMAO. I think I'm just going to stop brewing altogether now, since I realize I am doing everything wrong. I'll just throw away the ribbons I've won for my brews too, since those can't possibly be valid. Thanks for setting me straight.
 
Hmmm... All this time I've been doing it wrong as well. I've got 1L, 2L, & 5L erlenmeyers and use gallon jugs 90+% of the time. I thought I was anal about sterilization but this discussion went to a whole other level! It would seem that RDWHAHB is in order....
 
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