If you use a stir plate to make a yeast starter, I always see talk of using an
Erlenmeyer Flask. I have one myself. (Borosilicate 2 liter - has a small bubble in one part)
The problem with the Erlenmeyer Flask is its rather large (I have a 2 liter flask).
A beaker is smaller since its more compact. A beaker would sit well on a stir plate. And it take sup less space in the refrigerator when cold crashing the starter after its done (so it can be decanted)
What advantage does a Borosilicate Erlenmeyer Flask over a Borosilicate Beaker?
Since flasks are known to break, I boil the starter wort and transfer it to the flask (there is a 20 second risk of infection), inoculate the wort, and set it on the stir plate for a couple of days, then place it in the fridge to cold crash it. I decant off most of the spent wort (beer), and dump it into the fermenting bucket.
If I want to boil the starter in the Borosilicate, would it help prolong its life, (and prevent a mess) if I placed it in a small pot with water and boiled the wort (inside the flask) while the flask is sitting in the pot, absorbing the heat from the water as opposed to the direct flame?
Is this an adequate heat shield, or can anyone suggest something better?
Erlenmeyer Flask. I have one myself. (Borosilicate 2 liter - has a small bubble in one part)
The problem with the Erlenmeyer Flask is its rather large (I have a 2 liter flask).
A beaker is smaller since its more compact. A beaker would sit well on a stir plate. And it take sup less space in the refrigerator when cold crashing the starter after its done (so it can be decanted)
What advantage does a Borosilicate Erlenmeyer Flask over a Borosilicate Beaker?
Since flasks are known to break, I boil the starter wort and transfer it to the flask (there is a 20 second risk of infection), inoculate the wort, and set it on the stir plate for a couple of days, then place it in the fridge to cold crash it. I decant off most of the spent wort (beer), and dump it into the fermenting bucket.
If I want to boil the starter in the Borosilicate, would it help prolong its life, (and prevent a mess) if I placed it in a small pot with water and boiled the wort (inside the flask) while the flask is sitting in the pot, absorbing the heat from the water as opposed to the direct flame?
Is this an adequate heat shield, or can anyone suggest something better?