Looking for 2 gallon container for starter on stir plate

[imperial]

I do a lot of big starters (I do a lot of high grav beer). I'd like to find a 2 gallon container so I can do a 1 gallon starter. (I have a 1 gallon Carlo Rossi jug, but I can only do ~2500ml in it.) The bottom has to be kind of flat and not too thick so the stir plate will work. Any ideas?

 

[maida7]

perhaps a plastic bucket.

or

a small carboy. I've seen 3 gallon glass carboys.

 

[seanmichaleen]

Some people (Tasty McDole I believe) use a 3 gallon carboy. They say that with a dome bottomed vessel, you need a dumbell shaped stir bar to spin correctly. Have you tried using FermCap in your Rossi jug to keep the krausen down? When I boil a starter in a flask on the stove, it's a lifesaver at preventing boil overs and it also keeps the krausen from blowing off as well.

 

[KYB]

You would need one hell of a stir plate wouldn't you?

Why don't you use a 1gal jug and step it up a couple times. Ferment 3L, decant liquid, put more wort in, ferment, etc. That should yield enough yeast right?

 

[dfohio]

A 5 liter flask does just fine for me with 1 gallon starters.

 

[OMJ]

A 5 liter flask does just fine for me with 1 gallon starters.

same here and it fits fine on my normal stir plate.

 

[bonsai4tim]

what about an aluminum pot (12 quart) plus lid--the cheaper the pot, the thinner the bottom.

t

 

[Douglefish]

I remembered reading about a 2 gallon jar on the mega stir plate thread. Anyway, I looked it up and the guy used this. I've seen them at the container store. I think I'm going to get one.

http://www.anchorhocking.com/prodd_4449_cat_25_montana.html

 

[imperial]

Thanks for all the input. It turns out I had the solution all along. A while back I had picked up several 3gal buckets from a local burger joint. The buckets originally had ice cream in them. I use them to store DME for my starters.

I took one of these buckets, drilled a hole in the lid (I just cover it with tin foil... should prolly use an airlock), and I use it. It fits on the stir plate (barely) and it give me a good volume of yeast.

I've used a 3gal carboy, but it's pretty heavy and I wouldn't want to put it on my stir plate. And it's WAY harder to clean.

With the 3gal bucket, I do a 6000ml starter. Here's my process:
1) start with a Wyeast activator (I spend the extra buck (instead of the propagator) for 300% more yeast cells)
2) Start in a 2L flask on the stir plate
3) flock out
4) do a 6L starter in the 3gal bucket on the stir plate

I end up with between 200 and 300ml of thick yeast slurry. When I would do a 3000ml starter instead of the 6000ml starter, I would end up with ~140ml of thick yeast slurry.