Stir Plate Question

[chanson16]

Have never used a stir plate before but finally built one and am planning a brew this weekend. I know that one of the benefits of a starter is to make sure the yeast are viable before ruining a large batch.

So my question is, if using a stir plate how do you know the yeast are doing their thing? I assume the swirl of the stir plate prevents much krausen from forming and since you don't use an airlock there are no bubbles to observe. Just want to make sure my yeast is good and get the benefits from the stir plate.

Thanks.

 

[cabbie92]

You will likely still get some kreusen. The starter wort will also get very opaque and "whiter" in color.

 

[Cyclman]

You will literally be able to see the number of yeast increase, it will become "thicker" and when you crash it, you'll have a thicker yeast layer at the bottom.

 

[chanson16]

If the starter isn't quite done does it hurt to go ahead and put it in the fridge to drop the yeast?

I am brewing in the morning and would prefer to decant rather than letting the starter go over night and pitching the entire starter.

 

[Evan_L]

Just pitch the whole thing. if it has been less than 18 or so hours on the plate it may hurt your results to crash it.

 

[kh54s10]

get a flashlight and look carefully. You will see tiny bubbles rising. If you cold crash after 18-24 hours you should see a good layer of yeast and some trub on the bottom of the flask. I usually get about 1/2 inch. The one I am doing now did not show much after 12 hours so I let it go for 36 hours and put off brew day til this coming Tuesday. I will also be making up 4 vials to freeze. WY3522 Belgian Ardennes.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Have never used a stir plate before but finally built one and am planning a brew this weekend. I know that one of the benefits of a starter is to make sure the yeast are viable before ruining a large batch.

So my question is, if using a stir plate how do you know the yeast are doing their thing? I assume the swirl of the stir plate prevents much krausen from forming and since you don't use an airlock there are no bubbles to observe. Just want to make sure my yeast is good and get the benefits from the stir plate.

Thanks.

You should get a small krausen layer. If you use an airlock you will also see activity. I started WLP001 in a 1lt starter at 11am this morning, it was bubbling away by 12:30-1:00pm, krausen had formed by 4pm. I will let this go until I pitch tomorrow mid-afternoon. The yeast will turn your starter wort very cloudy and creamy colored (as mentioned before). If you let it go too long it will actually start to clear just like in your carboy/bucket, so keep an eye on the amount of time you let it go. I don't think I've ever had one going longer than 30 hours.

 

[chanson16]

get a flashlight and look carefully. You will see tiny bubbles rising. If you cold crash after 18-24 hours you should see a good layer of yeast and some trub on the bottom of the flask. I usually get about 1/2 inch. The one I am doing now did not show much after 12 hours so I let it go for 36 hours and put off brew day til this coming Tuesday. I will also be making up 4 vials to freeze. WY3522 Belgian Ardennes.

This is my first time using a stir plate so there is no trub collecting at the bottom. Don't want to rush it but my brew days are few and far between.

 

[kh54s10]

This is my first time using a stir plate so there is no trub collecting at the bottom. Don't want to rush it but my brew days are few and far between.

You won't see any accumulation on the bottom while the flask is on the stirplate. You will see it if you cold crash. Usually 18-24 hours on the stirplate will provide enough time for the yeast to reproduce. Longer and they are mostly just eating the sugars and not increasing cell counts.

But, on my WY3522 Belgian Ardennes did not start quickly so I let it ride 36 hours. It is now in the fridge for Tuesday. It will be a Belgian Blonde. I will also be making 4 vials for freezing.

 

[IL1kebeer]

Have never used a stir plate before but finally built one and am planning a brew this weekend. I know that one of the benefits of a starter is to make sure the yeast are viable before ruining a large batch. So my question is, if using a stir plate how do you know the yeast are doing their thing? I assume the swirl of the stir plate prevents much krausen from forming and since you don't use an airlock there are no bubbles to observe. Just want to make sure my yeast is good and get the benefits from the stir plate. Thanks.

The starter will be a milky color and you will see co2 bubbles rising to the surface

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I also get a ring of krausen material around the inside of my erlenmeyer flask.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Unless you use foam control, you will get a krausen ring in your flask. Your wort should be milky with very tiny CO2 bubbles rising. If you are using an airlock you will see normal bubbling for roughly 8 to 16 hours. Once the krausen has fallen your starter is done. You can cold crash at that point or pitch the entire volume into your batch.

 

[chanson16]

Just pitch the whole thing. if it has been less than 18 or so hours on the plate it may hurt your results to crash it.

I went ahead and crashed it. It took off in about four hours after pitching and has been going strong. So far so good so we will see how it finishes.