Stupid Stir Plate question

[markpace]

Just joined the forums today. Have done some extract brewing in the past and am about to start trying all grain brewing. And I love a good DIY project so I immediately came to these forums.

Stupid question du jour - What is a stir plate used for? I've looked at several pages of this forum and have not found an explanation of what it is used for, except to stir something.

 

[b-boy]

It's used for making starters - essentially, to grow yeast.

You take a pack of yeast, add it to premixed wort, put it on a stir plate, and let it ferment. It adds O2 to the process and keeps yeast in suspension. You can double or triple your yeast count.

 

[markpace]

It's used for making starters - essentially, to grow yeast.

You take a pack of yeast, add it to premixed wort, put it on a stir plate, and let it ferment. It adds O2 to the process and keeps yeast in suspension. You can double or triple your yeast count.

Thank you. That makes sense.

 

[MaxStout]

Now that your curiosity is piqued, here's a nice long thread featuring members' DIY stir plates. They are easy to build, with just a few low-cost parts.

 

[b-boy]

Or you can buy a retired lab-grade stir plate on ebay for ~$30-$35.