Erlenmeyer Flask or Mason jar

[McMalty]

Seriously, the 2000ML flask is effin $40 at my LHBS. Is there any detriment to just using a half gallon mason jar thats a fraction of the cost?

 

[JefeTheVol]

No. The only advantage the flask gives the user is that it can be mixed with one hand during titration or mixing and the neck is thin so it can be easily clamped. None of which applies to homebrewing in general.
-Jefe-

 

[Yooper]

No. The only advantage the flask gives the user is that it can be mixed with one hand during titration or mixing and the neck is thin so it can be easily clamped. None of which applies to homebrewing in general.
-Jefe-

That, and my flask is boiled right on the stove (NOT the mason jar!) and then can go right into a ice water bath for chilling!

 

[topend]

That, and my flask is boiled right on the stove (NOT the mason jar!) and then can go right into a ice water bath for chilling!

+1.

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk

 

[jordanpace]

plus the flask has a large flat bottom which helps when using a stir-plate.

 

[McMalty]

ok.....so, i gather that the flask is worth the cost.........if i'm going to brew more than a couple more times in my life...........which i'm pretty sure i am. thats kinda what everyone's getting at, right?

 

[topend]

You might do a quick google search for 2000 ml erlenmeyer. They are half that cost online.

 

[McMalty]

You might do a quick google search for 2000 ml erlenmeyer. They are half that cost online.

yeah, but then add in tax and shipping and not much of a diff

 

[TANSTAAFB]

ebay + patience = $20 2L erlenmeyer flask...shipped

That's how I got mine since LHBS in good ole Texas requires a freakin DEA permit or some sh!t because of all the meth heads!

I tried using growlers, big mason jars, cider jugs, etc. Never found anything with a plat enough bottom to keep from throwing the stir bar either...only the flask worked on my stir plate.

 

[JNye]

I use 1 gallon jugs/carboys, I have a 1000ml flask and prefer the extra volume the jug offers.

 

[tchuklobrau]

Seriously, the 2000ML flask is effin $40 at my LHBS. Is there any detriment to just using a half gallon mason jar thats a fraction of the cost?

Wow im sorry i just got mine and a bung and s style airlock for 35 from my lhbs, and that was with nys tax.

 

[iaefebs]

All flasks are not created equal. It's like someone saying they paid $40,000 for a car and someone saying they paid $10,000 for a car. You can't make a decision until you have more information. I have two different flask's and the cheaper priced one is cheaper quality. Back to the OP question I now use a saucepan to boil my starter and pour into a flat bottom jug for the stir plate. I just got tired of watching the boil when using the flask. I really have my eye on the wife's cookie jar since the bottom is actually concave and the stir bar rides perfectly. Since it is one of the few NO you can't have it. I won' t take it, but I am keeping my eye out for a similar jar. I also use a 1 gallon pickle jar for starters. I also use it for making Sun tea.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

All flasks are not created equal. It's like someone saying they paid $40,000 for a car and someone saying they paid $10,000 for a car. You can't make a decision until you have more information. I have two different flask's and the cheaper priced one is cheaper quality. Back to the OP question I now use a saucepan to boil my starter and pour into a flat bottom jug for the stir plate. I just got tired of watching the boil when using the flask. I really have my eye on the wife's cookie jar since the bottom is actually concave and the stir bar rides perfectly. Since it is one of the few NO you can't have it. I won' t take it, but I am keeping my eye out for a similar jar. I also use a 1 gallon pickle jar for starters. I also use it for making Sun tea.

There are a couple of good points here...I paid $20 for 1L flask at a shop that was clearly not borosilicate. My $20 ebay flask is Pyrex. This brings me to my next point...boiling IN the flask is a huge PITA!!! Constant threat of boil over, even when I boil in a pot first, let the ho tbreak fall back in, and have no more foaming in the pot I get tons of foam in the flask. It is way easier for me to sanitize the hell out of the flask w/ StarSan, boil in a pot, cool in the pot, and pour into the flask to pitch.

 

[Seven]

Hooray for the jugs! (I just wanted to say that)

I like to use clear, 1-gallon growlers for most of my starters. They are cheap and give you plenty of extra headspace.

Flasks are good also for the reasons the others have mentioned but I personally prefer to use growlers like this one.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Hooray for the jugs! (I just wanted to say that)

I like to use clear, 1-gallon growlers for most of my starters. They are cheap and give you plenty of extra headspace.

Flasks are good also for the reasons the others have mentioned but I personally prefer to use growlers like this one.

I have one just like it but my stir bar keeps kicking...that's what drove me to order the 2L flask! I can get the same yeast growth with half the size on my plate...1L on a stir plate will produce as much as 2L w/ the shake when you walk by method.

 

[android]

another vote for the old carlo rossi wine jug... i also used a growler prior to that. i have an erlenmeyer, i just prefer the jugs (more space for big starters if need be).

 

[McMalty]

so what's with the stir bar.....is that a necessity? I want to make good starters and i want them to be right. If a stir bar in an E flask is going to make the starter better, i'll spare myself the anguish and just spring for the proper equip

 

[topend]

Probably the best illustration is to plug in your starting values on mrmalty.com and see how much smaller a starter you will need if using a stirplate and a stir bar. It makes a difference.

 

[thegerm]

I cracked my erlenmeyer a few batches ago, right before I was going to start building up a maibock starter. Wound up using a rubbermaid "lock its" food container on the stir plate with the lid sitting "unlocked" on top. Worked out nicely.

http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-FG7K8200CIRED-Lock-Canister-15-Cup/dp/B0041P0EYW/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&qid=1302838060&sr=8-39

My 2L growler wouldn't work. Due to the shape and thickness of the glass on the bottom, my ebay stir plate wasn't strong enough to control the stir bar.

I can't boil the starter wort in the plastic container, of course (although... microwave... maybe??), but the erlenmeyer was such a huge mess every single time with boilovers to clean up on my stove.

 

[Zamial]

I just used both to see what I liked better. I personally vote for the stir plate and Pyrex E flask. Very soon I will be starting my frozen yeast bank and really like the dedicated Pyrex stuff.

 

[dogbar]

... but the erlenmeyer was such a huge mess every single time with boilovers to clean up on my stove.

Fermcap foam control drops are the greatest invention in history. Eliminates the boilover problem.

 

[krops13]

+ 1 to anyone saying erlyenmyer. I know it seems expensive and " can work ith somehting eslse.) but hey mady it for a reason. it works great. Lood lock interpedint some of this.

 

[aModestMouse]

flask + stir bar + stir plate(diy of course) = win.. all together probably cost me under $50.

 

[bovineblitz]

Fermcap foam control drops are the greatest invention in history. Eliminates the boilover problem.

+1

Never had an issue with a starter.

Though lately I picked up a couple 8 packs of a Malta type beverage so I don't even have to boil up starters anymore.

 

[emjay]

Damn, I got my 5L Erlenmeyer for about that price - that thing is an absolute monstrosity! I use it for bigger beers to avoid stepped starters most of the time, and if it's the kind of beer that's so big that it practically needs to be knocked out onto a yeast cake, I can do it in a couple steps

I also have a 2L flask though. A bottle of fermcap is fairly cheap and the stuff lasts pretty much forever. So I see no reason not to use an E-flask.

Also, I've noticed a few people complaining about their 1L flask. Not much of a surprise there. 1L is incredibly inadequate, especially when you consider that the yeast comes with a cell count that would experience virtually no growth at the 500ml point.

 

[edecambra]

one issue I have is when looking at Mr. Malty calculator it often times requires close or over 2 liters of starter to build up an adequate pitch of washed yeast ( if it is a month or two old). I love my 1 gallon cider jugs, I wish I could use a stir plate but I haven't had any issues yet and they are almost free (If you actually use/drink cider or apple juice).

It seems like an extra benefit for a flask, but like everything in this hobby, that means extra cost.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I got lucky and my neighbor "accidentally" ordered an extra at work in an order for his lab. Then that extra one accidentally fell into his truck on the way home I really need to bottle a 6'er and take down to him.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Those of you who want to use alternative vessels on your stirplates can invest in a barbell stirbar, which is much less likely to get thrown on convex surfaces, like the bottom of a jug. If the curve is very slight, you can even try to simply place a pair of small o-rings around the ends of a regular stirbar to stabilize it.

One source for barbell stirbars is Brewmaster's Warehouse.

 

[Billybrewer09]

Check Midwest brew supply ...they sell a yeast starter kit for like 30 bucks
It has a 2L flask one pound dme air lock and some yeast nutrient

 

[DrawTap88]

Just got a 2000ml flask from Carolina Biological Supply for $30 shipped. Not the best deal in the world, but I had some other stuff I needed for my yeast ranch.