First Starter - See any issues?

[Craig311]

Typical gravity wort (say 1.048 but not exactly sure on the recipe yet)

Night before brewday...
Boil 1/2lb DME in 2L water in a 2000ML Erlenmeyer flask right on the stove for 15 min. Tinfoil on top. Shooting for around a 1.030 starter wort. Let come to room temp overnight.

Early morning of brewday...
Pitch 1 Wyeast Pack (100 Billion Cells) into flask. Start up the stirplate and let go throughout brew (6-8 hrs).

Once wort is chilled...
Aerate wort and pitch 2L starter into 5g of wort.

Anything I missed? Also... For the starter... If I'm using a Wyeast smack pack - should I just smack it and pour into the starter wort? Or not smack and pour? Or smack, pour, and add nutrient?

 

[Brewsmith]

Smacking the pack will let you know the yeast is alive before pitching it. Go ahead and do it.

 

[ajf]

I see an issue.

Trying to boil 2000 ml wort in a 2 liter flask is going to be a very messy operation.

I'd cut the starter down to 1 liter with about 3.5 oz DME (which will give you a gravity of about 1.040).

Smack the pack 24 hours before making the starter. If it hasn't swelled in 24 hours, you may want to delay everything for another day. If it hasn't swelled in 48 hours, you may want to delay everything for another two days etc.

I'd also leave it on the stir plate for more that 6 - 8 hours. If I'm using a fresh yeast sample, I keep it on the stir plate for 16 - 18 hours before pitching.

-a.

 

[Sixbillionethans]

Let come to room temp overnight.

Replace with fill sink with ice cubes & water. Insert hot flask into sink and chill in 10 minutes. Pitch yeast.

 

[shortyjacobs]

If you use fermcap, you can probably get darn close to 2000 mL water in the 2000 mL flask, (we all know they hold like 2100-2200 mL anyway....). I easily did ~950 mL in my 1000 mL flask using Fermcap-S.

 

[MyBeerPants]

If you use fermcap, you can probably get darn close to 2000 mL water in the 2000 mL flask, (we all know they hold like 2100-2200 mL anyway....). I easily did ~950 mL in my 1000 mL flask using Fermcap-S.

Using fermcap, I boiled a 2000ml starter in my 2000ml flask without issue. Once the boil started I was able to turn the heat down to medium on my stove and all was well. I would NOT try this without the fermcap though.