foil on starter

[TheCollector]

Should the sanitized aluminum foil on my flask be loose fitting or fairly tightly sealed? I know it's to let oxygen in just hope I'm doing it right

 

[freisste]

Doesn't really matter. It needs oxygen, but there should be enough inside the flask. The CO2 needs to escape, but tight or not it is going to get out. I'm not sure it is possible to do this wrong.

 

[beergolf]

It does not really matter.I leave mine pretty loose. It is just to keep stuff from dropping into your starter. The bad bugs are not some super nija things that will crawl into your starter.

 

[TheCollector]

Cool thanks gents

 

[TheCollector]

Should I shake a starter? My wife says it's very fizzy like a shook up coke on crack! It's been almost 24 hrs since I made it and plan to brew tonight

 

[Slow_Day]

Yeah. It's krausening. Go ahead and give it a swirl. Pitch when you're ready.

 

[Callacave]

I use a stir plate, but everyone here says everytime you walk by your starter you should give it a good swirl.

 

[flars]

Should I shake a starter? My wife says it's very fizzy like a shook up coke on crack! It's been almost 24 hrs since I made it and plan to brew tonight

Shake and swirl as often as possible. Even if only two minutes have gone by since the last shake. The more oxygen you give the yeast the sooner the starter will be ready. Also lessens the chance of a krausen blow over.

 

[TheCollector]

How do I know when it's ready? And when it comes time to pitch do I pour the whole thing or decant the starter beer?

 

[BigFloyd]

How do I know when it's ready? And when it comes time to pitch do I pour the whole thing or decant the starter beer?

If you have time to crash it and decant, I prefer to do that. For big starters, that's a very good practice since the starter beer doesn't have a nice flavor. Not as big a deal for smaller starters.

Stir plate starters are ready in about 12-14 hours. The occasional swirl kind, 24-36 hours is more realistic.

 

[MDHarris]

If its fizzy like a coke then the yeast is active and ready to go. This is when I try to pitch.