How do you cover your starter container?

[MrBJones]

Another thread talks about fruit flies that got into a starter...seems they got under the aluminum foil cover. Got me wondering if maybe I should take more precautions (I use foil too). How do you cover your starter flask/container?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Anyone have a good recipe for a fruit fly saison?

 

[JonM]

This time of year I put a rubber band over the foil, around the neck of the flask. Seems to do the trick.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Use a coffee filter and a rubber band.
This will keep all sorts of bugs out while allowing air to pass through without any trouble.

 

[ProblemChild]

I use a nitrile rubber glove and a twist tie.

Spray a little star-san in it and slide it over the top of the Erlenmeyer...

The teenager in me comes out in the form of juvenile humor as I realize I am putting the glove on to assist reproduction...

 

[dyqik]

Foil, and keep it in the fermentation chamber to keep the temperature up and the cats and fruit flies out.

I use a 3L beaker, so an airlock isn't an option, but I can clean the beaker and use an immersion chiller in it.

 

[JonM]

Use a coffee filter and a rubber band.
This will keep all sorts of bugs out while allowing air to pass through without any trouble.

That is a darn good idea.

 

[TheMadKing]

I use a breathable foam stopper in an erlenmeyer flask

 

[steveoatley]

I use a breathable foam stopper in an erlenmeyer flask

What he said.....because it can be sterilized by dropping it in boiling water

if the starter grows too much & mucks up the foam stopper.

my 2 cents

S

 

[chordwizard]

Something that I noticed when I did a tour of Whitelabs is that they use tinfoil but that it goes at least 2/3 of the way down the flask. I haven't had problems just having it around the neck but it has me wondering if there is added protection running it further down.

 

[JDXX1971]

I use a breathable foam stopper in an erlenmeyer flask

Yep me too.

 

[IslandLizard]

I use Heavy Duty Aluminum foil, about 2 inches down the sides. But beware, Starsan attacks the foil and develops pinholes after a few days. The regular light weight kitchen variety much more so and quicker (10-20 holes) than the heavy duty one (3-6 holes). When I first noticed it a few years ago, the hood looked like a sieve when held up against the light. So... I've been using a double layer of Heavy Duty. One covers the (few) holes in the other.

I recently had 2 starters that got infected. Not sure why or how, but we also had an invasion of fruit flies. One was a previously used and harvested Brett Saison (ECY03) I revitalized, so it's possible (although unlikely) it got contaminated. The other the remainder of a bottle of ECY13, Abbaye 2, of which the decanted beer tasted mildly sour, but not bad at all.

When in doubt, I always leave the decanted starter beer in a closed quart-size takeout container on the counter for a few days. If it develops a pellicle you know what's up.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Double layer of paper towel w a rubber band.

 

[catdaddy66]

I have a stopper that gets covered with foil, both sanitized.

 

[jcav]

I also use the breathable foam stopper. I throw it in my bucket of Star San while I am making the starter. After I put the stir bar in the flask I fish out the stopper from the bucket, give it a quick squeeze and put it on top of the flask. Works great!

John

 

[MrHadack]

I also use the breathable foam stopper. I throw it in my bucket of Star San while I am making the starter. After I put the stir bar in the flask I fish out the stopper from the bucket, give it a quick squeeze and put it on top of the flask. Works great!

John

That's exactly what I do as well.

 

[Cyclman]

Foam stopper