Question about starters: cheaper/easier options?

[ThomasPaine]

Also, any breweries near you? I've been hearing a lot about people running by breweries with mason jars and grabbing some slurry. This week I emailed a bunch near me and a few have said to come on down. Next week sometime I'm going to grab some chico slurry from one and a second is open to giving yeast out too, just waiting to hear what lager strain they have. I'm wanting to do a 10gal Pilsner soon and screw making multiple step starters. Getting a jar of slurry would be sweet.

I'm going to try this.

 

[ArcLight]

I want to get into the fight ...

on second though, nah. :fro:

Is there any way I could make a cheaper starter? I also loathe the process of making starters itself for some reason.

To the original poster, if you brew that frequently, just scoop out 20-25% of the trub on the bottom when you rack your beer and dump it into the new beer.
While it wont be as perfect as a starter, there will be tons of viable yeast.

Cost: $0
Time needed: 2 minutes


Just take a sample before doing this so you know it's not infected.
You don't need to "wash the yeast". Just scoop and plop since you are brewing so much.

There are more than a few articles on HBT about reusing yeast.

 

[UndeadFred]

OK. I tried my experiment. LD Carlson caps seal fails. If you see the wort start to boil, you fail. I cut and belt sanded a silicone gasket out of a piece of flat hot pad to make a silicone gasket. Looks like it is working. Will fill in later once I verify a good seal over time. Capped at 212F boiling. I should have noticeable suction at room temperature. I think this could work. Grolsch bottles with the old ceramic tops would probably work with no mods. Putting boiling water into capped bottles and the heating at 275°F for 45 minutes for this experiment. I think it will work.

 

[passedpawn]

OK. I tried my experiment. LD Carlson caps seal fails. If you see the wort start to boil, you fail. I cut and belt sanded a silicone gasket out of a piece of flat hot pad to make a silicone gasket. Looks like it is working. Will fill in later once I verify a good seal over time. Capped at 212F boiling. I should have noticeable suction at room temperature. I think this could work. Grolsch bottles with the old ceramic tops would probably work with no mods. Putting boiling water into capped bottles and the heating at 275°F for 45 minutes for this experiment. I think it will work.

What did the failure look like? Wort coming out under the cap?

I've got a couple of cases of Grolsch bottles. Maybe I'll give it a try with water.

 

[UndeadFred]

Yes.. Trying swing tops now.. I tried silicone gaskets.. Not easy. All the swing tops I have ever are plastic but seem okay at 275°F

 

[UndeadFred]

Plastic swing tops appeared to work the bottle of water sprayed when I popped the top. So I can heat them to 275°F and they held pressure. This is with rubber "Grolsch gaskets". So capped bottles no for sure. Swing tops.. At your own risk but the seem to work. Have a liter and a half of wort to try this...

 

[iijakii]

I'm going to try this.

I recommend it!