Questions about creating a yeast starter

[Reggiegentry123]

So I've never created a yeast starter and want to try it for next brew, but I don't have a stir plate or flask. Any suggestions for creating a starter without those? Thanks and sorry if this is a noob question

 

[LLBeanJ]

You can use a growler, a juice jar, or a large mason jar if you don't have a flask. In lieu of a stir plate, just give your starter more time to finish out, say 48 hours, and give it a swirl every time you think about it.

 

[frazier]

In my local grocery there's a brand of apple cider - can't remember the name - which comes in a 3-quart glass jug. That's a perfect size for most of my starters. Or, get a gallon jug of cheap red wine, pour it into a big ol' beef stew, and use the jug for a 3-quart starter. Sanitize everything, of course. I use 3 ounces of DME per quart, which gives the starter an OG of about 1.033 which is perfect. Heat to a boil for a few minutes, cool and pitch. cover with sanitized foil and give it a swirl every few hours, or whenever you think of it. Do this 2 to 3 days before brew day. On brewday morning, stick it in the fridge; when ready, decant, swirl and pitch. Easy peasy!

Cheers,

 

[Reggiegentry123]

So for a 5 gallon batch, if I make 3 qt starter I'll just add 9 ounces of dme, stir every few hours and then just pitch it like I normally would a smack pack? Should I take the foil off the top when stirring to aerate or just leave it on?

 

[daksin]

You can leave the foil on- helps keep the starter sanitary. I like to do 10% by weight, or 100g of dme per liter of starter.

 

[Big Monk]

Funny you should ask:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=568023

 

[Reggiegentry123]

That's awesome, thanks for the link!

 

[Reggiegentry123]

So I'm going to use a growler, but is obviously less than 3 quarts, so I'm just wondering how much I should fill it- half? Would that be enough? A 32oz starter with like 3oz dme?

 

[Reggiegentry123]

I created my started Thursday evening to be used today, and up until yesterday it was doing as I expected it (foaming up, etc.) but when I was stirring it foamed up enough to the the point where it touched the tinfoil I had wrapped around the lid and has since stopped foaming up as much. Did contacting the foil affect it somehow? Or is everything still good to use today?

 

[LLBeanJ]

I'm sure it's fine.

 

[Reggiegentry123]

I completely forgot to pop my starter in the fridge last night, if I was going to just dump my whole starter in my wort is this really a necessary step?

 

[RocketBrewer]

You refrigerate a starter to drop the yeast so that you can decant (pour off) the spent starter. Just leave a little bit so that you can swirl up the yeast for pitching. You can pitch the whole thing if you want, most people just don't like to dilute their batch with the plain un-hopped starter. depending on when you plan to pitch, and the strain of yeast, sometimes the yeast will settle pretty well in just a few hours of refrigeration.