Starter: how long to keep on stir plate?

[IslandLizard]

On the AHA forum? That's an interesting topic. It never occurred to me that constant stirring would sheer-stress the yeast. (I'm still skeptical, but I haven't seen the data yet. It's an interesting hypothesis.)

I brew 4 gallon batches not 5 or 5.5, so that scales everything down just a little. I have some 4L glass jugs, but wouldn't a 3L plastic pop bottle be better since I could squeeze out the CO2 and replace it with air before shaking it? Now I gotta try to remember where I've seen 3L pop bottles instead of 2L...

I have a smack-pack of Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey 2, rumored to be Rochefort) in my fridge that's been in there just over a year. This might be a good way to revive and use it instead of throwing it out.

Yup, that's the post/article.
You could try it with a plastic 3l soda bottle, but it will be single use most likely unless you have the patience to clean them, which is very doable. I don't think driving off CO2 formation is a big issue, even if using a glass jug. There may not be a lot of CO2 formation anyway as the yeast is not fermenting yet, she's in lag phase, which is where she mostly propagates. You have access to O2?

That would be a good experiment. Just don't blame the method if it fails.

 

[hawkbox]

I've been using my stir plate successfully for quite a while now, I don't turn it up to vortex force so I'm not particularly worried about harming the yeast.

 

[TennBrewer]

I've been making starters for a couple of years now and have had great success in doing so. It's not only economical but fun, too. I usually use Homebrew Dad's yeast calculator which is great if you save off a little of the starter for another brew; it's usually in the ballpark with some of the other yeast starter calculators. My routine calls for at least a 24 hour fermentation on the stir plate. I use DME for the wort and I do not add any yeast nutrient in the starter. I don't always stick to the time frame, after the krausen falls you can definitely see a color change and the consistency shows some changes, like waves or layers swirling around. This I interpret as fermentation completed, I then cold crash it until clear or almost clear, at least another 24 hours. I may build up another step or decant the beer and pitch the slurry. I have read somewhere and heard from professional brewers that overpitching yeast is practically impossible for a homebrewer. With that in mind, my last batch was a 5 gallon Czech Pils to which I pitched a 4L starter, leaving just over 500ml of slurry. The beer completed primary fermentation (56*F) in four days. The resulting quaff was quite delicious. So, when planning a brew day I figure on at least a 2 step starter, that's 24 hours for the first fermentation, a 24 hour crash before starting the next bigger step and repeat for a total of 4 days, then brew on the fifth day. Begin the starter on Monday in order to brew on Saturday.

 

[TennBrewer]

P.S. I always boil my starter DME in a metal pot, cool it, then pour it into an Erlenmeyer glass flask. The metal pot will cool faster than boiling in the pyrex flask, besides I have an induction cooktop so I must use a ferrous metal pot.

 

[IslandLizard]

P.S. I always boil my starter DME in a metal pot, cool it, then pour it into an Erlenmeyer glass flask. The metal pot will cool faster than boiling in the pyrex flask, besides I have an induction cooktop so I must use a ferrous metal pot.

Yeah, I don't quite get the charm of boiling DME in a fragile glass container either. Most of those flasks are not suitable for direct heating on a stove anyway, plenty of posts and pictures to testify that.

The SS pot can be chilled much quicker in a sink or small tub filled with cold water and isn't fragile. Refresh the water once it gets hot. I often boil close to 5 liters, so I can fill 3 flasks (or 64 oz glass pickle jars) with 1.6 liter each.

Coincidentally, I also use an induction source, alas, just a single 3500W countertop plate.

 

[z-bob]

I might can some quart and pint mason jars of starter next time I get out the pressure cooker. This was my first time to use a starter; nit was pretty easy even tho' I didn't really know what I was doing. And it allowed me use the yeast slurry from a very dark strong beer to make a light blonde.

 

[IslandLizard]

I might can some quart and pint mason jars of starter next time I get out the pressure cooker. This was my first time to use a starter; nit was pretty easy even tho' I didn't really know what I was doing. And it allowed me use the yeast slurry from a very dark strong beer to make a light blonde.

I can chill 1.6 liter of DME wort down to starter pitching temps in under 15 minutes. Is it worth the bother of canning 6-8 jars of it?

If the beer the yeast was harvested from was very strong beer (say over 1.080), you'd be better off using a fresh starter from some yeast you ranched (saved) off a previous starter, or from a beer that hasn't been stressed as much. How did that light Blonde turn out?

 

[z-bob]

I can chill 1.6 liter of DME wort down to starter pitching temps in under 15 minutes. Is it worth the bother of canning 6-8 jars of it?

If the beer the yeast was harvested from was very strong beer (say over 1.080), you'd be better off using a fresh starter from some yeast you ranched (saved) off a previous starter, or from a beer that hasn't been stressed as much. How did that light Blonde turn out?

Don't know yet, it's still in the ale pail. The previous beer was less than 1.080, but not a lot less (I really need to start keeping a brewing notebook) The krausen just fell so I need to rack this to a carboy for another week or so.

That's a good point about is it worth the trouble and worth a canning lid.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw...the last few starters I've built I did not actually boil the DME at all. I boiled the water in a lidded pot, turned off the heat, mixed in the DME, put the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes before chilling it down to pitching temperature then pouring it into a sanitized e-flask and adding the yeast.

I've based this approach on any of the pasteurization temperature vs time tables and the realization that the solution won't get any hotter than 212°F ASL unless a pressure cooker is involved, so why bother with prolonged boiling at all...

Cheers!

[edit] I run starters for 24 hours then crash, decant, and step or pitch...

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I usually put it on the stir play for a few 2 or 3 days and continuously add for wort to it.
Then on brew day, I throw the active starter into the fermenter.
There is no lag and it gets going within a could hours.

 

[Carlson8tor]

My regimen is 24hrs on the stir plate. I then stir it up, harvest half for another time and cold crash.