Step Up Starter Question

[Gytaryst]

I'm doing a step up starter. I only have a 2L flask so to get to the desired cell count it looked like I could do a step up starter with 1.75 L twice. I did the first 1.75 L starter with no issues. It hardly foamed at all. I cold crashed it for 3 days and decanted it down to the slurry. I added a little over 1.5 L of wort to the slurry to make another 1.75 L starter. After less than an hour on the stir plate the foam is already up to the sponge stopper.

Any suggestions or advice? Should I just let it go? Should I take it off the stir plate?

 

[EarthwormJim]

I put a disposable aluminum roasting pan on the stir plate then the flask in that whenever my starter is bigger than 1.5L in my 2L flask in case there is a blowoff. I have tried fermcap, but it didn't really help. The foam stopper is better than aluminum foil but some still gets out.

You could put it in a bigger vessel, I usually have a couple of gallon jugs around. Other than that, don't know that there is much you can do other than try to contain it. At least put some towels or something under it. Even if you take it off the plate it will probably still overflow.

 

[Gytaryst]

It wasn't bad. It just foamed up so fast it concerned me. It kind of pushed the foam stopper up a little, but not out, and maybe 3 or 4 tables spoons dribbled down onto the stir plate. I just wiped it up, wiped down the outside of the flask with star san, (I had the spray bottle right there anyway). I rinsed out the foam stopper and sanitized it real good, got it going again and the foam slowly sunk back down to about a 4 inch head. It's so thick it doesn't look like it's moving. I have to stick my ear up to it to here the stir bar whirling around in there. Should be plenty to pitch when the time comes.