Stir plate, build, buy, or not necessary

[madman960]

Looking through posts, I don't really see many using stir plates. Years ago, they were everywhere. I never had one but I also don't brew big beers. Now that I have the space, I might.

I did order a large flask. I used to have one but not sure where it ended up. Also got a small stir bar. I have the magnets and the fan in my Amazon cart.

I used to put water, a little table sugar, and dry yeast in the flask for a couple hours before pitching. I would swirl by hand every 20-30 minutes if I was around.

Stir plate, build, buy, or not necessary?

 

[day_trippr]

I built a pair, use them all the time. I never pitch liquid yeast without a starter, and to me a stir plate provides the biggest bang for my yeast bucks...

Cheers!

 

[hotbeer]

Depends on what yeast you use. For dry yeast all you do is pitch directly to the wort. Don't even need to aerate the wort either. With all the different dry yeast out there now and the long shelf life, easy storage and inexpensive price many of us don't even think about liquid yeast.

If you are intrigued by liquid yeast and those processes appeal to you, then why not get a decent stir plate. Whether you build it or buy it made already that is also a whether or not you enjoy doing those things or not decision.

 

[Konadog]

I built a pair, use them all the time. I never pitch liquid yeast without a starter, and to me a stir plate provides the biggest bang for my yeast bucks...

View attachment 854781

Cheers!

I've build them, and purchased them. As long as they reliably spin, they all do the same thing. I use it with liquid yeast that I overbuild the starter and save some for next time. Defiantly worth it for me.

 

[oakbarn]

I use them! I purchased them. In fact, Brewer's hardware started almost as a "builder" of stir plates long ago! https://www.brewershardware.com/

They no long do so.

Liquid yeast do so much better if started. You always get some that are no so fresh.

 

[ClaudiusB]

I use them and never brewed a beer without them.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you use dry yeast exclusively then you don't need one. If you use liquid yeast, you can either buy a LOT of packs and spend the money or one pack and spend the time growing it to the needed cell count. The tricky part of liquid yeast use is that you don't really know what you'll need to do until you see the age on the pack. That makes mail-ordering the exact amount of yeast you'll need almost impossible.

 

[wepeeler]

I use one for every liquid yeast I use. I harvest from the flask, so it's an easy way to build up cell count and harvest for later use.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/compact-magnetic-stir-plate.html

Just use an online calculator to figure the yeast numbers: https://www.brewunited.com/yeast_calculator.php

 

[day_trippr]

If one is going to use liquid yeast affordably, planning definitely helps

I buy a pack of liquid yeast and build it up to three pitches in the days in advance of a brew - two for a 10 gallon batch (two fermentors) and one for the fridge (the "overbuild") to propagate back up to three pitches again in advance of the next batch. Rinse and repeat, I often keep a strain going for well over a year doing this.

Dry yeast I just pull out on brew day to let it come up to room temp, then hydrate it while waiting for my wort to chill, and pitch it as soon as the carboys are filled. Admittedly simpler, and for what I use dry strains for it works well, but there's a significantly limited selection vs the blindingly wide array of liquid strains...

Cheers!

 

[hottpeper13]

I have 2 stir plates that haven't been used in over a year. Why? I now just oxygenate for 2 min, then swirl every so often. I've noticed no difference in lag times or fermentation characteristics.

 

[YeastFeast]

Built one (fan finally died) and bought one. Almost always use white labs liquid yeast and use a stir plate with every brew I do. Don’t think I’ve ever made a beer under 1.060 so wouldn’t even consider not using a stir plate with liquid.

 

[mac_1103]

Reading this thread is making me think that SNS has fallen from favor. Is this true and if so, why?

 

[sibelman]

SNS has fallen from favor

Maybe, or maybe stir plate lovers are more motivated to post.

I've always just swirled, and never used a stir plate. Still generally use liquid yeasts, but I'm glad to see a rising variety of dry yeasts.

 

[hiphoppotamuss]

What about stir bars?
Necessary or no?

 

[day_trippr]

 

[tracer bullet]

Stir bars are needed if you have a stir plate. They are basically magnets, and when the stir plate's magnets spin underneath them, they spin too. Stir plates are worthless without stir bars.

Or maybe I misunderstood that question.

I'd go used stir plate from say ebay. Something good quality but ideally not too junky from someone's messy lab experiments. As a bonus some have heaters that can bring things to boiling, and you could potentially make starters with DME with them and not involve your stove. It's not really a super great thing but may be appealing to some folks as well or be enough to make a person decide to go for a stir plate.

 

[Wigglebutts Brewery]

I’ve built & bought, I currently have one of each. As said, necessary for liquid yeast. I’m freezing vials with glycerin and having good results so there’s a meaningful cost savings..

 

[pvpeacock]

I freeze yeast, so a stir plate and starter is absolutely necessary to revive the yeast and grow it before using it.

 

[passedpawn]

Don't buy a Maelstrom. Very flakey. Worked fine for a while, but now I have to coax it to spin properly.

 

[sibelman]

As said, necessary for liquid yeast.

Desirable perhaps. Necessary? Not. Occasional swirling (aka Shaken not Stirred or SNS) also works. Stir plate may be superior.

 

[Agent]

Reading this thread is making me think that SNS has fallen from favor. Is this true and if so, why?

I'm going with silent majority on that one.

I enjoyed my ghetto DIY stirplate until I eventually tossed every stir bar in the tall grass.

Now I just let my starters go on the counter top no worries.

 

[Snuffy]

Just be prepared to fish the stir bar out of your fermenter sludge occasionally.

 

[tracer bullet]

I have a couple stir bars, when I'm done I stick the extras on the outside of the flask so that the inner one stays put. Never dumped another into my fermenter since. While the starter is going, they're stuck to the stir plate face near the dial and so it's not easy to forget this step.

 

[Konadog]

Don't buy a Maelstrom. Very flakey. Worked fine for a while, but now I have to coax it to spin properly.

Open it up and make sure the magnets aren't dragging against the plastic cover. Mine did that once and once I reset the magnets, no more problems.

 

[Horseflesh Inferno]

I've used one for now for over 20 years. I've never had a problem so I'm not inclined to stop. I just use a magnet to pull the stir bar up the side of the flask and out the top before I pour the flask into anything. The yeast always takes off like crazy.

 

[passedpawn]

Open it up and make sure the magnets aren't dragging against the plastic cover. Mine did that once and once I reset the magnets, no more problems.

I did that. Not the problem.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Reading this thread is making me think that SNS has fallen from favor. Is this true and if so, why?

I primarily use dry yeast. In fact, I’ve never purchased a liquid yeast. I do recycle yeast harvested from my fermenter. For these pitches, I use the SNS method.

 

[madman960]

I didn't know SNS was a thing. I guess that's what I was doing. I'm starting back off with dry yeast. Bought a 1000 ml flask. Other flask was 1500 ml but never really needed it. Thought about just using a quart jar.

 

[sibelman]

just using a quart jar.

Perhaps I've been misled by homebrew "wisdom" that starters should be 1 or even 2 quarts/liters. Swirling needs headspace, so I use a gallon apple juice jug.

 

[redrocker652002]

I have thought about buying one but mostly use dry yeast. I will, eventually, start trying to reuse yeast so maybe in the future I will. But, I do have a gallon jug that I have used in the past for different reasons, so that might be used for the SNS method.