Stir plate kit or oxygenation kit?

[StonesBally]

I have some extra cash and need some advice on how to spend it. I either want to buy a stir plate kit for making starters or an oxygenation kit for aerating wort in the fermenter. I would love some advice from some of you who have more experience than me. I have only been brewing 6 months and am always looking for ways to improve the character of my beers. I guess the real question is this: Does the stir plate vs. intermittent shaking of starters make a bigger difference in the final product, or will oxygenation with pure Oxygen vs. shaking my fermenter make a bigger difference in the final product? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JonK331]

Definitely go with the oxy kit. Use can use it to oxygenate your starters and your full batches. Go with the tank style rather the the fish pump. Takes waaay less time. Shaking doesn't do any where near what an O2 setup can do and you risk introducing contaminants that way. With O2, you just put the hose in there with the carb stone on the end and run for 2 minutes.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Personally, I would say both. But, if you don't have the funds for both right now I would start with the stir plate.

 

[JonK331]

Personally, I would say both. But, if you don't have the funds for both right now I would start with the stir plate.

Hmmmm I'd be curious to hear your reasoning on that. What's the point of having a perfectly oxygenated starter to pitch into an un-oxygenated wort? The O2 works great for starters, I've been doing it for years with great success. Never felt a need for a stir plate.

 

[Lennie]

Stir plates are great, the movement and aeration results in double the yeast cell count. I doubt a blast of O2 in a starter would result in the same doubling of cells. I don't think its just the O2 thats helping to boost cell count.

Wort gets oxygenated when you shake/whip or whatever you do.

 

[JonK331]

Shaking/whipping does not compare to pure O2.

 

[Seven]

I have some extra cash and need some advice on how to spend it. I either want to buy a stir plate kit for making starters or an oxygenation kit for aerating wort in the fermenter. I would love some advice from some of you who have more experience than me. I have only been brewing 6 months and am always looking for ways to improve the character of my beers. I guess the real question is this: Does the stir plate vs. intermittent shaking of starters make a bigger difference in the final product, or will oxygenation with pure Oxygen vs. shaking my fermenter make a bigger difference in the final product? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You really can't go wrong with either but if I absolutely had to choose one to buy first it would be the 02 system.

 

[Dan]

JonK: Where do you fill up your O2 tank?

StonesBally: First thought in my head was stir plate. The next item I want to add to my brewing equipment is an O2 system. If I had to do it all over again though I'd probably go with the O2 tank. Stir plates are cool and according to MrMalty will generate the same amount of yeast with less starter wort than a shot of O2 at the beginning. Intermittent shaking needs even less starter wort than a shot of O2 at the beginning. Based of 5.5 gallons of 1.070.


I bought a stir plate off ebay for 50 bucks and it works great! The guy who built it is an electrical engineer and provides a lifetime guarantee. BTW his name is Dan and I am not affiliated in any way. There is also one for $39 but doesn't mention a guarantee and I don't think comes with a stir bar and magnet either like the $50 dollar one does.

 

[JonK331]

JonK: Where do you fill up your O2 tank?

StonesBally: First thought in my head was stir plate. The next item I want to add to my brewing equipment is an O2 system. If I had to do it all over again though I'd probably go with the O2 tank. Stir plates are cool and according to MrMalty will generate the same amount of yeast with less starter wort than a shot of O2 at the beginning. Intermittent shaking needs even less starter wort than a shot of O2 at the beginning. Based of 5.5 gallons of 1.070.


I bought a stir plate off ebay for 50 bucks and it works great! The guy who built it is an electrical engineer and provides a lifetime guarantee. BTW his name is Dan and I am not affiliated in any way. There is also one for $39 but doesn't mention a guarantee and I don't think comes with a stir bar and magnet either like the $50 dollar one does.

I buy them from Orchard Supply. Don't have a refillable one.

 

[Dan]

Thanks JonK! I didn't know they sold O2 tanks, never looked for them so might have walked right past. Going to give them a call now.

EDIT: I called the local OSH and they don't sell them. Dang!

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Hmmmm I'd be curious to hear your reasoning on that.

Well, with a stir plate starters are a breeze and take less time. And you really don't need O2 for stir plate starters (although I use it anyway). As for aerating the wort, if dumping it back and forth a few times isn't good enough, you can just grow more yeast with your handy stir plate and up the pitching rate a little bit. Don't get me wrong though, I'm all for O2.

 

[jcaudill]

Lowes/HD sell oxygen bottles - nothing special.

Pure oxygen is great but you can overdo it. With just air, you can't. So - I would get a cheap aquarium pump, inline filter and a stone and let the thing go to town. Might even give you enough left over to build a stir plate - they really are not that difficult to make.

 

[mux]

o2 for sure! I have used a Medical o2 for awhile, and my beers take off quickly and ferment out just as fast. great investment.

 

[StonesBally]

It seems like there isn't really consensus as to which route I should take. There are advantages to either the stir plate or oxygen setup. It's still a toss up for me. I'm thinking of going to my LHBS tomorrow. It might just be a gut decision when I get to the store.

 

[ekjohns]

I would go stir plate. Intermediate shacking works but when your sleeping there is no shacking. I believe some one from white labs said shacking the carboy for 1 min gives more than enough oxygen. I have an aeration wand (aka hard tubing with a few holes) and shack the carboy. I will prob add a oxygen tank at some point

 

[kh54s10]

Stir plate. IMO making a good starter is very important. You can do one with intermittent shaking but to me that would be a PITA.

I have had plenty of success aerating my wort just by shaking the bejeebers out of my Better Bottle. I don't feel the need to spend $ one an o2 system.

BTW I made my stirplate for a total of $7.40 + scrounged parts.

 

[studmonk3y]

From MrMalty.com
"Continuous pure oxygen from a tank or oxygen generator is both expensive and unnecessary."

I would build a stir plate and buy the O2 setup if I were you. Both will help make better beer, but continuously pumping oxygen in your starter is expensive. If you have an old desktop computer laying around, you can scrounge most of the parts from that. There's tons of DIY guides on building these things, and if you use a variable voltage power supply you won't even need solder anything.

 

[photogscott]

Stick a paint stirrer on a drill and froth up your wort. Buy a stir plate.
All the O2 in the world won't help if you underpitch

 

[thargrav]

Buy a stir plate - it's a one time purchase that will pay back with every batch you brew.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

My vote would be for the stir plate. A stir plate will aerate the starter and keep the yeast in suspension, allowing the yeast to double their numbers. If you pitch an adequate number of yeast cells, you don't really need to aerate your wort. The purpose of aerating the wort is to allow the yeast to multiply. If you pitch enough yeast, you don't need to make more, and the yeast will happily munch on the sugars to make your beer.

 

[StonesBally]

If I do go for the stir plate, do I need to get a pyrex flask? Or can I use the growlers I use to make starters now? If I didn't need to get the flask, I might be able to squeeze both purchases into the budget.

 

[thargrav]

You only need a pyrex flask if you plan on boiling your starter in the flask before cooling and adding yeast.

A growler will work great providing you sterilize it first.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I use gallon glass jugs.

 

[maida7]

Another vote for the stirplate. BTW you can make your own stirplate for very cheap. The stirplate will make a huge difference with your starters. Oxygen is over rated. In many cases you can get the proper O2 levels in your wort when transferring to the fermenter and/or doing some shaking of the fermenter. The exception would be very high gravity beers and lagers. But for those beers the pitching rate is a much bigger factor in my experience.

 

[maida7]

I use gallon glass jugs.

I prefer the flasks because you can boil in them and cool them in an ice bath. You can also flame the opening. simple easy durable and very sanitary. But I've used glass growlers and jugs before and they also made good beer.

BTW nice side boob

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I prefer the flasks because you can boil in them and cool them in an ice bath. You can also flame the opening. simple easy durable and very sanitary. But I've used glass growlers and jugs before and they also made good beer.

BTW nice side boob

I pressure can wort, so no more boiling when it comes to starters.

And thanks

 

[Homercidal]

I pressure can wort, so no more boiling when it comes to starters.

And thanks

+1 to canned starter wort.


(And side boob!)

 

[StonesBally]

I ended up getting the stir plate and a 2L flask. Made my first starter yesterday, and it is now in the fridge settling out for a porter brewing on Sunday. Making a starter for a IIPA tomorrow, also brewing on Sunday. Let's hope this is a good brewing day. No more below freezing boils in the snow! It's supposed to me mid 60s and sunny. I can't wait!

 

[thargrav]

I don't understand why brewers grow a starter, let it go to sleep, and then pitch only the yeast.The wurt you pour off is also pouring out millions of additional suspended live yeast cells. Plus you need to wait for the yeast you poured into your batch to wake back up.

I have always begun a starter 2 days before my brew day then pitched the actively fermenting starter, the whole thing, into my batch. And I have always had a bubbling air lock in less than one hour.

 

[maida7]

I don't understand why brewers grow a starter, let it go to sleep, and then pitch only the yeast.The wurt you pour off is also pouring out millions of additional suspended live yeast cells. Plus you need to wait for the yeast you poured into your batch to wake back up.

I have always begun a starter 2 days before my brew day then pitched the actively fermenting starter, the whole thing, into my batch. And I have always had a bubbling air lock in less than one hour.

Some people don't like the starter beer diluting or effecting the flavor of the main batch so they decant it. I've done it both ways and it doesn't seam to make a big difference. Just make sure to cold crash the starter and give it a good amount of time for the yeast to fall to the bottom so you don't toss all those cells down the drain with the decanted starter beer.

 

[spearko520]

I would go stir plate. Intermediate shacking works but when your sleeping there is no shacking. I believe some one from white labs said shacking the carboy for 1 min gives more than enough oxygen. I have an aeration wand (aka hard tubing with a few holes) and shack the carboy. I will prob add a oxygen tank at some point

i think chris white (or jamil) said in yeast that shaking does not get you to the levels of o2 you need. oxygen stone and a tank does- i use my oxy rig w a stone, but you can get a disposable tank at home depot and i think the stone and small reg kit is like 40 or 50 bucks- i would go with the oxygen. i give my starters o2 and then i shake them periodically and get a pretty nice slurry over a day or two. i have noticed a considerable improvement in my beer and fermentation from adding 02 to the wort- especially in higher gravity brews.

 

[spearko520]

I don't understand why brewers grow a starter, let it go to sleep, and then pitch only the yeast.The wurt you pour off is also pouring out millions of additional suspended live yeast cells. Plus you need to wait for the yeast you poured into your batch to wake back up.

I have always begun a starter 2 days before my brew day then pitched the actively fermenting starter, the whole thing, into my batch. And I have always had a bubbling air lock in less than one hour.

+1 - i like to pitch at high krausen, too. i make a couple different starter batches and can them- dark dme, amber dme, light dme, and wheat and light mix. i always pour off a little to taste what my starter is doing, but if i crash it, i'll add a little wort back to get it rolling again. for a beer that i know i'm making again in the near future, i'll pull a jar full after i chill and set that back for the starter.

 

[strongarm]

I had the same decision to make and went with the o2 tank with 2micron stone wand. I like to do high gravity beers and it was a must.

 

[smurfwar]

I was surprised how easy it was to make a stir plate. $20 later and a night of drinking.