Substitute Erlenmeyer flask

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Psilophile

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Hey!

I live in Texas and can't buy lab glass without a permit due to regulations here. I was wondering if this would function as a stand in for brewing yeast starters.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5X826/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It would be really convenient to be able to boil and cool in the same container the starter will be brewed in. Do you think the glass would hold up with hot liquid in an ice bath? Seems dicey. I might just give up and use a pot and gallon jug.
 
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I had no problem ordering flask on Amazon,never heard of the permit law


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Personally I make mine in a pot anyway, I know you can heat and cool in a flask but personally I don't feel safe doing that, I just make it and cool it in a pot and pour it in my flask then onto the stir plate.

Really any flat bottomed vessel will work, I have 1 gallon plastic jar I use sometimes that works well.
 
Always a new BS permit requirement I never heard of before. :tank:

If you can't buy "erlenmeyers" instate, can you mail order them instead? Even from Austin Homebrew?

Anyway, I like the shape of them, but 1/2 or 1 gallon pickle jars work well too. Or glass (wine) jugs.
I always boil the starter wort on the stove, cover with (steam) sanitized lid, let chill in cold water, and pour that into the sanitized glass vessels. Never had a problem.
 
It's technically illegal to own them and sell them in Texas, but most online vendors don't check. Thanks meth labs... I'll probably just use the pot. Thanks guys.
 
So you're saying you're gonna use pot instead? Nice! :D

Silly rules just ask for to be broken, particularly in the comfort of your own home.

I feel the advantages of boiling in a flask are overrated, and there's a greater chance they'll crack if not done right. But for their shape they are damn handy. Plus a good flat bottom (not all have those) makes it easier on keeping the stir bar in position. A large and strong magnet will also do that with a concave bottom.
 
It's technically illegal to own them and sell them in Texas, but most online vendors don't check. Thanks meth labs... I'll probably just use the pot. Thanks guys.

I just broke my 5000ml flask and boiled/cooled in a pot, then poured into a sanitized gallon distilled water jug, sanitized my stir bar, and placed on stir plate. Worked great.

Meth labs are the also reason in Texas you have to give the pharmacy your ID to purchase decongestants, so the state can track how much and when you purchase. My family has severe allergies and this gets old fast, I bet they are watching me. Buying lab glass and decongestants, nope allergies and brewing supplies.
 
I use an old coffee carafe to heat my water for starters. I even use an old coffee machine to start the heating. I dump my DME into the pot ans start the water. It gets the water to 165F in a few minutes, then I finish it on my burner. They are great. Haven't had a boilover since I started using them. I've been using them for a year without any problems.

I do pour the contents into a flash to cool it though. I think figuring out how to cool the pot would be the biggest problem.
 
I use the glass insert from an old french press coffee maker. The handle snapped off a couple moves ago, so it was nice to find a use for it. Haven't had an issue with it yet (knock on wood).
 
I always think of Texas as a "regulation free zone" with all their anti-government governors. I was surprised they've regulated flasks until you mentioned it was drug related. Texas is anti-regulation except when it comes to the war on drugs or the war on abortion. Then bring on as many regulations as you can.
 
Vote on coffee pot here also. But why new,, thrift shops have em for a buck! Just look for a flat bottom. Oh, ya, if you put em directly on a burner, you WILL melt the handle!!
 
I've got a 4L round kitchen storage container, graduated with a nice well fitting lid and a flattish bottom, going to try that out before shelling out $40 on an erlenmeyer that I WILL break at some point
 
I always think of Texas as a "regulation free zone" with all their anti-government governors. I was surprised they've regulated flasks until you mentioned it was drug related. Texas is anti-regulation except when it comes to the war on drugs or the war on abortion. Then bring on as many regulations as you can.

I was just in Dallas a few months ago and they had some very crazy brewery laws. Everyone hated them but basically, in Dallas metro, all 3 breweries (yes, count them....3) were only open on Saturday from 12-3pm. They can't sell you a pint so they sell a $15 glass which includes 3 pours. If you wanted a 4th beer, you buy another $15 glass. I think it has to do with strict distribution laws. Breweries can't sell you a pint directly, they need to include a middleman. With the stupid hours, you can only check out 1 brewery if you're visiting a week. Endless choices of awesome ribs though.
 
Buy out of state and get it shipped. No vendor is going to pay attention to a stupid law. On the one in a billion chance you get caught it will be pretty hard for them to prove you didn't own it before the permit requirement went on the books. If you are really paranoid someone will probably be happy to do a trade so you don't have a credit card record of your elicit glassware.
 
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