Who needs a stir plate?

[Sensei_Oberon]

I've successfully harvested yeast multiple times now by doing a few good "swirls" a day of my flask, and feeding the yeast a second dinner after 2-3 days. I always end up with big starters that make great beers.

Can some explain why there is a need for fancy stir plates? I'm not being smug, I'm wondering if different yeast types or conditions require them. The photo is a farm from a few bottles of Bells Oberon.

thanks

 

[phoenixs4r]

If you have a 2 year old around it's quite useful. Can't ever seem to stop chasing her around...... I'm sure they're is some sort of math involved. I'm sure a stir plate is marginally better, plus it's awesome, and if you have the parts laying around it shouldn't cost more than 10 dollars to build.

 

[stubbornman]

stir plates do the shaking for you. constantly. keeping the yeast in suspension and allowing more oxygen intake / yeast reproduction.


for all the large starters you've made by shaking, they would have been larger with a stir plate.

 

[BrewThruYou]

stir plates do the shaking for you. constantly. keeping the yeast in suspension and allowing more oxygen intake / yeast reproduction.

+1

The goal of a starter isn't to ferment the starter wort...you don't even have to shake it for that to happen. The goal is to create as much clean, healthy yeast as possible and stir plates provide an advantage there.

 

[Sensei_Oberon]

I understand the logic of a stir plate, just don't see the need. Now if it is proven they make healthier yeast than I'd listen to that.

It seems people use them largely because they have a high coolness factor.

 

[AmandaK]

+eleventy to BrewThruYou and stubbornman

Healthy yeast makes for better beer!

 

[AmandaK]

It seems people use them largely because they have a high coolness factor.

Mine is made out of a snapping tupperware container, a computer fan and some magnets... it's pretty ugly. Nothin' cool about that.

Read up a bit (try Yeast) on the science behind it and you'll see that well oxygenated yeast are healthier.

 

[Homercidal]

There is nothing wrong with with stirring a few times a day. I built a stirplate mostly for the fun of it, but it IS nice to be able to forget to shake the flask.

The stirbar keeps the yeast well in suspension, where it has a much better chance of meeting up with its food supply.

 

[KevinW]

I am sure we can all agree that nobody "needs" a stir plate. In all sense nobody needs starters if you are using pre-packaged yeasts and aerate your wort. It is all a matter of improving the quality of your beer. You can make good beer without a starter, better beer with a starter. The type of starter you use is purely a matter of preference, IMHO!

The fact is that a stir plate will yield much more yeast than any other starter method that most homebrewers use.

I am lazy and if all I have to do is watch my starter swirl around on my stir plate then I am all for it.

I do have a growler that I use for starters as well, but it is a pain to have to keep shaking it!

 

[terrapinj]

stir plate creates More yeast than intermittent shaking because of increased oxygen contact, thus needing a smaller starter volume

you can see the differences on Mr Malty by changing aeration method
1.060 of 5.5g beer
1.01 liters needed with stir plate
1.56 liters needed with intermittent shaking

def not essential but also has it's benefits

 

[EuBrew]

I have one because I travel a lot for work (4-5 days a week) and it's not practical for me to be around to shake the starter when I am home. also +1 on the 2 year old running around. I usually put it on the stir plate sunday night and have the SWMBO throw it in the fridge Monday night. When I get home on Friday night the starter is already done, I just take it out of the fridge and decant off the wort and let it warm up while I brew.

Plus I think they're pretty cool too, reminds me of college chem and biochem classes

 

[bad67z]

I like the whole Ronco "set it and forget it" ability.

 

[Sensei_Oberon]

I started to build a stir plate once then left the fan I was gonna use in the Home Depot hardware aisle......Do you guys leave them running continuously? It does take some planning with my method, in fact I wanted to brew today but my starter isn't done yet.

 

[passedpawn]

You will grow more yeast with a stirplate or other form of agitation. If you don't want more, super. If at some point you want more, get/build a stirplate.

 

[rockfish42]

Try brewing a lager and cold pitching without either making a 1 gallon+ starter or using a stir plate.

 

[makomachine]

My homemade stir plate isn't considered a luxury item - it gets me healthy yeast, off of one vial, with minimal attention, every time. I'd do away with my airlocks for my carboys before I'd ditch the stir plate. I'd for sure have a stir plate before buying an erlenmeyer flask - that's a luxury item. (I have two)

 

[Clementine]

I love my stir plate, but if you shook it every 10 minutes then I guess you could get similar results. So it is just a time thing that said, I'm so obsessed with my starters that I'm in there every five minutes checking on them anyway (ok that is an exaggeration but you know what I mean).

Seriously though, I really noticed the difference with making starters from slants with and without a stir plate. I was shaking blowing O2 into the head space and shaking and each step seems to take forever to finish and I seem to have more fermentation and less multiplication in my starters. Also my shaking was making a mess as I would get an eruption of CO2 off gassing that would over flow the containers. Once you get a stir plate you will never go back. Added bonus is making your yeast prep area look more like a lab, I even keep a thick pair of safety glasses and lab coat in there (kidding).

I also have all the parts for making a stir plate from computers I dispose of every day all you need is the stir bar, PC ATX power supply for power, Hard drive magnets and a PC cooling fan and your in business. If you want fancy a LM317 and a 5K pot for variable speed.

Clem

 

[Golddiggie]

Size of the starter needed for the batch size and OG is one reason. I can make a significantly smaller start with a stir plate than without. I can also start it late at night the day before I brew, and it will be done/ready before I am ready to pitch the yeast (about 24 hours)... I can also go to work with it going and not worry about someone not being home to swirl it during the day (I live alone). If I'm brewing on a Friday after work, then this is vital.

So time for a starter to finish is another factor. Where yours takes 2-3 days, mine takes <24 hours on the stir plate. That's with a month old (or older even) packet of yeast (Wyeast Activator pack). I do use yeast nutrient in my starters, which helps (but you can do that too, so no difference).

Of course, there IS the 'coolness' factor of a stir plate and flask setup. Just look at it as a 'one time buy' type thing. If you're able, make one on the cheap. If you don't have the time (or the tools to do the job), buy one. I bought mine and couldn't be happier with it.

Something else I've been noticing lately... The starters I've made via the stir plate seem to have less lag time than those from before. The last batch I made had less than 7 hours of lag time (it was fully active when checked on 7 hours from pitching)... More starters/batches will help to determine if this is universal, or just a few odd batches.

 

[el_caro]

Simple and cheap to make.
Stir plate = more yeast
More is good.

 

[Sensei_Oberon]

Also my shaking was making a mess as I would get an eruption of CO2 off gassing that would over flow the containers. Once
Clem

Very true. Guess I'm gonna make a stir plate!

 

[phenry]

I need one. The gentle clicking of the stir bar is the only thing that can put me to sleep.


But really, they help immensely when it comes to making starters for big beers IMHO.

 

[LCTitan]

I have to admit I was wondering the same thing until I starting using a stir plate. These things are great and it's also fun to watch the cyclone effect inside the flask. In all seriousness stirplates are the way to go (the yeast love them) and they are cheap especially if you make one.

 

[Clementine]

I started to build a stir plate once then left the fan I was gonna use in the Home Depot hardware aisle......Do you guys leave them running continuously? It does take some planning with my method, in fact I wanted to brew today but my starter isn't done yet.

Now I have my stir plate working well for me I just make my starter a few days in advance, then throw it in the fridge. Morning of the brew I warmup decant, swirl and pitch into a starter just to wake them up before going into the wort at high krausen 8-12hrs later. This system works for me and I have it a routine. I'm also building my starters from slants so it takes about 5-9 days depending on the quantity of yeast required.

Very true. Guess I'm gonna make a stir plate!

Give me a yell if you want some parts, I'm leaving this job in a few days and I'm canabilizing all the dead PCs for power supplies and hard drives (yes we are disposing of them it is not theft! they are 5+ year old PCs). I'll trade you for some homebrew.

Clem