Yeast Starter Cooling Method

[ITV]

Creating a yeast starter to ramp up some liquid yeast for a 10 gallon batch, I found a way to cool down the starter from my 2 liter flask.
I use the mixing bowl from my wife’s 6 qt. Kitchen aid mixer. This method allows the starter to cool down to 75 deg under 20 minutes without the flask from floating.
The other advantage is that the amount of ice is minimal.

 

[jdauria]

Nice! I use, well used to use since I use cans of Propper now, a large plastic bowl with water/ice on top of my stir plate and stick the flask in the bowl and the spinning of the wort usually cools it down in minutes, though occasionally it requires more ice.

 

[IslandLizard]

I use the mixing bowl from my wife’s 6 qt. Kitchen aid mixer.

Yeah! Put that mixer bowl to good use.

Did you add some water to the ice? That would really help for the flask getting better contact with the melting ice cubes.

Is that (dirty) temp probe hanging in the starter wort like that? And you left the flask open, uncovered?

I don't boil in glass, using a stainless pot with a well fitting lid instead. The stainless transfers heat faster. I can get a 3-4 liters of starter wort chilled to room temp within 30 minutes, using the sink or a plastic tub filled with cold tap water, and a few changes. On the 2nd or 3rd change I may add a few ice packs.

 

[twd000]

My method to chill a starter is to never boil it in the first place!

Clean water plus DME going into a sanitized vessel. Pitch in billions of cells of healthy yeast in a very small volume of wort. Contamination microbes don’t have a chance to take hold when the yeast have such dominant #’s. Boiling and chilling is a waste of time. Change my mind!

 

[ITV]

Yeah! Put that mixer bowl to good use.

Did you add some water to the ice? That would really help for the flask getting better contact with the melting ice cubes.

Is that (dirty) temp probe hanging in the starter wort like that? And you left the flask open, uncovered?

I did not add water to the ice. By putting the 210 deg flask in the bowl with ice I didn't see a need to add water.
The temp probe was sprayed with starsan and it is waterproof. I should have foiled the top when cooling, good point.

 

[IslandLizard]

I did not add water to the ice. By putting the 210 deg flask in the bowl with ice I didn't see a need to add water.

The ice probably starts to melt rather quickly at those temps, "creating" your well-needed water.

I wouldn't be as confident about the sanitation level of the probe handle, the housing and cable that is. The stainless rod itself is much easier to sanitize to some standard.

 

[MaxStout]

I put the flask in a bowl of cold tap water first, then when it gets down to maybe 120 or so, add ice. No sense in using ice to drop the temp the first 80 or 90 degrees, as that part happens quickly. The ice water takes it the rest of the way in just a few more minutes.

A flask weight helps ensure it doesn't tip over in the water.

 

[Deadalus]

I put the flask in a bowl of cold tap water first, then when it gets down to maybe 120 or so, add ice. No sense in using ice to drop the temp the first 80 or 90 degrees, as that part happens quickly. The ice water takes it the rest of the way in just a few more minutes.

A flask weight helps ensure it doesn't tip over in the water.

Since my ice maker is broken, I do similarly and run cold water over it initially. Then I put the flask in a pot and add water and ice packs. (Nobody in my house fills ice trays so I refuse to. It's a bitter feud I know. I do have one specialty set of trays that make round ice cubes that I fill.)

In the winter I like to stick them outside in the snow on the patio table.

 

[KeizerBrewr]

I use the wash sink out in the garage to chill down my starter wort. My process is dump the needed amount of DME and 1/8tsp yeast nutrient into my sanitized 2L flask while my needed volume of water is boiling in my electric water kettle. Then once the water goes into the flask, I drop in the stir bar, give the hot water a swirl to rinse down any left over DME and toss it on my stir plate(covered loosely with sanitized aluminum foil) to mix for a few minutes, usually forgetting about it for twice that. Then to the wash sink with about 5 inches of water in the bottom of it. I can chill a 2L starter down in about a half hour if I stay engaged.

 

[Jag75]

I can't remember the last time I had to cool down a starter . Even though they're pricey, canned propper starter is my go to. It's magic in a can

 

[Bramling Cross]

I'm with Jag75.

I've been brewing for thirty years, I've tried all the starter methods. Canned starter+SNS is the easiest method that works.

Hats off to all of you that can wort, but I've got better things to do and a job at the local IHOP that allows me to afford canned wort (I got me the tip money!!!!!!).