Yeast starter noob, altneratives to flask?

[tj218]

Going to attempt my first yeast starter this weekend. Everything seems to mention a Erlenmeyer Flask, is there anything wrong with buying a plastic gallon of spring water then Star-San'ing it and then making a 2L yeast starter in there?

Or is the plastic bad for the yeast/wort? Too much head space?

Thanks

 

[inkdbrewer]

Mason jars work well too

 

[duboman]

Anything sanitized that will handle the volume is fine for starters. The only concern is when you use a stir plate as you want a flat bottom so the magnet spins properly. Concave bottoms present a problem on stir plates.

 

[Revvy]

Any container will work, if it can hold water it can be used as a starter vessel. People have even used beer glasses with plastic wrap over it.

 

[cmcgeehan151]

I did my first starter last week in a sanitized glass 1/2 gallon milk jug. Worked great. I started to freak when I didn't really "see" any fermentation, but when I sloshed around got heavy foaming and could see the multiplication of yeast at the bottom.

Good Luck!

 

[ffaoe]

sanitized 1/2 gallon glass jugs with a stopper and airlock work well

 

[tj218]

But will the gallon size will be ok? Or will that leave too much air in it?

 

[TBaGZ]

I use my wife's flower vase


I thought air locks were bad because the yeast need oxygen to get in as well as the CO2 getting out. I just sanitized a piece of foil and put that over the top.

 

[ffaoe]

a gallon jug will work just as well. the starter wort will have enough oxygen. i shake it pretty good before pitching the yeast into the starter. i know using foil is really common. its just a personal preference of mine to use an airlock

 

[sweetcell]

you don't want to use an airlock, air should be allowed to circulate (you want to let co2 out, and o2 in). a sanitized piece of foil is a popular method of covering the starter vessel's opening.

i used a growler before i got a flask.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

But will the gallon size will be ok? Or will that leave too much air in it?

Your not keeping the "beer" your making, or atleast in most cases you shouldnt be and should be draining/decanting off everything and just taking the yeast.

Therefore you dont care if air gets in, in fact as others have said you want as much air in there as possible...which is why people use stir plates or shaking.

Sure the "beer" your making will taste like crap, but your not keeping or drinking that anyways

 

[TheBrewinator]

Like others have said, pretty much any vessel will work. I use the 1 gallon clear glass jugs from NB/Midwest with a loose fitting piece of sanitized foil for my starters.

 

[duboman]

The sole purpose of a starter is to grow healthy yeast. During the growth phase yeast require lots of O2 so an airlock is not recommended at all because it prevents fresh O2 from entering as you aerate through stir plate or shaking.

 

[bobeer]

I use a mason like jar with one of those buckle tops. I just close the lid and leave it unclasped that way it can get oxygen but stuff wont fall in it.

 

[jsmcclure]

Lotsa things will work but I love my flask. First, it helps with the mad scientist image. It's also so temperature resistant. I dump in my dme, water, and stir bar and a little nutrient. Boil it for 15 minutes and drop it in the sink filled with ice water. It cools down quick then straight on the stir plate for innoculation. The flask (2L) runs $15-20 on Amazon. Certainly not essential but has advantages

 

[Dan]

You drop the stir bar in and boil it? I did that once and the coating melted off. Five dollars in yeast down the drain.

What kind of stir bar do you have?

 

[jsmcclure]

You drop the stir bar in and boil it? I did that once and the coating melted off. Five dollars in yeast down the drain.

What kind of stir bar do you have?

Not sure - it came with my stir plate. Never had a problem with any melting. My recollection from my lab days is that most of these are heat resistant.

 

[tj218]

Thanks everyone for the replies!