Yeast starter routine

[DogFlynnHead]

How many cups dme per cup of water? I never get a high krausen on my starter, only a thin foam around the outside.

Usually make started day before brewday.

When should I use a stir plate? And how do you oxygenate with a stone prior to pitching?

 

[JasonInBTR]

I have been told that 10:1 (10ml to 1 gram) will get you around 1.040. A stirplate is supposed to do two things: 1) keep things moving (yeast in solution) and 2) move some air around (oxy exchange).

Jason

 

[MikeG]

My flasks are in metric so I will make either a 1L or 2L starter and the conversion is easy (since my scale does metric as well). 100g/1L starter so I'm either doing 100g or 200g of DME to 1L or 2L of water.

Now I realize you may not have a scale and if not it's invaluable in homebrewing and cost $20 for a 11# scale at Target, Wal-Mart etc.

I do not oxygenate with O2 but I do use a stirplate. Before I had a stirplate I would use a stone and continue to swirl it from time to time.

EDIT: added the use of DME and water which I omitted.

 

[tippetsnapper]

I use the ratio of 100g of DME then fill with water to make a liter.

I sit it on my kitchen counter and just shake/swirl the starter every time I walk past it. I also do mine a day or two prior to brewday. If a very large starter is called for, I put it in the fridge that morning then decant off the wort/beer from the yeast before pitching, then just dump in.

 

[KevinW]

from what I have read the stirplate keeps the yeast in suspension which let's them do their work more efficiently, it does not "add" oxygen it just keeps the yeasties moving.

Look up "oxygenator" or oxygenating wort. there are a few places on the web that offer a simple setup for using the disposable bernzomatic style oxygen tanks. I just got mine for Christmas!

Hit your cooled wort for about 30 seconds with the oxygen and pitch yeast and you should be good to go.

 

[Tinga]

i usually do 1/2 cup DME to 2 cups water. a liter is a little more than 4 cups so i basically just do four cups water and a bit more and then 1 cup dme. after you mix the two just shake the crap out of it to oxygenate and place some tin foil on top to allow for oxygen exchange and shake it up every time you walk past it. you dont need a stir plat unless you want.