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Stir Plate
I'm really loading for bear here, as i'm banging out all of the final pieces of equipment that I need for my brewing. Just got a stir plate, and i'm wondering how long do I leave in on the plate for optimum yeast production. I usually make anywhere from a 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon starters for a 10 gallon batch. I make the starter up the night before brewday, giving it about 15 hours to get going, and pitch the whole thing in, so far so good, the quality and yeast profile of my beer has really improved from doing this.
Do I leave the stirrer on all night?, or just a few hours?
I start my starter usually 3 days before, this gives the opportunity for the yeast to multiply, then flocc out some, so I can dump the clear beer off the cake, and pitch just the slurry left behind capturing most of the cells. My starters are usually in 2 jugs, so I alterenate them onto the plate every 6 hours or so, and after a couple of hours the first time. The initial infusion of o2 is the most important, after 24 hours or so, I still leave them on not really for o2 absorption, but keeping the yeast constantly in suspension, until 24 hours before pitching, then I remove to flocc out. Just my routine, I am sure others may vary.
Anywhere between 12-48 hours. I guess it depends on my schedule but I try to shoot for 15-18 hours.
ok, so overnight then. I usually don't know when i'll be able to brew, with 2 kids, it's tough to nail down a time, so 3 days is out. The night before usually works well for me, so I could leave it on the plate overnight no biggie. I got into the habit of just tossing the whole thing in as I do not notice a dilution of beer at all, even with a 1 gallon starter. I've really been focusing on the quality and viability of my yeast over the past year, and this is one of the things I needed to get. The other is the O2 diffuser, but i'm pretty sure i'm getting that for chirstmas. Thanks for the information guys.
WOW a GALLON starter... I'm doing 1000 to 2000ml in 5 gallons depending on what I'm making and just pouring in the cake... Your pitching a gallon which equals 10percent of your batch. Doesn't that throw off your recipe?
rkrebs wrote:
WOW a GALLON starter... I'm doing 1000 to 2000ml in 5 gallons depending on what I'm making and just pouring in the cake... Your pitching a gallon which equals 10percent of your batch. Doesn't that throw off your recipe?
2000ml is roughly a half gallon. So for a 10 gallon batch that would be twice as much, or 1 full gallon. For lagers I make 2 gallons of starter to pitch.
rkrebs wrote:
WOW a GALLON starter... I'm doing 1000 to 2000ml in 5 gallons depending on what I'm making and just pouring in the cake... Your pitching a gallon which equals 10percent of your batch. Doesn't that throw off your recipe?
I'm one of those guys that boils to his gravity, so even after the wort is in the fermenters i'll have about 6 gallons in each fermenter, I do this so I can make sure that i always have enough for a full 10 gallons. lets say the gravity in each is 1.060, I'll put my 1.040 starter in each fermentor, a half gallon starter for each. For belgians, I use the full gallon gallon in each.
I havn't noticed anything off, and my beer is substantially better than no starter at all, or using liter starters. I don't know why, but it seems a half gallon is the magic number. Everthing seems to go off without a hitch with a half gallon.
This is my new stir plate, I got one that was made, not an existing older one that cost 100 dollars. This cost me about 25 bucks off of Ebay. It's very well made, and the magnets are so powerful that I have to put a spacer in between the actually wood contact area, and my container.
I use my Mr. Beer fermenters because they are big enough, and hold a gallon starter no problem. They have built in vents for fermentation, and I've actually done alot of 1 case expirmental batches in them. They are perfect for Starters, and the 2 inch stir bars that I bought work very well in this strange shaped container.
Murphy's oil soap for a sanitizer? I dont know man...
Yea, I noticed that it's the only way to truly bring out the woody flavors in my brews.
Ha
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