12 replies to this topic

[Deerslyr]

So I got an Erlenmeyer Flask for X-Mas. I put in half gallon of water with some DME and boiled directly on the stove (very nice). Pitched half a saved slurry sitting in the fridge from a Prague Pilsner about 3 months or so ago. Put it on my home-made stir plate. Anxious to see how this goes.

[positiveContact]

So I got an Erlenmeyer Flask for X-Mas. I put in half gallon of water with some DME and boiled directly on the stove (very nice). Pitched half a saved slurry sitting in the fridge from a Prague Pilsner about 3 months or so ago. Put it on my home-made stir plate. Anxious to see how this goes.

awesome! what size flask did you get?

[ncbeerbrewer]

So I got an Erlenmeyer Flask for X-Mas. I put in half gallon of water with some DME and boiled directly on the stove (very nice). Pitched half a saved slurry sitting in the fridge from a Prague Pilsner about 3 months or so ago. Put it on my home-made stir plate. Anxious to see how this goes.

Using a flask and a stir plate is the best way to go. If this is your first time you should love it. The time it takes to make a starter and ferment it out is about 24 hours in my experience. A lot of times you can make your starter the night before you brew and be ready to go in time too. The amount of yeast produced also is much greater. Enjoy the flask and setup hope it turns out well for you!!Mike

[Deerslyr]

awesome! what size flask did you get?

2000 ML

[djinkc]

2000 ML

1/2 gallon in a 2L flask - hope you used some fermcap

[Deerslyr]

1/2 gallon in a 2L flask - hope you used some fermcap

Indeed I did!

[djinkc]

Indeed I did!

I hope that works. I had a 2.5L starter (wyeast 1010) blow off out of a 4L (watching craigslist for years finally paid off!) last week. Caught it early though so no big deal. How did the boil go with that volume? I have a repurposed 1500 watt sterilizer (basically a 2.5 gal pressure cooker) I use for boiling starters and an IC just for that too. It just gets dumped the flask after chilling. Which I did tonight.......

[Deerslyr]

I hope that works. I had a 2.5L starter (wyeast 1010) blow off out of a 4L (watching craigslist for years finally paid off!) last week. Caught it early though so no big deal. How did the boil go with that volume? I have a repurposed 1500 watt sterilizer (basically a 2.5 gal pressure cooker) I use for boiling starters and an IC just for that too. It just gets dumped the flask after chilling. Which I did tonight.......

I boiled directly on the stove. Didn't have any problems at all. Here's a question though... at what point do I turn the plate off, and do I let it rest and decant the liquid?

[ncbeerbrewer]

I boiled directly on the stove. Didn't have any problems at all. Here's a question though... at what point do I turn the plate off, and do I let it rest and decant the liquid?

I will see the krausen form on top of the liquid when I do my starters in my 2L flask and stir plate. Usually after around 24 hours the krausen falls and and you just see the liquid swirling on top. At that point I turn off the plate see the created yeast start to settle and begin to chill down before I pitch. After chilling I decant as much liquid as possible and pitch the slurry into my fermenter. Thats been my experience each time and I have used my setup like this for just over a year now. Its worked great.

[djinkc]

I will see the krausen form on top of the liquid when I do my starters in my 2L flask and stir plate. Usually after around 24 hours the krausen falls and and you just see the liquid swirling on top. At that point I turn off the plate see the created yeast start to settle and begin to chill down before I pitch. After chilling I decant as much liquid as possible and pitch the slurry into my fermenter. Thats been my experience each time and I have used my setup like this for just over a year now. Its worked great.

Mine go from less than 24 hours to 3 days - it just depends. Once the krausen falls you're probable good. After a few times it becomes pretty obvious. When it's time to chill is a good time to take a magnent (I use an old HD magnent) and pull the stirbar off the bottom and leave it sticking to the side until you pitch. Or you can dump it in the fermenter like I do every once in a while. It's nice to have a spare when you do that....... I started siphoning off the wort instead of pouring - less yeast gets dumped.

[klickcue]

I started siphoning off the wort instead of pouring - less yeast gets dumped.

I agree, keep the good stuff

[orudis]

Mine go from less than 24 hours to 3 days - it just depends. Once the krausen falls you're probable good. After a few times it becomes pretty obvious. When it's time to chill is a good time to take a magnent (I use an old HD magnent) and pull the stirbar off the bottom and leave it sticking to the side until you pitch. Or you can dump it in the fermenter like I do every once in a while. It's nice to have a spare when you do that....... I started siphoning off the wort instead of pouring - less yeast gets dumped.

lol- I retrieved a stir bar from the compost pile a few months ago. l.o.l.

[positiveContact]

I started siphoning off the wort instead of pouring - less yeast gets dumped.

I view siphoning as a little more risky with regards to sanitation. I just make sure I give the starter a couple of days in the fridge such that the yeast has really stuck to the bottom and then decanting the liquid isn't an issue.