Comments on: Stir Plates and Growing Brewing Yeast Quickly

By: Yeast Washing 101 | Brewer's Friend

Yeast Washing 101 | Brewer's Friend — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:00:34 +0000

[...] from your own yeast bank for pennies per brew session. Please review how to make a starter and why a stir plate to help you best re-activate your yeast after cold [...]

By: Benedict

Benedict — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:58:31 +0000

I have been following everyone’s replies and there have certainly been some great thoughts on this particular post!

It is true that stir plates are an excellent tool for making a starter with a high yeast population but are not necessary to make a good starter. I have had great success with simply agitating the starter vessel every few hours and allowing the yeast to settle and decant right before pitching.

What is most important is allowing air to get into the starter vessel, but not the nasty bacteria cells that happen to float in the ambient air and attach themselves to specks of dust that also float in the air. The solution to this is a special foam stopper that comes with most yeast starter kits and are commonly sold in brewing stores and catalogs. This special foam has a microscopic structure that allows the exchange of crucial oxygen and released CO2 in the starter vessel as is agitated while still keeping out bacteria and wild airbone yeast.

By: Larry

Larry — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 03:48:26 +0000

We also aerate the wort by shaking it to create bubbles, rocking it back and forth, or pumping oxygen into it. Wort generally does not need continuous aeration, but commercial breweries may use it to speed up fermentation or control quality.

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:30:42 +0000

I watched a couple of videos of stir plates in action. Apparently they stir fast enough that it creates an air vortex that extends down to the bottom of the flask, thus aerating the mix.

Sorry for asking a question that I self-answered.

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:18:03 +0000

I happened across this page from a bread-yeast related search, quickly read the post, but haven’t read any of the rest of your site. Here’s my question: If you’re trying to grow yeast, why isn’t there a sterilized air (or O2) apparatus for continuous aeration?

I’m sure I read somewhere that aeration was part of the Vienna Process, which was itself created by a brewer back in 1840s or thereabouts.

By: dan

dan — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:53:08 +0000

i have been culturing from chimay tripel…
and a maredsous….
the most wonderfoul beers ther is…

By: Larry

Larry — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 05:25:09 +0000

I’m not convinced this is okay, but if it tastes okay and smells okay, then it might be worth chancing it. Usually sediment covers the entire bottom.

A new pack of yeast is cheap insurance for a healthy brew.

What kind of beer was it you are culturing from?

By: dan

dan — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 00:56:03 +0000

sorry i mistake the green spotted for places were no sediment where… color blindness??
but im sure as the fermentation kept going on the top of the bubbles were brown areas…
the amell is good of an fermenting beer…
anyone?? its a bad sign??
or maybe its normall…??
thank you dan…

By: Larry

Larry — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:18:18 +0000

Green spots are a very bad sign. I have never seen green spots in any of my starters.

By: dan

dan — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:30:10 +0000

if i collected yeasts from a bottle…
and ther is a green spotts on the bottom of the starter… it means that i my yeasts went bad??