cover yeast on stir plate

[Vallka]

Hi everyone, I'm just building up my first stir plate and wondering if the yeast needs to be covered. This matters to me because in western Canada (Squamish BC) a proper flask is not easy to get and not cheap (2L $40+).
I am exploring other options.......What do you all us?
Just want to know if it needs to be covered so I can look for something suitable.

Thanks for your help and time
Troy

 

[GFHomebrew]

Hi everyone, I'm just building up my first stir plate and wondering if the yeast needs to be covered. This matters to me because in western Canada (Squamish BC) a proper flask is not easy to get and not cheap (2L $40+).
I am exploring other options.......What do you all us?
Just want to know if it needs to be covered so I can look for something suitable.

Thanks for your help and time
Troy

I cover mine with aluminum foil you dont want it tight but loose so good air transfer is alowed into starter jar/vessel.

Glad wrap cling wrap would be good too with a pin prick in it.

 

[J A]

I do starters in gallon jugs...works great. I don't have a stir plate and I don't know if the thickness of the glass might impede the magnetic attraction, but it's worth a try.

 

[sn00ky]

I use a vase I found in the basement, got a nice flat bottom to keep the stir bar in place. Few graduated marking and now I do 2L starters easily, and good for measuring the quantity of yeast between steps.
I the starsan a napkin or few, weight it down with a roll of tape or anything about ish big from my wall of random treasures.

 

[mbrierley]

I use a 2L flask with a sponge stopper

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I do the same but more and more I'm using dry yeast with good success

 

[Mase]

We do have a flask, but never got around to getting the right size airlock to put in it, so we just use the sponge (after soaked in Star San) and then we foil over the top of the sponge.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I do starters in gallon jugs...works great. I don't have a stir plate and I don't know if the thickness of the glass might impede the magnetic attraction, but it's worth a try.

I have flasks, but once in a while I will use a gallon jug on a stir plate. It's a little tricky because the bottom of the jug has a slight dome shape and the stir bar wants to throw. But once the bar is spinning, the glass jug works great.

I do cover the top with a folded over muslin bag strapped on with a rubber band. I had some lady bugs crawl into my starter when it was just covered with aluminum foil a few years back. The muslin bag keeps them out and then a put a aluminum foil hood over it to keep dust out. So far, no lady bugs in my starter and the starter can vent nicely.

 

[Nosybear]

A flask with aluminum foil loosely crimped over the top. You do want to cover it because there's no way to tell what else might fall in. All the ideas I've seen here work well. Key is clean air in, CO2 out.

 

[Vallka]

Thanks everyone, all great ideas. I will try the muslin bag with foil, I do all my brewing (all 3so far....lol) in a backyard workshop so this will keep pretty much everything out. Now I start the second hand store search for a container!

 

[mbrierley]

only 3? Well welcome to the endless quest of the perfect beer

 

[Vallka]

Thank you, I have a little advantage, my neighbour owns a microbrewery in our little town here, he was sitting on our deck last week drinking batch #1 and gave it the thumbs up.

 

[Edan Z]

Mason jars in Europe come in 2 and 3 liter capacity. That's what I've been using. I have wondered why more people don't use them. They have their own metal lids, which can be screwed on loosely.

 

[Vallka]

Just found an old Malitta glass coffee pot, flat thin bottom, good shape to it, will hold 1 3/4 Liters (same in quarts). Just put it on my diy stir plate and it all works great!

Thanks everyone for all the help and idea's

 

[GFHomebrew]

Mason jars in Europe come in 2 and 3 liter capacity. That's what I've been using. I have wondered why more people don't use them. They have their own metal lids, which can be screwed on loosely.

Only reason i dont and use a flask and borosilicate jars for yeast storage is you can boil in the vessal no transfer needed all in one jar and wont split from hot cold shock. Comes in handy for mr break everything yeah thats me.