Making A Yeast Starter.

Debating a starter to test yeast viability. I don't want to buy an erlenmeyer flask/stir plate. I like the idea of taking some from the mash for a RWS.

Could I pull sweet wort from the mash, boil to sterilize in small pot, chill, transfer to sterilized glass jar, add lid/airlock or sanitized foil (the jar I have is shaped like a pickle jar and I already have a drilled lid). Then pitch yeast and swirl when I walk by? I use no chill brewing lately, so it would have 24ish hrs (or less) to propagate before pitching. Can I dump the whole starter in? I don't want to lose time waiting to cold crash the starter.

Thanks!!
 
I’m fairly new still to the starter game @Sunfire96 , but I think your plan would work fine. However, like Ben says in the previous post, it would probably help your propagation efforts to keep your starter at room temp or higher. Pitch the whole thing when you’re ready.
Edit to add: assuming by RWS you mean real wort starter
 
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Sunfire96 said:
Debating a starter to test yeast viability. I don't want to buy an erlenmeyer flask/stir plate. I like the idea of taking some from the mash for a RWS.

Could I pull sweet wort from the mash, boil to sterilize in small pot, chill, transfer to sterilized glass jar, add lid/airlock or sanitized foil (the jar I have is shaped like a pickle jar and I already have a drilled lid). Then pitch yeast and swirl when I walk by? I use no chill brewing lately, so it would have 24ish hrs (or less) to propagate before pitching. Can I dump the whole starter in? I don't want to lose time waiting to cold crash the starter.

Thanks!!
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I used to do this all the time, Grab about 500 mL at the end of the mash. Cool it in the sink with tap water (or ice bath in summer). Then pitch the yeast, aerate the crap out of it and leave it somewhere dark and not cold until ready to pitch. I just used sanitised foil. I'd always pitch the whole starter. For me it was late in the evening of the brew day. So with no chill it'd be even more awake. I've seen a few people call this a vitality starter approach. Though I think that term can be a little broader.

I didn't boil the starter. Normal mash temps seem to hit the pasteurisation requirements when I looked at that. Might be an issue if you're doing really low mashes. The starter would drop the gravity a point or so when I added it (generally brewing 10-12 litre/2.5 gallon batches), so just aimed to finish the boil a little higher than the recipe predicted.

Not doing it so much now, as I bought the erlenmeyer flask for the imperial beers. Now I do starters for most beers as I just find it easier with one less process to handle on brew day. Thinking I may bring the process back for dry yeast batches.
 
Sunfire96 said:
Debating a starter to test yeast viability. I don't want to buy an erlenmeyer flask/stir plate. I like the idea of taking some from the mash for a RWS.

Could I pull sweet wort from the mash, boil to sterilize in small pot, chill, transfer to sterilized glass jar, add lid/airlock or sanitized foil (the jar I have is shaped like a pickle jar and I already have a drilled lid). Then pitch yeast and swirl when I walk by? I use no chill brewing lately, so it would have 24ish hrs (or less) to propagate before pitching. Can I dump the whole starter in? I don't want to lose time waiting to cold crash the starter.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...
You can absolutely do that. Even just put the lid on loose and don't worry about an airlock. I always dump the starter in straight, never noticed any issues.
 
Mark Farrall said:
I used to do this all the time, Grab about 500 mL at the end of the mash. Cool it in the sink with tap water (or ice bath in summer). Then pitch the yeast, aerate the crap out of it and leave it somewhere dark and not cold until ready to pitch. I just used sanitised foil. I'd always pitch the whole starter. For me it was late in the evening of the brew day. So with no chill it'd be even more awake. I've seen a few people call this a vitality starter approach. Though I think that term can be a little broader.

I didn't boil the starter. Normal mash temps seem to hit the pasteurisation requirements when I looked at that. Might be an issue if you're doing really low mashes. The starter would drop the gravity a point or so when I added it (generally brewing 10-12 litre/2.5 gallon batches), so just aimed to finish the boil a little higher than the recipe predicted.

Not doing it so much now, as I bought the erlenmeyer flask for the imperial beers. Now I do starters for most beers as I just find it easier with one less process to handle on brew day. Thinking I may bring the process back for dry yeast batches.
Click to expand...

I do this too, just pull off the last runnings once you get the amount your after and cool it. Then pitch the yeast and stir plate it if you have one. I do so I get away with that.
 
Yup I add 10 mins post boil to flask I don't decant starter so no volume adjustments needed either.
You should find a quicker start to ferment @Sunfire96 especially if your pitching the vitality at or around the high krausen.
 
Sunfire96 said:
Debating a starter to test yeast viability. I don't want to buy an erlenmeyer flask/stir plate. I like the idea of taking some from the mash for a RWS.

Could I pull sweet wort from the mash, boil to sterilize in small pot, chill, transfer to sterilized glass jar, add lid/airlock or sanitized foil (the jar I have is shaped like a pickle jar and I already have a drilled lid). Then pitch yeast and swirl when I walk by? I use no chill brewing lately, so it would have 24ish hrs (or less) to propagate before pitching. Can I dump the whole starter in? I don't want to lose time waiting to cold crash the starter.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Will work fine. Aerate by shaking the crap out of it a couple times.

If you want a 1 liter erlenmeyer flask, pm me. I gots.
 
How warm is too warm? I can easily let it ride at room temp, or I could put the starter on top of the radiator

Reminds me I should do a kettle sour. I think wrapped in a blanket on the radiator should keep the wort at ~80-90F
 
Sunfire96 said:
How warm is too warm? I can easily let it ride at room temp, or I could put the starter on top of the radiator

Reminds me I should do a kettle sour. I think wrapped in a blanket on the radiator should keep the wort at ~80-90F
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The hot water in the radiator can be up to about 160F so I wouldn't put it on the radiator
 
Sunfire96 said:
Debating a starter to test yeast viability. I don't want to buy an erlenmeyer flask/stir plate. I like the idea of taking some from the mash for a RWS.

Could I pull sweet wort from the mash, boil to sterilize in small pot, chill, transfer to sterilized glass jar, add lid/airlock or sanitized foil (the jar I have is shaped like a pickle jar and I already have a drilled lid). Then pitch yeast and swirl when I walk by? I use no chill brewing lately, so it would have 24ish hrs (or less) to propagate before pitching. Can I dump the whole starter in? I don't want to lose time waiting to cold crash the starter.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...
That'll work. Keep it at room temperature. As the thread indicates, if you can add O2, even better but frequent shaking will help as well.

Too warm is out of the 70's. Warmer yeast reproduces faster but also produces off flavors and you can't decant 100% of the supernatant, so I'd keep it in the low 70's. But if your house is in the high 60's, you'll be fine. Since you want to dump the entire thing in, treat it more like a beer fermentation to control off-flavors.
 
FrostyBeach said:
The hot water in the radiator can be up to about 160F so I wouldn't put it on the radiator
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Great point. Should've added that I have a wooden shelf on my radiotors, so no direct contact with the heating elements, just secondary transfer of heat
 
Nosybear said:
That'll work. Keep it at room temperature. As the thread indicates, if you can add O2, even better but frequent shaking will help as well.

Too warm is out of the 70's. Warmer yeast reproduces faster but also produces off flavors and you can't decant 100% of the supernatant, so I'd keep it in the low 70's. But if your house is in the high 60's, you'll be fine. Since you want to dump the entire thing in, treat it more like a beer fermentation to control off-flavors.
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Sounds good, thanks!! I have a coffee frother that I could use to introduce O2 before/after pitching. And then use the "shake when walk by" method, which in my tiny apartment would be quite a few tomes over the day

Secondary question for all: once a beer begins fermentation, adding oxygen is frowned upon, so why does a yeast starter continue to sit on a spinner after fermentation begins?
 
Sunfire96 said:
Sounds good, thanks!! I have a coffee frother that I could use to introduce O2 before/after pitching. And then use the "shake when walk by" method, which in my tiny apartment would be quite a few tomes over the day

Secondary question for all: once a beer begins fermentation, adding oxygen is frowned upon, so why does a yeast starter continue to sit on a spinner after fermentation begins?
Click to expand...
Aid in cell replication has been my learnings since the starter is all about propagating more yeast cells and yeast use oxygen to bud therefore providing a steady flow of o2 will result in a better cell count.
 
Sunfire96 said:
Sounds good, thanks!! I have a coffee frother that I could use to introduce O2 before/after pitching. And then use the "shake when walk by" method, which in my tiny apartment would be quite a few tomes over the day

Secondary question for all: once a beer begins fermentation, adding oxygen is frowned upon, so why does a yeast starter continue to sit on a spinner after fermentation begins?
Click to expand...
Nobody cares if the supernatant oxidizes. A starter's purpose is to make as many cells as possible, not to make good beer!
 
@Sunfire96 RE: Erlenmeyer flask
I also wondered about the expense of getting a flask from the usual Home Brew shops - very expensive outlay - but I did some searching on line and eventually found a good supply of the same style of flasks but a lot cheaper.
I don't know if your pub culture is the same as ours but the more "trendy" night spots like to serve up cocktails and shots in chemical laboratory equipment - flasks an beakers etc - so I searched the catering suppliers and eventually found 2L Erlenmeyer (Borosilicate)
flasks at less than half the price of those from home brew shops. I got 2 for £10 ($14?) rather than the £20 ($28) for one. It's just an idea but you may have similar outlets locally.
I also made my own stirrer plate using a plastic candy(?) box, a mains powered equipment fan and some powerful bar magnets. It works really well - see one of my earlier posts to see the video.

I did a quick scan and found a source here: https://www.restaurantsupply.com/search/?q=flask
It is local to you I think.
The price here is half the price than a similar one in ArtisanHome brew: https://shop.artisanswineandhomebrew.com/collections/measuring-testing
Hope this helps.
 
I just made a starter on a one of my homemade stir plates in a gallon glass cider jug. The bottom is domed, so I have to use a completely smooth stir bar otherwise the stir bars with ridges get "thrown" on the doomed bottom. I mostly use Erlenmeyer flasks, but my 4 liter flask had another starter in it and I needed a big starter for another lager (I'm going to torture myself with a double brew day). The gallon jug worked, but the stir bar can get kicked to the side or "thrown" and then it's just a gallon of wort fermenting, no stirring. I suppose a glass growler would work, but Erlenmeyer flasks work better.

The way I look at it, you can grow your own high quality yeast from a small "seed". So not only do I save money, it's heathier yeast too. I also save extra wort from a previous batch and save it for yeast starters. I put it in the refrigerator and when I need it, I give it a one minute boil and it's sanitized. If you need to keep it more than a week, freeze it. Even with some trub in it, it works really well.
 
Like @HighVoltageMan!, I use a gallon jug on a DIY stir plate. To deal with the domed bottom I use a magnet to hold the stir bar in the center and pull the magnet downward, leaving the stir bar in the center. Then, with the stir plate turned off, I carefully place the jug on the stir plate. Start the stir plate on low and ramp up the speed to where you want it. You don't need a deep vortex, just movement.

DIY Stir Plate.JPG
 
So here's my vitality starter this morning from yesterday. I thought it'd be foamier? What do y'all think? I've moved it somewhere warmer and it still has about 6 hours until the 24 hour mark. I think I might be running to the store for yeast later lol
20220115_081415.jpg
 
Sunfire96 said:
So here's my vitality starter this morning from yesterday. I thought it'd be foamier? What do y'all think? I've moved it somewhere warmer and it still has about 6 hours until the 24 hour mark. I think I might be running to the store for yeast later lol
View attachment 18992
Click to expand...

Was that the yeast I sent?
 
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