[blatz]

Was making a 2 step starter for an IPA brew this weekend, using a vial of 001 with about 50% viability.

My plan was to make a 2L starter, stir that out and then dump that into my 5l flask with 3L of fresh wort.  This should have given me 563bn cells vs. my required 482bn for this batch.

well, the 2L starter erupted on the stir plate, and it appears, based on the smell, look and consistency of the pooled liquid and streaks on the flask that I lost a significant amount of yeast down the sides of the flask. The liquid level in the flask settled at ~1850mL

I went ahead and pitched the step 1 into step 2, but now I'm wondering if I'll be anywhere close to my planned pitch rate.

Should I just scrap the whole thing and use US-05 this weekend, should i supplement the starter with a packet of US-05 when I pitch into the main wort, or should I just not worry about it?

[davidgzach]

Proceed as planned and RDWHAHB!

[denny]

Proceed as planned and RDWHAHB!

Yep!

[Jeff M]

+1 Considering you where overpitching i wouldnt worry about it to much.  5l Starter is Huge, i bet youll be ok:)

[blatz]

sounds good - of course, assuming the step 2 starter is healthy.

Jeff - only an additional 3L of fresh wort, and also I brew 12gal batches, but yes a 5L flask is sort of comic-book giant looking LOL.

[ynotbrusum]

For large starters, I either brew a small batch or use a small pail with a lid - putting foil over the airlock hole in the lid.  I feel your pain on the eruption front - some yeasts really go nuts on a stir plate.  But you have some healthy yeast at least! 

[jaftak22]

Can your stir plate hold a 5l flask? If so that's pretty sweet

[reverseapachemaster]

A 5l starter is larger than many of the batches I do these days.

[blatz]

Can your stir plate hold a 5l flask? If so that's pretty sweet

yes, i have a fancy lab grade Thermodyne spinner - it could probably handle larger if there are larger ones out there.

but to be honest, my old computer fan inside a tupperware spinner also worked okay with the 5L - sometimes the weight would cause a problem, but if you situated it just right it was okay.

[blatz]

A 5l starter is larger than many of the batches I do these days.

that's almost as much as I lose on each batch to dumping off warm beer in the tower line...

[davidgzach]

Hey Paul.  Thought about this thread as I checked my 4.5L starter for 10G of lager I'm brewing this weekend.  I typically put a small drop of Fermcap in the erlenmeyer as I'm boiling to prevent boil-overs.  It also keeps the krausen in control as it's up towards the 5L mark but not going higher.  One small bottle lasts a lifetime....

Just a thought for you.

Dave

[HoosierBrew]

that's almost as much as I lose on each batch to dumping off warm beer in the tower line...

Hey Paul, I finally broke down and bought one of these last year. Got sick of dumping warm beer in the tower. You can hook it up in less than 5 minutes. Works as advertised  :


http://www.towercooler.com/

[a10t2]

Just $45.95

Wow, I wish I had thought of that.

[HoosierBrew]

Just $45.95

Wow, I wish I had thought of that.

Yeah, I know, pretty fair markup. But I assume some day it'll pay for itself by not having to pour good beer out.  If nothing else, my kegs last a little longer.

[ynotbrusum]

I guess it depends on the set up, but wouldn't a computer fan be able to do the same or similar function?  You could rig up a funnel attachment to then attach a hose to it...wait, did I just give away a potentially profitable idea?  If so, have at it engineers!  Damn, I might have at least made it into the "gadgets issue" of Zymurgy with that one!