I did a starter for the first time last night and I have a few worries. I used 1/2 lb of light DME, .2 oz of Fermaid K (my instructions said a pinch so I did not know what that meant) and filled my flask up to the 2000 ml mark. I stirred it up and then used a double boiler to heat it up. I had to use a double boiler because I have an electric stove top and the instructions said not to use that. It was probably on heat for more than an hour and it never really looked like it boiled. The water around it was clearly boiling, but the inside of the flask did not. I sanitized a piece of foil in star san and put it on the flask for the last twelve minutes of it being on heat. At that point, I stuck it in the freezer and let it cool to about 25 degrees celsius and pitched my vial.
My biggest worries are that it may not have boiled and sanitized, the highest temp reading I took was about 180 F, and the risk of infection. The temp reading was only taken from maybe a quarter inch in the flask because I could not get the thermometer any deeper.
The infection worry is just that I had to take the foil off and add the yeast. I made sure to turn off all my fans and kept the foil pointing down to make it harder for wild things to get onto the foil. I sprayed the inside of it again and the top of the flask before I put the foil back on. Is it legitimate to worry about the edge to the unsanitized foil touching the lip of the flask either when I put it on or take it off? I am also thinking that I am pitching such a huge amount of yeast (white labs vial) into a small volume and that it will out compete any bacteria.
Any thoughts on any of it? Im going to do more research and watch some videos before I do it again, but I got excited and wanted to do it for my brew on Friday. Even if I am just doing a best bitter
