Yeast Starters

[DLS]

How much headspace do you guys usually leave in your yeast starter flasks? I usually go 800-850 ml but recently I pushed the envelope and made up just under a 900 ml starter in a 1000 ml flask and boy was that messy. I'm wondering if foam control would allow for greater volume in the flask. Cheers...

[Lufah]

I pretty much always do 1/2 gallon starters in a gallon jug. I may go bigger for a really high gravity brew.

Travis

[BeerPal]

How much headspace do you guys usually leave in your yeast starter flasks? I usually go 800-850 ml but recently I pushed the envelope and made up just under a 900 ml starter in a 1000 ml flask and boy was that messy. I'm wondering if foam control would allow for greater volume in the flask. Cheers...

Doctor Scott recommends the use of foam control in starters. He says he never has boil overs any more since using it.

[DLS]

Doctor Scott recommends the use of foam control in starters. He says he never has boil overs any more since using it.

Hey, good memory. I remember him saying that too but wasn't he using it to control the boil? I'm looking at the active ferment. Does the foam control work for that, too? I've never used it. Cheers...

[marketfixr]

I think it all depends on the dimesions of the flask. I have 2 1000ml flasks one has tons of space above the final mark the other the final mark is at the bottom of the neck. I always start with 1000ml and boil for 15 min that leaves me with 750-850ml depending on which flask I use depends on boil over. I guess the flasks are different sizes but they only have graduations up to 1000ml

Kevin

[DLS]

Yeah, my 1000 ml mark is right below the neck, too. I'll either have to cut back down to the 800-850 ml level or pick up a jug. Cheers...

[nahthanS]

I do 2/3 gallon starters in an old, glass 1-gallon cider jug. That leaves plenty of headroom in the glass for the yeasties to bubble up..

Ideally, the OG of the starter should match the OG of the beer that your brewing.

Oxygenate.. At the time of pitching, once again about an hour after you pitched, and at 4-6 hour intervals after that. Anyone have a more precise schedule for oxygenating? I assume you want to oxygenate more if the starter is higher gravity..

Another tricky part is planning the starter so that it's hitting high krausen just about exactly the time you're ready to pitch it into your cooled wort..
To address this, I usually make the starter about 12 hours before I plan to pitch.. Perhaps there's a more exact method?

[Dr Scott]

I use a 2000ml flask (two actually, as I have two conicals) But, I like them because I can boil and cool in the same vessel. I will go to a Gal jug after the flask if I need to step things up one more time. I usually fill to the 1600ml mark(.42gals). This is before adding the DME

My proceedure:

1) fill flask and heat to boiling on the stove.
2) measure DME (amt depends on gravity needed) and put in a separate sauce pan/mixing bowl, add yeast nutrient.
3) pour boiling water into the bowl and dissolve the DME (don't leave the empty flask on the burner!)
4) pour the mixture back into the flask (a funnel helps) and place it back on the burner.
5) add foam control to the flask. (This will stop the boil overs that always happen at the start of the boil with a flask).
6) Bring to a boil and boil for 15min
7) place foil over the flask and put into a water/ice bath to cool (only immerse up to the fluid level inside the flask
Oxygenate and pitch

The foam control should carry over to the ferment (or you can add a drop or two more if you want) I don't use an airlock (just the original foil cover). Yeast like it better w/ no head pressure.