Starter foil question.

[eluterio]

Just a real quick q about using foil to act as a barrier from contaminates on a starter.

Making a 2l starter in a 2l flask on a stir plate would you be concerned with krausen and the foil contacting. Could this break down the foil and create a metallic taste in your starter?

Thanks

 

[JonM]

Just spray the foil with starsan and it'll be fine if it does come into contact.

It's pretty rare that I get enough krausen in a starter to reach the top. For some reason, only the Chico strain does it for me. Anyway, if you're concerned about krausen reaching the foil, it'll be fine if the foil is sanitized. It also helps if you put the stir plate on a jelly roll pan or something similar to catch the overflow and prevent a mess if it does overflow.

 

[eluterio]

Thanks

 

[SanPancho]

a drop of fermcap will nip that foam-over in the bud. great for when your starter vessel is barely big enough to hold starter volume.

same thing in the kettle and your fermenters, kills the foam overs. great product.

 

[eluterio]

Fermcap thanks

 

[day_trippr]

This is why the Flying Spaghetti Monster provided us with 5L flasks...

Cheers!

 

[Qhrumphf]

+1 on Fermcap or other antifoaming agent (my LHBS doesn't stock Fermcap but rather an equivalent that doesn't work as well as Fermcap but still works).

As long as everything is sanitary you should be fine, but a few drops of an antifoaming agent and you can both boil it all in the flask (assuming a gas stove- and electirc one WILL break the flask) and not worry too much about foam overs. My most recent starter was 2L in a 2L flask and foamed over only slighlty in the boil of the starer in the flask, anddidn't foam over at all during the actual starer itself.

 

[eluterio]

I do have a 5000l flask however it was being used.

 

[Jwin]

Fermacap is just simethicone (sp¿) aka baby gas drops. So, in a pinch try Walgreens