Step up starter blow out

[grv]

Hi all. I am resurrecting a 6 month old pack of Wyeast 1469. Yeastcalc said I'd get the target cell count in two 1L steps. I use a 2L E flask and stir plate. 1st step was pretty normal as far as krausen. After activity subsided, refrigerated over night. Decanted the "beer" and put another L of 1.040 wort on the cake. Back on the plate. This time, signs of activity within an hour. When I got up this morning, the foil had blown off, and my stir plate and desk were a mess.

I cleaned up. I still plan to use the starter. I think it's fine.

Are second steps frequently like this? What do people do to avoid this? I'd attach a blow off on step 2, but that's counter to the whole oxygen/ growth phase thing.

Thanks!

 

[krduckman]

I experience the same thing. Haven't figured out what to do yet. I just keep the flask and stir plate contained so not as much mess to clean up.

 

[grv]

Maybe from now on, I'll give it 4 or 5 hours with foil for step 2, then attach a stopper and blow off. Once the krausen appears, which seems to happen quickly on step 2, the growth phase is probably mostly over anyway. Right?

 

[m3n00b]

I always got the same thing. Now I add 1 drop of fermcap during the boil and get zero krausen.

 

[grv]

Good point. I was only thinking about fermcap for boil overs. Tried to pick up some at the lhbs but they were out. I will give it a try.

 

[Bulls Beers]

Hi all. I am resurrecting a 6 month old pack of Wyeast 1469. Yeastcalc said I'd get the target cell count in two 1L steps. I use a 2L E flask and stir plate. 1st step was pretty normal as far as krausen. After activity subsided, refrigerated over night. Decanted the "beer" and put another L of 1.040 wort on the cake. Back on the plate. This time, signs of activity within an hour. When I got up this morning, the foil had blown off, and my stir plate and desk were a mess.

I cleaned up. I still plan to use the starter. I think it's fine.

Are second steps frequently like this? What do people do to avoid this? I'd attach a blow off on step 2, but that's counter to the whole oxygen/ growth phase thing.

Thanks!

This happened to me with my last starter. Kind of a pain. It just exploded out of the flask. I like the activity, but losing healthy yeast sucks. When I pitch this yeast, I usually get quick activity though. I also cut up a sandwich bag and put it over the stir plate then I put my flask down. I got sick of yeast all over my stir plate.

 

[JohanMk1]

My stirplate resides in a stainless steel baking tray for just this eventuality.

This crappy pic is the only photo I have of the setup at the moment.

 

[grv]

Thanks all. Like the ideas of protecting both the stir plate and my work area. I'll incorporate all this next time round.

 

[dinnerstick]

i have never had a stirring starter blow up like that but i always put my flask or bottle in a tupperware tray on top of the stirplate just in case. it's thin enough that the magnet stirs through it no problem. and i always use fermcap!!

 

[blanstuf]

I am still very new and am in no way an expert but I have read quite a few threads stating that by pitching in the same volume of wort, you won't really be doubling the cell count. For a better explanation, check out the thread below, especially posts 3 and 8.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/stepping-up-yeast-starter-326077/

 

[grv]

I'm pretty new too, but what I understand is that there are certainly diminishing returns when you step up in the same volume. The thread you linked to refers to yeastcalc, which is what I was using. It indicated that the level of growth I would get on my second 1L step was much smaller than the one I got on the first, but would put me over the hump as far as pitching rate for my specific need. Maybe I have it wrong, but that's what I've read and what the tool was telling me!