Quick question, I am making a 2 liter starter for an Irish Red I plan to brew this weekend. I added foam control to the boil when making the starter. This will be my first starter with a stir plate and I am paranoid about leaving it on in case it foams over when I am at work. After my boil over I have about 17 ml in the flask. Should I even worry and only turn it on while I am home?
New Stir Plate, Starter, Foam Control
- Thread starter LazyEye
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beerkrump
Well-Known Member
Couple of things ...
I certainly hope that you meant 1700ml not 17ml in a 2L flask.
I have never added anything but dme and hops to my starters. The action of the stir plate keeps the krausen in solution. Turning the plate off would actually be worse.
I certainly hope that you meant 1700ml not 17ml in a 2L flask.
I have never added anything but dme and hops to my starters. The action of the stir plate keeps the krausen in solution. Turning the plate off would actually be worse.
ShlouBrew
Active Member
I really wouldn't sweat it. I've made starters with and without foam control, you add it to mostly control boil over in the flask on the stovetop, not really for when it's on the stir plate. But it helps a bit there too.
I think I've had one foam over on the plate. Happened when I was at work with a very active starter filled to 2L. Just a bit of yeasty foam crud down the flask and on the plate, no biggie. It's not like a boil over where you can loose a large qty of liquid. At least this is my exp.
Check out my homemade stir plate here: newenglandhomebrew.com, just wrote a post on how I put it together. I have a video here of a wlp007 starter going to town. This is a crazy yeast, almost looks like cheese curds or something it's so flocculant. Anyway, this was with foam control and you can see how active it is with little foam.
I think I've had one foam over on the plate. Happened when I was at work with a very active starter filled to 2L. Just a bit of yeasty foam crud down the flask and on the plate, no biggie. It's not like a boil over where you can loose a large qty of liquid. At least this is my exp.
Check out my homemade stir plate here: newenglandhomebrew.com, just wrote a post on how I put it together. I have a video here of a wlp007 starter going to town. This is a crazy yeast, almost looks like cheese curds or something it's so flocculant. Anyway, this was with foam control and you can see how active it is with little foam.
I forms for me. I did a 1500 ml starter in a 2000 ml flask with an ale yeast this week. It was the 2nd stage of my starter. I started it on the stir plate in the evening and by morning I had a mess. I used foil over the top of the flask.
ShlouBrew
Active Member
Hmm... not sure about beernygt but perhaps the foam control is doing more than I realize, haven't made a starter without it in some time. Barely foams up at all.
I'd just set the stir plate on a cookie sheet. I never had krausen on a starter until I did a stirred 1500ml starter in a 2000ml flask with wlp530 yeast. I woke up the next morning to sticky mess. Now I always use a cookie sheet with foil.
