I have been getting a lot of starter blowoff lately (particularly with wlp530) and had a few questions:
1. Could turning my stir plate to max setting be contributing to this?
2. Could this significantly affect the amount of yeast I am pitching?
Any additional advice would be much appreciated! I tend to brew bigger beers (> 1.070) in general so I want to make sure I am pitching enough yeast to avoid stuck fermentation.
Pete
I’d say yes and yes. Why not get a bigger starter container? I have a gal. glass jug that cost next to nothing and works great on my stir plate.
I also would worry that if you’re filling the starter container and-or blowing off them you’re not getting enough oxygen into the starter to create healthy yeast.
Thanks! I will use a larger vessel and turn down the stir plate speed in the future. The reason I was asking is that I just made a 3 liter starter in a 1 gal glass jug for a 5 gallon batch of Belgian dark strong ale (OG 1077). I left the starter on the stir plate for 2-3 days and had a lot of blow off. Then I cold crashed it for 36 hours to decant off the spent wort. I pitched the remaining slurry and aerated thoroughly with a mix-stir bar on the power drill. I am hoping everything works out and it won’t get stuck.
3L in a gallon might be enough headspace, just slow down the stir plate. You just need enough motion to create a dimple in the surface. Also, if you’re not doing this - cover it with foil instead of an airlock to let oxygen in.
This just happened to me for the first time last night/this morning. WY2565, 4 liter starter in a 4 liter flask. This flask gas a decent amount if head room, but I guess not enough for 2565.
This was a step up using 2/3’s of a crashed and decanted two liter starter. Two liter starter was a touch foamy, but didn’t spew.
I guess I should of expected it. In the past 2565 foamed when I looked at it sideways in the fermenter. I was changing blowoff sanitizer for 5 days.
You could always use foam control as well.
+1, Fermcap in your starter really let’s you maximize your starter vessel space.
Hitting the Carlo Rossi jug wine?
I’m not so big on foam control. I’d go with a larger vessel. If you have growlers, you could split your starter amongst a couple of those. Lord knows I’ve got growlers.
Apple juice, man. This is Oregon.
That was my second guess, but not as fun to throw out there.
I have never added foam control to a stirred starter because I don’t think it would work. Foam control works be sitting on the surface. If the starter is constantly spinning it can’t do its thing. I could be wrong
Yes, I think you’re mistaken. It works in the boil as well, which is spinning pretty well, too.
Foam control definitely works in a starter. If you’re worried about silicone from the foam control you could always use an oil based one.
I’ve never had much foam in a stirred starter before this round with 2565.
Yeah I don’t typically need it in a starter either. I rarely get more than a cm of foam on the surface even with my stir plate turned all the way up. But… If I notice a bunch of foam forming I do add a drop of foam control. Always does the trick.
Yeah, I haven’t been able to establish a pattern yeast to yeast. I always ferment at 68-70*F and have my starters on a stir plate. Some times they’d be mellow and other times they would gush. Add a couple drops of FermCap and it’s the same every time and I can really fill up a “2000” ml flask without having to worry about it.