Starter blowoff

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.