Stir plate question

How long do you use the stir plate after fermentation begins? do you run it till the bubbles stop?

Its usually in the 24-48 hour range for me.  There are visual signs to look for - krausen/foam head has fallen, the wort has a creamier, more opaque appearance than when initially pitched, and the cascading bubbles rising to the top have ceased.  When all of those things have occured, I tightly seal the foil on top and off she goes for cold crashing.

It depends.  Some people like to pitch ales at high krausen (18-24 hours) and some like to ferment out, decant and pitch ( 24-36 hours depending on the strain ).

But either way, the stirplate runs for the whole time.

Same here, usually around 36 hours unless I’m doing multiple steps.

What they said…

Dave

Do you bother cold crashing if you are planning on brewing in the next few days or would that be if you wanted it to keep longer?

If it is an ale starter, and on the lower end (i.e. 1 liter or so, I’ll pitch it right in ).  Anything bigger or if it’s for a lager, I cold crash and decant, then pitch.

If you have a few days, cold crash, decant, and pitch it.  You may want to let it warm up a bit if you are pitching at ale temps as well.

Cool thanks, My gallon of WLP810 Is on its way to the fridge.

I cold crash every starter.

Dave