I want to try the shaken method but only have a 1 gallon glass jug and 5L Erlenmeyer flask. The next batch in the pipeline is 1.071 - a 2L starter is appropriate.
The 1 gallon jug is too small and the flask is not the best option.
Given the situation, should I go jug or flask? Which is the lesser of two evils, smaller volume or shape of the container?
I truly appreciate the compliment, Toby. Believe it or not, writing is a subject that did not come to me easily. I really had to work at becoming an effective writer. I still struggle with my writing.
As strange as it may seem, I am not one for cameras or being thrust into the limelight. Balancing a way to share what I have learned over the years with my need for privacy was at the forefront when making my decision to start sharing information on a large scale. I see the kind of attention that Drew, Denny, Martin B, Jamil, Gordon, Charlie P, John Palmer, and the other highly visible members of the community draw at NHC, and it makes me very uncomfortable because I am introverted to point where just being in large crowds wears me out. Being easily recognizable would make me not want to attend NHC.
Neither container is optimal for a 2L starter. Is acquiring a second jug a possibility? If so, you can split the culture between two jugs after re-suspending the yeast in the preform. Optimally, a 10L media bottle is probably the best option for 2L starters, but even used 10L media bottles are ridiculously expensive. I paid $70.00 for my NOS Corning 1395 5L media bottle.
Thanks for a most excellent write up Mark! I’m impressed that you could efficiently explain a complex subject in a way that a simple minded guy like me was able to understand.
Cheers!
You could wear a mask. Maybe a top hat to keep it classy.
As I have mentioned many times, the method is just a take on an existing method. I will be bringing back methods and metrics that were used in the past that have fallen to the wayside since the universal acceptance of brewing software and the incorporation of technology into brewing. While many of the older techniques/metrics left a lot to be desired, many are more practical in a home brewery than what home brewers are using today.
I used a 2 liter starter in a 3 gallon Better Bottle last night and hit it with O2 from a wand and O2 cylinder instead of shaking it (since it had no threaded top, I didn’t know of a good way to be sure I could shake it sufficiently). I awoke to krausen. And it fell out pretty quickly as I brewed the batch. I am looking forward to good results on this one.
Nice write-up Mark. Thanks for taking time to do so. I appreciated the formula examples as well. I knew bacteria could reproduce quickly, but their exponential growth is SCARY!!
Dang it Mark. I have 5 1 gallon jugs and did not consider splitting the starter into two. I wonder where I left my brain …
Probably too much beer clouding your decision making.
I completely understand since I’m in the same boat. I’ve worked on it for years myself. So much so that people don’t believe me when I tell them I hate it. lol
[quote]As strange as it may seem, I am not one for cameras or being thrust into the limelight. Balancing a way to share what I have learned over the years with my need for privacy was at the forefront when making my decision to start sharing information on a large scale. I see the kind of attention that Drew, Denny, Martin B, Jamil, Gordon, Charlie P, John Palmer, and the other highly visible members of the community draw at NHC, and it makes me very uncomfortable because I am introverted to point where just being in large crowds wears me out. Being easily recognizable would make me not want to attend NHC.
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That’s why I suggested teaming up: getting a ‘face’ that doesn’t mind being on camera or at least presenting it with slides and visuals. After meeting you at NHC, I grok what you’re saying.
lol…honestly it wouldn’t help. Even though someone that doesn’t like being in the limelight can condition themselves to cope with it better, they will never really enjoy it or get used to it. That’s why some people become content creators/producers/directors/etc. but never show any interest in acting.
“…to the exponential music of the night!”
doood… dude… not sure that is helping!
Mark, totally understand your perspective. I have serious anxiety - yet travel to meet with complete strangers worldwide for the last 12 years. Dad was a preacher - so I might have a bit of that narcissist gene… but moderated with total panic in front of a group.
Do what you need for you - and stay engaged in homebrewing! Cheeers!
My girlfriend is in the same boat. She is an artist who despises the idea of having to market herself in order to quit her day job. She scores the maximum of thirty as an introvert on Meyers -briggs and won’t let anyone take her picture. When she had take a video for a kick starter I suggested she do a time lapse of her doing a drawing.it came out cool and was successful. So you have to go with who you are and be creative. As I’m sure you know an introvert can do very well in social or public settings by planning chunks of alone time to recharge . Also it doesn’t hurt that in this community there’s usually alcohol involved. [emoji6]
Being in front of and meeting people does not unnerve me. However, having to meet a large number of people at one time and/or being immersed in a large crowd for more than a short period of time often can result in an extreme level of exhaustion. I also find myself grasping for words because my mind is racing a mile a minute when new people are approaching me at a fair clip. I used to go silent in these kinds of situations as a child, and it still occurs from time to time. A lot of people will misread my reticence to engage them in public as being snobbish or conceited, but it is textbook introvert overstimulation. I did my best to deny it for a long time. I did all kind of things to “get over it” like taking a job in sales engineering and playing lead guitar in gigging rock bands. However, I finally came to peace with the fact that I prefer solitude and one-on-one or small group conversations to being immersed in large groups of friends and acquaintances. Social media is an introvert’s dream come true because he/she can speak with a large audience in the quiet serenity of his/her own space.
With that said, there are a few highly visible people within the home brewing community that are introverts. I will not call them out, but two are very high visibility members of the community. I have had one-on-one conversations with both of these individuals, and there is zero doubt in my mind that they are introverts. From the quick glance away when these two individuals shake your hand, to observing how they manage their down time, these two are introverts who have mastered pseudo-extrovertism.
I scored pretty high on the introverted scale on the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator. I am an INTP.
I’m an INTP as well but am really near the middle in each category. My mild introversion shows up in preferring smaller groups and enjoying interacting with people but being completely wiped out after.
Exactly. I’m fine one on one, or with small groups, but wear easily trying to interact with large crowds.
[quote]With that said, there are a few highly visible people within the home brewing community that are introverts. I will not call them out, but two are very high visibility members of the community. I have had one-on-one conversations with both of these individuals, and there is zero doubt in my mind that they are introverts. From the quick glance away when these two individuals shake your hand, to observing how they manage their down time, these two are introverts who have mastered pseudo-extrovertism.
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I’m pretty sure I know at least one of them that you’re referring to, but won’t call him out either. ;) That being said, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you were INTJ either (as a fairly extreme INTP myself).
INTJ here. And I’ve been a pastor for 25 years. I have zero desire to be in front of people or in large groups. Like has been said, I expend energy in large groups and regain energy being alone. It is not that I dislike people or don’t value them as much as any extrovert. How I have learned to best manage it is to be in task mode.
One of the oldest personality tests/descriptors is the Four Temperaments test (Choleric, sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic) I personally like the DiSC tool for this personality assessment. Anyway, it describes the difference being discussed here as either being people oriented or task oriented. I am clearly task oriented. So when I am in large groups I go into task mode and that helps. I operate from a strength rather than a weakness that way.