Dumb question… when making a yeast starter, do you do everything in directly in the flask, boil and all?
Or, like me, do you boil everything then transfer it into the flask.
I’m just worried about the glass breaking from the heat and then cold.
I do. As long as they are made of borosilicate glass it will be fine. If you are concerned use a pot of water and boil them together.
An electric coil stove has, in some cases from reports, caused flasks to crack because of unequal heating over the base of the flask. Gas flames are safer. A flask that is filled up to the neck is a recipe for boil over because of the constricted surface area. Being cautious, I heat the wort in a kettle, cool, and then transfer to the flask.
If you want to use the flask to boil get some fermcap-s to keep the foam down. It works wonders, and you won’t have to worry to much about boil overs. :cheers:
Yup…that way everything is sterilized from the boil. I use a 2L flask and once I get a decent boil going, I tone the heat back just a touch and then “tent” some foil over the opening of the flask. The steam coming up through over the 10-15 minute time period will sanitize the foil at the same time.
Works like a charm.
Guess I’m the odd man out…I found boiling in the flask to be more hassle than it was worth.
How do you do it Denny?
I found it a hassle too, so I started canning wort. I bought a $10 canner off craig’s list, 1965’s finest model. So much easier than boiling a flask, and really not complicated. Starters take 10 minutes doing it this way, so much more enjoyable. This is one of the things I wished I had learned about earlier on in developing my process.
How do you do it Denny?
I found it a hassle too, so I started canning wort. I bought a $10 canner off craig’s list, 1965’s finest model. So much easier than boiling a flask, and really not complicated. Starters take 10 minutes doing it this way, so much more enjoyable. This is one of the things I wished I had learned about earlier on in developing my process.[/quote]
Boil the wort in a small pot, cool it in a sink of ice water, pour it into a flask. For me, that’s easier than boiling in the flask. Drew is a big advocate of canning starter wort, but I’m too lazy to make my life easier!
I’ve often thought about canning wort but I want a big enough pressure cooker to make more than 2 or 3 quarts at a time.
I do 7 quarts at a time in mine.
What size? I guess that 7qts would be 7 starters which would still save tons of time AND be cheaper then buying DME.
I’m not sure how much fluid the canner holds, but the diameter measures 12 inches.
How do you do it Denny?
I found it a hassle too, so I started canning wort. I bought a $10 canner off craig’s list, 1965’s finest model. So much easier than boiling a flask, and really not complicated. Starters take 10 minutes doing it this way, so much more enjoyable. This is one of the things I wished I had learned about earlier on in developing my process.[/quote]
Boil the wort in a small pot, cool it in a sink of ice water, pour it into a flask. For me, that’s easier than boiling in the flask. Drew is a big advocate of canning starter wort, but I’m too lazy to make my life easier![/quote]
If you’re making starter wort one batch at a time, I’m an advocate of Denny’s method. Erlenmeyer flasks aren’t really made for boiling, they’re made of borosilicate so they can handle the shock of sudden temperature changes. I depart from Denny’'s method a bit in that I will cool the pot just a bit after boiling the wort, then dump it in the flask at around 170° or so to help sanitize the flask.
I usually do my starter in a separate pot too, but once in a while i try to do it all in the flask, rush things and get a brown colored starter. I think I will keep using the pot to heat my starter, BUT, now curious about canning. Need more info…… Sneezles61
I bought a couple of flasks for starters and ended up using a pot on the stove for three reasons. First my starter volume got bigger than the first one so I bought a second one. Second the second one was too small again. Third because boiling in a pot then putting it in the sink full of ice was easier.
Never had a problem with either Erlenmeyer flask boiling on a gas stove and dunking it in ice water though. It’s not a bad idea to let it sit for a while though before the ice though.
aren’t fermcap and similar products basically silicone? I, like Denny, am a pot-boiler then cool and transfer to sanitized flask due to a boil over that I didn’t want to deal with again. I have a 2L flask, but my brewing partner does do in-flask boils in his 5L flask (for 1-2L starters), because they don’t boil over.
That’s the same one I have. Holds 7 qts and around 16 pts. I’ve canned tomatoes, tuna, beans and anything else worth canning.
Now is a good time to find them on sale. I’ve also used it to brew small batches in the winter.
I usually collect a couple gals of wort off the mash, then boil down to around 1.035 and pressure can at 15 psi for 15 mins.
I believe it’s a silica base, not sure what else. If I need a quick starter, I use a separate pot.
I meant to include an explanation on the silicone comment. Silicone kind of weirds me out. I have a tube of it that is enough for my next 50 batches, but it has been sitting in my basement as that is one of those things I’m just not sure about putting in my beer.
Just use it like gelatin, squirt a thick bead in your fermenter and all the trub will stick to it. Superior clarity.
