Starter without a stir plate

[brewjester]

I don't have a stir plate and can't afford to get one yet. I want to know the best way make a starter for a 5 gallon batch of dopplebock, without a plate. Do I keep it near by and shake it alot every time I think of it? Or should I just leave it alone and see what happens? I have a 1000 mL flask and a 1 gallon carboy to put it into, if needed. Thanks for any info.

[seanhagerty]

shake it often, you should be ok using the one gallon carboy.

Go here to find proper pitching rates using the shake method, as well as a huge amount of info on making starters.

Sean

[Oktober]

You can definately shake the hell out of it anytime you think or walk past it. The more often motion or agitation occurs, the more gas transfer you will get (plus it keeps the yeast from flocculating out). A stir plate ensures constant motion, so the closer you can get to that, the better. If you don't have a stir plate, keep swirling or shaking it often and you will get better results than if you just let it sit stagnant on its own.

2L starter will effectively double your yeast count. 1G will 2-3x it as well. So plan accordingly.

Best of luck.

-Okt

[brewjester]

Thanks for the tips. I'll try it out this week and see what happens.

[ApresSkiBrewer]

shake it often, you should be ok using the one gallon carboy.

Go here to find proper pitching rates using the shake method, as well as a huge amount of info on making starters.

Sean

+1 on the yeast calculator... there is even a drop down menu for Intermittent Shaking. thats what I use...

I quickly plugged in some numbers into the calculator, for a possible small doppelbock of 1.065, at 5.25 gallons. It says you'll need about 470 billion cells... and w/ intermittent shaking, that will take 2 packs in a 3.34 L starter to get there with Intermittent shaking. With a stir plate, it will take two packs in 2.17 L starter.

If I was you, I would start with 800mls of 1.035-1.040 wort in your 1000ml flask and pitch one vial, and then two/three days later, pitch that into 3L of 1.035-1.040 wort in your 1 gallon carboy, and give it 2-3 more days. That will get you up near where you need to be, and I'd think you'd be fine pitching that (but I would chill and decant with such a large vol. starter). Oh yeah, and shake it whenever you remember.

[Oktober]

I quickly plugged in some numbers into the calculator, for a possible small doppelbock of 1.065, at 5.25 gallons. It says you'll need about 470 billion cells... and w/ intermittent shaking, that will take 2 packs in a 3.34 L starter to get there with Intermittent shaking. With a stir plate, it will take two packs in 2.17 L starter.

I may be wrong, but those numbers are assuming his yeast is 100% viable (i.e. he's repitching from one of his prior batches on just about the sam day). If he is using a vial, odds are its 1-3 months old and has lost a bit of the viability. As a result, he will need a larger starter. Two packs that are 2 months old (50% viability) would require 5.61 L starter.

Please correct me if I'm mistaken, as I'm still getting the hang of Jamil's calculator myself.

-Okt

[ApresSkiBrewer]

Not mistaken... I think the default was 97% viability, and yeah... that is probably a very high estimate. I think if he can get the cell count up over 375billion or so, he'd be ok. I was just thinking of a sched. that would work w/ the flask/1G carboy he has... It might not be ideal, but it would get him closer to the ballpark.

If you are worried, definitely pitch two vials into a 1G starter, and that will get you closer.

[Oktober]

If you don't mind me hijacking the thread, how do you use Jamil's calculator to do a step starter (i.e. 1L for a few days and then dump it into a 3L starter for another couple days)?

-Okt