BeerBorg

Never fails, that when I have done each and every starter so far, I turn away to sanitize something, or think I have a second to get something, you guessed it hot break overflow! Scorched wort on the cooktop doesn't smell that good or clean up good. I need to start doing what Inkleg does and save a quart or two of wort from a brew for the next starters.

That's why I use Fermcap. It's the only time and I'm not worried about the silicone or whatever that some mention. But, you don't need much and I still watch it closely just in case.
I did that once and my stove still have some memories of it.
I think Fermcap S is the 'better' version out there.

Are you making starters in the flask? Been there, boiled that over. I've gone back to a pot for those times I'm out of wort.

Inkleg wrote:Are you making starters in the flask? Been there, boiled that over. I've gone back to a pot for those times I'm out of wort.

No, using a three qt pot for a 1.2L starter. But when it goes it is instantaneous.

Dawg LB Steve wrote: But when it goes it is instantaneous.

Sounds like Three Mile Island!!!!

I do all mine in either a 2L or 3L starter flask and with those drops, I don't have a problem.
You don't need a large boil. 10-12 minutes at a simmer is all I do.

I worry about this every time I make a starter. If I have to turn around for any reason, I kill the heat because I've had a boil over in a flask, too.

If I'm making more then a 1L starter in my 2L flask, I do the initial boil at a higher gravity with less water, and then once things have settled down, I add some more boiling water from my teapot to "top it up" for the last 5 minutes of the boil. (which is only 15 minutes total). That solves the boil over issue for me without using fermcap (which I am one of those who will not use).

what are you making starters from that needs to boil?

IMHO, the only safe way to make a starter, especially if building up a step starter from a small yeast culture is to boil the starter wort. You don't want an infected starter, even the most slightly infected, as continuous oxygen is good for some kinds of bugs too, not just yeast.

For a step up starter you should think sterilization, not just sanitation. The safest way possible that I know of is to boil the wort in the flask for 15 minutes with some foil wrapped over it and down the sides, or whatever (heatproof) plug you will be using on top for your airlock if your using one, which for our purposes comes close enough to sterilization of the flask and the foil/plug and the wort inside.

Sanitizer solutions do not sterilize. That's why they are called sanitizer.

I know that if I didn't do this with my starters, I'd be pitching a mixed Sacc/Brett culture in half my beers.

Jim, I just use DME. And I'll be honest, I stopped boiling it for 15 minutes a long time ago. I figure the DME was already boiled and cooled once so I shouldn't need to do it again.
I do bring it to a boil in my flask and let it boil for a minute or two to sterilize things. That may not be 100% proper (meaning, it may not be long enough to technically sterilize things) but it helps me avoid boil overs and issues. I then cover with foil and let the steam/heat sterilize/sanitize it while it cools off.

I just use DME also, only get it thru hot break and all over the stove top then boil 10 minutes. Hot break is what gets me.

mashani wrote:I know that if I didn't do this with my starters, I'd be pitching a mixed Sacc/Brett culture in half my beers.

Might need to come over to your house when I start to do sours and let the wort go naturally, coolship style!

I just boil for 5 minutes.

While we're on this subject. Then last 2 starters I made I used a wisk to really whip the cold water into the DME. It foamed quite a bit cold and the hot break did not seem to be as violent. I thought the first may have been a fluke until I replicated in again with my starter on Sunday.

Let the discussion begin. See you when I get home.

Dawg LB Steve wrote:

mashani wrote:I know that if I didn't do this with my starters, I'd be pitching a mixed Sacc/Brett culture in half my beers.

Might need to come over to your house when I start to do sours and let the wort go naturally, coolship style!

Your more then welcome, all you have to do is leave the lid off your fermenter for 10 minutes in the summer when I'm running the AC and you'll get some. But my house brett doesn't really make things very sour, nothing at all like lacto - only a little bit of tartness. Mostly it makes pineapple and wet hay flavors (Brett C). It might make things more sour if I just let it spontaneously ferment with it instead of tossing in a bunch of sacc to out compete it, who knows. I've never actually tried it. Maybe I should.

I did leave some dregs in a bottle of a malty English beer open to the air and used that to make a little brett starter that I threw into a beer to give it stronger brett then the accidental infection once. That worked. The brett will eat stuff the sacc won't, so it was able to have a little party with the residual malt.

Inkleg wrote:I just boil for 5 minutes.

While we're on this subject. Then last 2 starters I made I used a wisk to really whip the cold water into the DME. It foamed quite a bit cold and the hot break did not seem to be as violent. I thought the first may have been a fluke until I replicated in again with my starter on Sunday.

Let the discussion begin. See you when I get home.

I've heard that a really violent boil that produces a lot of foam for a long period of time can actually reduce head retention in the final beer. Maybe it's the same "principle". But I can't explain that scientifically however, as you should not be able to de-nature the proteins or beta glucans by whipping them with a wisk as far as I know. So... ?