BeerBorg

I'm thinking about getting a beaker to do my yeast starters in, using a stir plate. Is there any reason I shouldn't? The only disadvantage I can think of is the larger opening is a larger opportunity for airborne contamination, but a sanitized piece of foil should work just as well as it does on a flask. My flask is just more of a pain to clean and store.

You can pretty much make a starter in anything and all you need as a cover is a piece of star san'd foil to cover it.
I don't know anything about beakers but can you go from hot to cold without them cracking?

Beer-lord wrote:I don't know anything about beakers but can you go from hot to cold without them cracking?

If it's made from borosilicate glass it can. If it's made from soda-lime glass, then not directly. Pyrex used to be borosilicate, now it's tempered soda-lime in the US. I've heard it's still borosilicate in other countries. But never lime soda. That would be silly.

WTH?

alb wrote:

Beer-lord wrote:I don't know anything about beakers but can you go from hot to cold without them cracking?

If it's made from borosilicate glass it can. If it's made from soda-lime glass, then not directly. Pyrex used to be borosilicate, now it's tempered soda-lime in the US. I've heard it's still borosilicate in other countries. But never lime soda. That would be silly.

Yeah, this is why I didn't buy a 1 gallon little big mouth to make big starters in. I thought about it, but I cook my starters in my flask on the stove . I was trained in science by folks who sang songs like "deck the halls with bunsen burners (fa la la la la, la la la la)". I treat my starters like that.

Anyways, if you buy one that is sold as "lab quality" it should be borosilicate, and as long as it has a flat bottom on the inside, or is at least flat in the middle as wide as your stir bar, it should work.

Yes there is a slightly greater risk of contamination vs. a flask, but its not anything that you will likely ever have a problem with as long as you are cooking it on the stove with the foil already on top and don't take it off except enough to pitch your yeast.

alb wrote:I'm thinking about getting a beaker to do my yeast starters in, using a stir plate. Is there any reason I shouldn't? The only disadvantage I can think of is the larger opening is a larger opportunity for airborne contamination, but a sanitized piece of foil should work just as well as it does on a flask. My flask is just more of a pain to clean and store.

Ever think about using a Mason jar, either regular or wide mouth. Easy to clean and laughs at temperature changes.

ebbz wrote: Ever think about using a Mason jar, either regular or wide mouth. Easy to clean and laughs at temperature changes.

Lots of kinds of glass can survive gradual temperature changes (IE typical pickle in jar - put in water bath, bring to a boil / pressure cook, then let cool on its own), but going from cold to direct contact with flame from a burner, and then being dumped into ice water... that's different... and I don't think mason jars will stand up to that. And that's what we are talking about here, boiling directly over a flame, and possibly immediate contact with ice water after.

I use either 2 quart or 1 gallon jug/jar