yeast baby heaven..

[Topher]

For those who airate in large yeast starters, check this out. you can get it at just about any pet store. It's sold as a brine shrimp hatchery. Just modify the 2 liter bottle by puting a pinhole in the bottom instead of cutting the bottom off. It will keep positive pressure in the bottle and let the air out.Put a bit of coffee filter soaked in alcohol in the air pump hose next to the pump to keep out most baddies. and.. voila, yeast heaven for just a few bucks. I used this in beer making cause I store my yeast in small vials mixed with glycerin in the fridge. This let me grow the little darlings from a small sample without using the whole stored vial. Hope is does ya some good. There are no metal parts to contact the liquid either, at least in the model I have.

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[Old_Blue]

Asking a question for Dooley:

If you just put a pin hole in bottom (now top?) how do you get the slurry out?

Wouldn't it be better to cut a hole the size of a large stopper and use an airlock?

[Topher]

it depends on what you are using as your fermentables. If you are using a lot of stuff that will clump or faom, you are right an airlock would be good. I just used yeast nutrients, sugar and store bought yeast hulls. I didn't use any DAP but it would probably be necessary for some yeast strains in a small sample colony. Again, I used this for beer yeast strains. I haven't used it for high alcohol content ot turbo yeast yet. But I will in short time and I'll post my results. Also, I know some people add a hint of epsom salts. I have been meaning to look and see what kind of salts are in the kind you get for FRESH (not SALT) water fish tanks because it is used in a living medium and might be gentler for the yeast. I will try it within a month and give the wash a taste and post the growth and ferment results in this forum.

[Old_Blue]

Need for beer and wine strains. Currently use magnetic stirrer(no pun intended..electrical engineers will get it )

but this looks interesting. Got to get one.

[Topher]

I would kill for a professional stirrer, a heated one would be good when just starting out a culture. With the shrimp hatchery, I just use a lamp near the bottle. If you are worried about exact temp, just stick one of the sticky bucket temp strips on the bottle. I guess once the yeast multiply a bit you could just wrap a piece of bubble wrap around the bottle and take the lamp away and let them manage their own heat.

(professional stirrer= man named Jeeves who stirrs my yeast while wearing a tuxedo)

[Old_Blue]

How did this old redneck come upon a magnetic stirrer?

I was helping to cleaning out some old storage space at my current job when my "boss" came over with one with one and hand full of vinyl covered stirring bars and the idiot asked "does anyone know what this is"?

I said "no, what you going to do with it"?

He said" "throw it in the scrap bin I guess"

I said "give it here, I'll dispose of it for you"

Many years and happy yeast cultures later....

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[Topher]

oh, by the way. The http path to the site that has this hatchery for sale is embedded in the picture. Just right click on the pic and select properties. It'll be there. If you want to check out the price and get one off the net but,, any good pet store should have them for sale cheap locally.

I was in the electronic engineering field before I retired but was always interested in chemistry and biology. Guess that's why brewing is fun. I hate to say it but brewing is more fun for me than drinking,, on the other hand,, that's a good thing because my brew tastes like yak pee. These days I sit around and make pottery, brew, play with my kids and try to decide what to do with the rest of my days.

[Old_Blue]

brewing is more fun for me than drinking

Can't say that but fermenting and the science behind it is.

That's why I do all the brewing and and leave the stillin to Dooley

We both both enjoy the drinking part...and picking.