Whether you’re brand-new to homebrewing or an experienced master of the malts, you’re going to deal with yeast in your quest for the perfect beer. You might start out with store-bought yeast, but after you’ve been homebrewing for a while, you might decide to make your own yeast starter using fresh or recovered yeast. And that means it’s time to consider a yeast starter stir plate.
If that’s an adventure you’re ready to tackle, you’ll need a yeast starter stir plate in your homebrewing toolkit. Finding the right one can help you create a healthy, oxygen-rich starter. You’ll improve the quality of your yeast, and in turn, the quality of your beer. Plus, you can experiment with different strains of yeast to create starters for any kind of beer.
NOTE: Pictured above is the Maelstrom Stir Plate from Northern Brewer. We’ve used it to make yeast starters for several years now and recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a powerful, precise stir plate.
Benefits of a Yeast Starter Stir Plate
As you might recall from the days of high school chemistry class, a stir plate is a simple, usually magnetic device designed to stir liquids by spinning a small cylinder at varying speeds. They’re ideal for stirring liquids for long periods, without the need for someone to shake it like a Polaroid picture or stand there with a spoon complaining, “How long do I have to stir this darn thing, anyway?”
It doesn’t matter if you’re using fresh yeast or a favorite strain you’ve recovered via yeast washing—your starter can’t succeed if it stagnates. To get the most out of your yeast starter, you’ll need to keep it movin’ and a groovin’ to oxygenate and build up the healthy yeast population inside.
Adding a yeast starter stir plate to your collection of homebrewing equipment is the answer.
How Does a Yeast Starter Stir Plate Work?
The science behind the yeast stir is simple. You place a ceramic-coated bar of magnetic metal, called a stir bar or stirrer, in a container of liquid wort. The stir bar spins in response to the electromagnet in the base of the stir plate, causing a vortex that keeps the yeast in suspension.
This continuous motion, as opposed to an hourly shake or two, improves aeration and pushes more CO2 out of the solution by keeping the yeast in suspension. The yeast have more oxygen to use as fuel, ramping up their reproduction.
Continuous stirring can basically double the number of yeast cells in your yeast starter compared to manually and intermittently stimulating the yeast.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you might want to take a stab at building your own yeast starter stir plate. But if you’re ready to move up from a DIY solution and need a more precise yeast stirring method, buying a stir plate will give you a plug ‘n’ play solution that’ll get you fermenting fast.
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The Winner for Best Yeast Starter Stir Plate
With five distinct speeds, this programmable stir plate can accommodate yeast starters up to 5 gallons. It comes with a scheduling function for up to 48 hours and powerful magnets will never throw a stir bar.
In our experience, nothing has beat this magnetic stir plate. We’ve used Northern Brewer’s Maelstrom Stir Plate for years. It’s built-in timer lets you run your stir plate for 48 hours and the powerful magnets ensure that your stir bar doesn’t flail around. Best of all, it accommodates yeast starters of up to 5 gallons.
If you’re looking for more yeast stir plate options, we’ve included a list of our other favorite stir plates below. Just be warned: you tend to get what you pay for. While a cheaper stir plate may still save your hand from manually stirring, you should still invest in something high-quality that will create a continuous, consistent vortex.
Budget Yeast Starter Stir Plates
If you’ve never used a stir plate or are upgrading from a homemade version, these entry-level models will get things started without tanking your homebrewing budget.
INTLLAB Magnetic Stir Plate with Stir Bar
- What we like: Simplicity is a strength with the INTLLAB magnetic yeast starter stir plate. Made of 316 stainless steel, it’s compact enough that you can easily take with you to the brew shed, garage, or secret underground laboratory. Also, you can’t beat the price on this stir plate!
- What we don’t like: As wonderfully simple and affordable as it is, folks have complained that it feels cheap and doesn’t provide a reliable, consistent stir. With a max speed of 3,000 rotations per minute (RPM), it claims it has enough power to stir up to .8 gal. (3 L) of liquid. But some have complained that the magnet stirrer is a bit weak and doesn’t catch through thicker glass or jars.
YaeCCC 78-1 Magnetic Stir Plate
- What we like: You can’t argue with the price of the YaeCC Magnetic Stir Plate. This stir plate has a built-in heater, so you can also heat your starter to a max temperature of around 212°F (100°C). It doesn’t have a built-in thermometer, but you can use a kitchen thermometer to monitor the temperature of your starter as it’s stirred, keeping it in the right range for your yeast. The built-in arm is handy for holding a thermometer in place, making the whole process hands free.
- What we don’t like: More than a few people have complained about receiving a defective product. This stir plate also has a more modest capacity than others, with a maximum volume of .26 gal. (1 L) and a maximum speed of 2400 RPM. There is also no temperature control, just an on-off heater switch. So you’ll still have to monitor your temperature.
Mid-Range Yeast Starter Stir Plates
Striking a balance between features and economy, these stir plates have a little more power and a few extras that make the slightly higher price worthwhile.
MoreBeer! Magnetic Stir Plate
- What we like: Boasting a built-in arm and a hefty stir capacity, this mid-level stir plate by MoreBeer! boosts your potential starter size without blowing the budget. With a max capacity of up to 1.3 gal. (5 L), you can make some king-size starters with this bad boy. The sturdy construction makes for a nice, stable platform for your starter. It also has precision speed controls and, thanks to the larger capacity, you can experiment with that’ll fit your flasks and beakers, big and small.
- What we don’t like: While it does come with a one-year warranty, which is a nice hedge against any malfunctioning, some customers have reported that it’s malfunctioned after several months or a year of light use. However, we really respect and trust the folks at MoreBeer! and they’ve responded to our customer service requests whenever we’ve had an issue.
Apera Instruments AI2801 Magnetic Stir Plate
- What we like: Small but mighty, the Apera Instruments Magnetic Stir Plate will handle up to .53 gal. (2 L) of starter. This is a great step up from the cheaper options, while still being a more affordable stir plate. It has a max speed of 2300 RPM, and has a two-year warranty to protect your investment. You can buy an optional arm if you’re looking to hold a thermometer or other gear while you stir. The light-weight and rubber feet make this model nearly silent without sacrificing stability. Best of all, two different stir bars are included to accommodate assorted starter sizes or replace the one that fell in your fermenter. Hey, it happens to the best of us.
- What we don’t like: Since it’s all about simplicity first, there’s no option to program the stir plate. The base of the stir plate is also rather small and larger flasks may hang off the edge.
High-End Stir Yeast Starter Plates
Do you have the need—and the budget—for powerful and versatile stir plates that’ll handle whatever you throw at ’em? Then these babies are for you. We think they’re worth the investment for their reliability, consistency and programming options.
Northern Brewer Maelstrom Stir Plate
- What we like: This is the stir plate we’ve used for years and we can’t recommend it enough! The Northern Brewer Maelstrom stir plate is powerful, precise and gives you plenty of options. With five speeds from 480 RPM to 1400 RPM, you can mix yeast starters up to 5 gal. (19 L) in size. The large stir platform and powerful magnets mean you’ll never have to worry about throwing a stir bar. Plus, you can schedule your stirs up to 48 hours in advance, so you can spend your weekends having fun instead of staring at a flask of yeast.
- What we don’t like: The price is a huge deterrent. But we’ve found it produces a consistent yeast starter and was well worth the investment.
With five distinct speeds, this programmable stir plate can accommodate yeast starters up to 5 gallons. It comes with a scheduling function for up to 48 hours and powerful magnets will never throw a stir bar.
Argos Technologies S2000 Thin Spin
- What we like: Slender and lightweight, the Argos Technologies yeast starter stir plate is also waterproof. Plus, it’s programmable, with speeds up to 1500 RPM. Its sleek build, small footprint, and handy LED indicator for tracking spin speed make it a good choice if you’re looking to make smaller starters with limited space.
- What we don’t like: The capacity is a bit smaller than less-advanced stir plates. The Thin Spin will only handle up to .13 gal. (.5 L) of starter. But if you’re only working with a small batch, this might be the perfect stir plate for you.
You Got to Be Stirrin’ Somethin’
While you can hand-stir your yeast starter and you can certainly try to build your own, investing in a high-quality stir plate can make your life so much easier. We truly believe that the mastery of all things yeast begins with the right yeast starter stir plate. By adding one to your homebrewing setup, you’ll soon enjoy happier, healthier yeast that ferment more effectively and efficiently. So go get a-stirring!
Happy Brewing!
