Does the type of DME matter when making a starter?

[backyard brewer]

That's what I do. I mash like normal, collect it in my boil kettle just to mix it so the gravity is even, fill up the mason jars and run them through the canner. I tried boiling first one time in an effort to reduce the hot break material in the canned starter. It was a complete waste of time. The canner is so much hotter that more break forms in the jars no matter what. So, I quit worrying about it and just mash and process. The best part (besides how fast subsequent starters go) is for under $10 I have a year's worth of starter wort. Actually more like two years at the rate I've been brewing lately.

Incidentally, I have used 2 year old canned starter and it's been just fine, smells as fresh as day one and the beer came out great.

[carbon]

You gave me 2 pints of that starter back in August Derrin, when I came to get a stir bar. I just used them last week and they worked great. A club brew day of starters would get my vote although it sounds a little boring for more advanced brewers. It would be especially helpful for those of us who don't have pressure cookers/canners.

[maltbarley]

A club brew day of starters would get my vote although it sounds a little boring for more advanced brewers.

Helllooooo...when does drinking and talking about beer become boring?

Starters? we're making starters? Cool!

[bwarbiany]

You know, if I used liquid yeast more often, I'd consider this...

But I use dry yeast almost exclusively. No starters necessary. For the few times I actually need to use liquid (when the strain I want isn't available dry), I'll make a starter, but for those rare occurrences it doesn't make that much sense to can wort.

Give dry yeast a try for your next batch, Jon. For less than the price of a vial of liquid yeast you can get two packets of dry, you don't need to make a starter, and you'll easily be pitching enough cells for a 5 gallon batch.

[backyard brewer]

You know, if I used liquid yeast more often, I'd consider this...

But I use dry yeast almost exclusively. No starters necessary. For the few times I actually need to use liquid (when the strain I want isn't available dry), I'll make a starter, but for those rare occurrences it doesn't make that much sense to can wort.

Give dry yeast a try for your next batch, Jon. For less than the price of a vial of liquid yeast you can get two packets of dry, you don't need to make a starter, and you'll easily be pitching enough cells for a 5 gallon batch.

It's not a bad idea to rehydrate yor yeast with a stir plate using wort. Fermentis recommends making a yeast "cream" prior to pitching.

[dhempy]

It's not a bad idea to rehydrate your yeast with a stir plate using wort. Fermentis recommends making a yeast "cream" prior to pitching.

Maybe you should apply for the Marketing job ...

Dan

[backyard brewer]

It's not a bad idea to rehydrate your yeast with a stir plate using wort. Fermentis recommends making a yeast "cream" prior to pitching.

Maybe you should apply for the Marketing job ...

Dan

[backyard brewer]

Actually Brian was the one who tipped me off to that. But it sure doesn't hurt that this is what they recommend:

Pitching instructions:
Re-hydrate the dry yeast into yeast cream in a stirred vessel prior to pitching. Sprinkle the dry yeast in 10 times its own weight of sterile water or wort at 27C ± 3C. Once the expected weight of dry yeast is reconstituted into cream by this method (this takes about 15 to 30 minutes), maintain a gentle stirring for another 30 minutes. Then pitch the resultant cream into the fermentation vessel.
Alternatively, pitch dry yeast directly in the fermentation vessel providing the temperature of the wort is above 20C. Progressively sprinkle the dry yeast into the wort ensuring the yeast covers all the surface of wort available in order to avoid clumps. Leave for 30 minutes and then mix the wort e.g. using aeration.

[JonGoku]

Ok, got a case of wide mouth quart sized mason jars today during lunch. Swung by Red Car Brewery which is in walking distance to my work and got some fresh London Ale yeast from their brew master and will use that for my upcoming Red Ale.

The new wort on fresh yeast cake option sounds good, but I'm more excited about using the fresh yeast from the RCB so will postpone that experiment for next time.

[JonGoku]

Actually Brian was the one who tipped me off to that. But it sure doesn't hurt that this is what they recommend:

Pitching instructions:
Re-hydrate the dry yeast into yeast cream in a stirred vessel prior to pitching. Sprinkle the dry yeast in 10 times its own weight of sterile water or wort at 27C ± 3C. Once the expected weight of dry yeast is reconstituted into cream by this method (this takes about 15 to 30 minutes), maintain a gentle stirring for another 30 minutes. Then pitch the resultant cream into the fermentation vessel.
Alternatively, pitch dry yeast directly in the fermentation vessel providing the temperature of the wort is above 20C. Progressively sprinkle the dry yeast into the wort ensuring the yeast covers all the surface of wort available in order to avoid clumps. Leave for 30 minutes and then mix the wort e.g. using aeration.

Not to totally derail this thread, but why make starters only for liquid yeast and not for dry too? Is it just a price issue, where it would be too costly to buy the needed cell count of liquid yeast and cheap to buy the required dry?

I have only pitched dry yeast, and have used the "empty half bottle of bottled water, add yeast, shake shake shake, set for 15 min" pitch technique to rehydrate.

[backyard brewer]

There is a much higher cell count in dry yeast and the process to dehydrate it prepares it to go into fermentation more quickly. It's not in a dormant stater per se like liquid yeast is and therefore doesn't benefit from the wake-up call.

I picked up some grain from Rezzin tonight and he gave me another 30 or so pounds of misc base grains. If the club decides to do a starter canning brew day, I'll donate that grain (or rather Rezzin will have) to the club. I'll have to weigh it, but at 1.040 ish wort there is probably enough grain to make about 15+ gallons of starter

[JonGoku]

There is a much higher cell count in dry yeast and the process to dehydrate it prepares it to go into fermentation more quickly. It's not in a dormant stater per se like liquid yeast is and therefore doesn't benefit from the wake-up call.

Ah, that explains it very nicely in a nut shell. Thanks!

I picked up some grain from Rezzin tonight and he gave me another 30 or so pounds of misc base grains. If the club decides to do a starter canning brew day, I'll donate that grain (or rather Rezzin will have) to the club. I'll have to weigh it, but at 1.040 ish wort there is probably enough grain to make about 15+ gallons of starter

That sounds like a great idea. I actually bought a case of jars today because no bloody place sells them in singles. After using one to get some fresh yeast from Red Car Brewery (which was the only reason I bought the jars) I now have a case (minus 1) of empty quart jars.

[BrewMasterBrad]

If you can find them, the half-gallon jars are the way to go. You need a pressure cooker tall enough to handle them, but they are awesome. OSH used to carry them.

On another note, I think I might buy a case of the pint jars to can some of my BBQ sauce.

[carbon]

What about autoclaving starter wort in jars in instead of using a pressure cooker? It's basicly the same principle. Has anyone done this? Any reason why it wouldn't work? My wife has full access to an autoclave. She was thinking that we would have to leave the lids loose to allow pressure to escape, but I think it would be the same process as the pressure cooker. (lids tight, wait for them to cool before removing.) Thoughts?

[backyard brewer]

What about autoclaving starter wort in jars in instead of using a pressure cooker? It's basicly the same principle. Has anyone done this? Any reason why it wouldn't work? My wife has full access to an autoclave. She was thinking that we would have to leave the lids loose to allow pressure to escape, but I think it would be the same process as the pressure cooker. (lids tight, wait for them to cool before removing.) Thoughts?

Sure! I just don't think most of us have an autoclave near where we make wort or even access to one.