I have been kicking this idea around in my head for awhile and was going to run it by the collective to see if anybody else has already perfected it. Most of my best ideas have already been done so it wouldn't surprise me.
The idea is this. Make a small (2 gallon or so) extract batch. I would not likely hop it as I wouldn't want to impart any hop flavor aroma to a starter for a beer that might not use the strain I had on hand when doing this.
I would make something using Jamil's 10 to 1 ratio suggested for starter wort in BCS. I would also likely add an appropriate amount of yeast nutrient.
Boil for 10-15 min and transfer to glass mason jars. I'm figuring I would package it in volumes of both 500ml and 250ml to give me some flexibility when making starters (or stepping up a starter) at a later date.
Once I filled and affixed the lids to the mason jars, I would just boil it in my canning pot. I have a pot with a rack in it that I use to can Salsa in the summer.
After that, I would think it could just be stored like any other canned material. A couple of questions though:
1. Do you think I would need to refrigerate it? I have boiled and sealed my salsa this way before and been able to store it in the pantry unopened for several months.
2. How long would the shelf life be? Canned, it could theoretically be years. Since you're likely decanting the starter beer, you're mainly wanting a nutrient source for the yeast.
I would think if I did this right, I could eliminate one of my few headaches surrounding yeast starters. I usually try to make them after work during the week before a brew weekend. It's a hassle getting home from work at 7:30, eating dinner, then making a starter and waiting for it to cool enough that you won't kill your yeast. It would be much better if I could just come home, sanitize my flask, dump in a pre-measured starter wort, plop it on the stir plate and get on with my evening.
Thoughts?
The idea is this. Make a small (2 gallon or so) extract batch. I would not likely hop it as I wouldn't want to impart any hop flavor aroma to a starter for a beer that might not use the strain I had on hand when doing this.
I would make something using Jamil's 10 to 1 ratio suggested for starter wort in BCS. I would also likely add an appropriate amount of yeast nutrient.
Boil for 10-15 min and transfer to glass mason jars. I'm figuring I would package it in volumes of both 500ml and 250ml to give me some flexibility when making starters (or stepping up a starter) at a later date.
Once I filled and affixed the lids to the mason jars, I would just boil it in my canning pot. I have a pot with a rack in it that I use to can Salsa in the summer.
After that, I would think it could just be stored like any other canned material. A couple of questions though:
1. Do you think I would need to refrigerate it? I have boiled and sealed my salsa this way before and been able to store it in the pantry unopened for several months.
2. How long would the shelf life be? Canned, it could theoretically be years. Since you're likely decanting the starter beer, you're mainly wanting a nutrient source for the yeast.
I would think if I did this right, I could eliminate one of my few headaches surrounding yeast starters. I usually try to make them after work during the week before a brew weekend. It's a hassle getting home from work at 7:30, eating dinner, then making a starter and waiting for it to cool enough that you won't kill your yeast. It would be much better if I could just come home, sanitize my flask, dump in a pre-measured starter wort, plop it on the stir plate and get on with my evening.
Thoughts?