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Hey Stauff, I was looking around for an avatar for you and I ran into this. Not a black and white, but...
That reminds me of the instructions that say a 5 gram packet of dry yeast is good for 5 gallons. Sure it is, if your OG is 1.020. Since most of mine are more like 1.100 I usually make a starter for a 5 gallon batch. Shenanigans...I think I just figured out why my Brett. beers are fermenting so slowly - they were extremely underpitched. Despite the instructions on the White Labs vial that says the contents are good for 5 gallons of beer, the rest of the world apparently thinks that is bunk and recommends large starters for WL yeasts I could either buy more yeast (not likely at $7 a pop) or try to culture up a starter from my Brett-only batch and add it back to both brews. Or I could just let them both ride as-is.
I hate following instructions to the letter, then finding out I have been led astray. Grr....
That reminds me of the instructions that say a 5 gram packet of dry yeast is good for 5 gallons. Sure it is, if your OG is 1.020. Since most of mine are more like 1.100 I usually make a starter for a 5 gallon batch. Shenanigans...
I think I just figured out why my Brett. beers are fermenting so slowly - they were extremely underpitched. Despite the instructions on the White Labs vial that says the contents are good for 5 gallons of beer, the rest of the world apparently thinks that is bunk and recommends large starters for WL yeasts I could either buy more yeast (not likely at $7 a pop) or try to culture up a starter from my Brett-only batch and add it back to both brews. Or I could just let them both ride as-is.
I hate following instructions to the letter, then finding out I have been led astray. Grr....
Sure, anything more then 1.080 gets a starter. Dry yeast or no.Starter for dry yeast? Say what?
Sure, anything more then 1.080 gets a starter. Dry yeast or no.
Sure, anything more then 1.080 gets a starter. Dry yeast or no.
How do you make your starters for wine? I hadn't thought of it, but I only have one 5g pack for the peach wine I plan to make. I'm sure it will be a high gravity. Do you just make a simple syrup for the starter? Do you hydrate first and then add the hydrated yeast to the starter?
At under $1 a pack, I'd just use another pack.
I always pull a 1qt jar of hot wort before it boils. Put a lid on it and let it cool. Boom, canned wort ready for my next brew day. I use that qt to make my starter for the next beer, adding water to adjust the gravity.
I always pull a 1qt jar of hot wort before it boils. Put a lid on it and let it cool. Boom, canned wort ready for my next brew day. I use that qt to make my starter for the next beer, adding water to adjust the gravity.
Normally that's what I do with beer. I use US 05 quite often, and I'll double up packs on big beers all the time. The only problem is I'm making my wine in a week, but I don't plan on making any online supply orders for a while. I have a huge grocery list growing on Austin Homebrew, but I won't have the money to place the order for a few weeks. I don't have a lhbs..
It depends on what I'm making. I prefer to use the same combination of sugars as would be present in the wine. So, usually I use the juice that's going to go in the wine diluted to about 1.030. If I'm going to use nutrients in the batch, I usually do, then I dissolve those in the starter before adding the yeast.How do you make your starters for wine? I hadn't thought of it, but I only have one 5g pack for the peach wine I plan to make. I'm sure it will be a high gravity. Do you just make a simple syrup for the starter? Do you hydrate first and then add the hydrated yeast to the starter?
Interesting. The main reason I use dry yeast is that I can leave it in my fridge almost indefinitely without worrying about it being viable when I go to use it. The aeration thing is nice and all, but with dry yeast I can have a half dozen yeast strains on hand without taking up much space or needing to refresh them constantly.Why not just use another pack of yeast? Dry yeast's main advantage is that you don't need to oxygenate and you lose that by making a starter.
At under $1 a pack, I'd just use another pack.
I don't make beer, so that's not applicable. It's a great idea for those that do though.I always pull a 1qt jar of hot wort before it boils. Put a lid on it and let it cool. Boom, canned wort ready for my next brew day. I use that qt to make my starter for the next beer, adding water to adjust the gravity.
I'll keep wort in the fridge, but I always re-boil before I use for starters. What you're doing fall somewhere between poor sanitation and asking for botulism.
I can mail you some Saturday if it will help or tomorrow if you want Redstar cuvee or some out of date ec-1118.
LRB, sure happy you're back. Technology is great, especially the mobile stuff; until batteries go dead. I'm not laughing.
Been watching an old movie. "Call Northside 777"
TNGabe said:I'll keep wort in the fridge, but I always re-boil before I use for starters. What you're doing fall somewhere between poor sanitation and asking for botulism. I can mail you some Saturday if it will help or tomorrow if you want Redstar cuvee or some out of date ec-1118.
Leadgolem said:I don't make beer, so that's not applicable. It's a great idea for those that do though.
How so? Wort at 190 degrees is sanitary. Poured into a sanitized mason jar and allowed to cool then kept in the fridge. The jars are sealed. I've done probably 30 batches like this without issue.
Looking at the vial didn't make your bs detector go off?
LabRatBrewer said:Re-boiling isn't going to solve botulism. If you want to safely have canned wort you must use a pressure canner. IMHO. However if you brew very often, you'd probably be okay.
snaps10 said:How so? Wort at 190 degrees is sanitary. Poured into a sanitized mason jar and allowed to cool then kept in the fridge. The jars are sealed. I've done probably 30 batches like this without issue.
Botulinum thrives in anaerobic environments (eg sealed mason jars) and the spores can survive even boiling temps, hence the need for pressure-canning (to reach the necessary ~250°) anything not sufficiently acidic, such as wort.
Boiling won't kill the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, but it will denature the toxins created by it. So, in the case of stored wort, there isn't a health hazard as long as it is boiled once opened.
So, if you are storing wort (in warm, closed containers) for making starters, you must boil and cool before you add your yeast.
Good to know. It's amazing what there is to learn here on Home Botulism Talk.
I only keep refrigerated wort around for a short time. Can't be any more dangerous than keeping sweet tea in the fridge, right? Surely better than putting unboiled wort in a jar to cool on its own and leaving it out.
I did my first batch of pressure canned wort a couple weeks ago. Did a whole 5 gallon batch. Borrowed a friends apocalypse sized canner.
With all the brett I've been growing up to send out, 19 qt jars aren't lasting very long, especially since with break material it's more like 750ml of usable wort per jar.
Do you pressure can wort? Any tips? Next time I'm thinking of chiling the wort, transferring off the break, and then filling the jars to try and get better yield per jar.
Gabe, thanks for the yeast offer, but I'm, going to pass. It has occurred to me that I'm out of yeast nutrient and campden for my water as well. I'll just put off this batch of wine until I can order my goods.
When I save wort from my mash I put it in empty water jugs and freeze them. When I want to use it for starters I thaw the day before, and then boil it for about 10-15 mins. This usually gets me in the right gravity range for starters, too, since the wort is typically around 1.020 to 1.025 before boiling. I'd really like to buy a pressure canner for a number of reasons someday.
Freezing the wort is an interesting alternative.
I have a stand-up freezer, a beer fridge with a freezer, and my kitchen fridge with a freezer, so I have plenty of room for freezing gallon jugs. With that said, I still run out and have to use DME, but it does save me a lot of money.
Yea, me too missed the same one on e-bay $ 16.99 shippedI like the looks of that pressure cooker. That seems to be a pretty good price, too! I'd really like to get one, as well.
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