Apple Starter?

[Plan9]

If I'm not mistaken, apple juice has an sg of about 1.040

Could you use room temperature apple juice to make a yeast starter?

Has anyone tried this?

I wouldn't think it would do much to the flavor of a batch of beer. We're only talking about a pint or so.

I just think it would be super easy. Just open a bottle of juice, pour it in a flask, add yeast.


I may be crazy. :cross:

 

[Yooper]

Well, that would work if you're making apple wine or apple cider, definitely.

But for beer? No. Here's my reasoning- yeast do love fructose/sucrose. They can ferment maltose, though, and do a good job of doing it to make beer for us. But a starter is to get the yeasts "ready" to make our beer. To give them fructose first, and then ask them to ferment maltose cleanly might not be a good idea.

 

[bernerbrau]

I did this with hard cider, with no adverse results so far.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

I'm with yooper on this one. Be nice to the yeast when you make a starter and give them something they can handle easily and quickly, that being a simple sugar in DME. Besides, DME/LME also has the nutrients yeast need, apple juice doesn't.

 

[denimglen]

With Yooper also.

Apple juice is a very high percentage of fructose/sucrose. Not much different to making a starter with just everyday sugar.

LME/DME is the way to go.