Old mason jar starter wort

[TastyAdventure]

I prepped some starter Wort several weeks ago, and put it in a sanitized mason jar and put that in the fridge. Would it be OK to bring it back to a boil in the microwave before pitching?

I am too paranoid to trust that it is not sanitized, and I currently don’t have a stove

 

[Rob2010SS]

I've never done it, so I can't give you an answer on that but the first question is how did you prep it? If you didn't use a pressure cooker like you would in normal canning, I've read it can be risky....

 

[TastyAdventure]

I've never done it, so I can't give you an answer on that but the first question is how did you prep it? If you didn't use a pressure cooker like you would in normal canning, I've read it can be risky....

No pressure cooker...

 

[Brewsit]

No pressure cooker...

I’ve done this several times with no issue. Usually I’ll take extra runoff from an exceptionally high gravity beer and run it straight into sanitized mason jars as you described, refrigerate for a month or two and then throw them straight in an Erlenmeyer flask, boil and use for a starter. If they’re the wrong gravity I adjust with water or DME. I also cool my starters for about 48 hours and decant the extra liquid.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Like I said, never done it. All I know is that if not kept properly, you run the risk of getting sick.

From The Mad Fermentationist blog: "If you don’t have a pressure cooker/canner there are two alternatives to prevent C. botulinum from growing in canned wort. You could add enough phosphoric or lactic acid to lower the pH of the wort below 4.4. This is acidic enough to make reasonable time hot water-bath canning safe (as it is for many fruits). Alternatively, you could store the canned wort in the refrigerator, C. botulinum will not grow if the temperature remains lower than 38F (3C). Personally the risk (however small) of botulism poisoning (paralysis followed quickly by death) with these methods isn’t worth the time/money savings!"

I suppose if you keep it colder than 38, you'll be fine. I didn't remember that part, I just remembered hearing about the botulism scare lol.

 

[Brewsit]

Like I said, never done it. All I know is that if not kept properly, you run the risk of getting sick.

From The Mad Fermentationist blog: "If you don’t have a pressure cooker/canner there are two alternatives to prevent C. botulinum from growing in canned wort. You could add enough phosphoric or lactic acid to lower the pH of the wort below 4.4. This is acidic enough to make reasonable time hot water-bath canning safe (as it is for many fruits). Alternatively, you could store the canned wort in the refrigerator, C. botulinum will not grow if the temperature remains lower than 38F (3C). Personally the risk (however small) of botulism poisoning (paralysis followed quickly by death) with these methods isn’t worth the time/money savings!"

I suppose if you keep it colder than 38, you'll be fine. I didn't remember that part, I just remembered hearing about the botulism scare lol.

Yeah I would say that pressure cooking it would be a must if you planned to just store it on a shelf (which wouldn’t be a bad idea). You could also put it in something that won’t burst with expansion and freeze it for even longer.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I think freezing wort is both easier and safer than canning if you have the space. Otherwise, just boil up a fresh batch from dme when needed, it only takes a few minutes. What's the point in canning if you have to re-boil anyways?

 

[beermanpete]

Why take such a risk when malt extract stores well and is far safer?

 

[RM-MN]

The discussion above relates to canned wort stored in sealed jars at room temperature. Your wort is not in a sealed container and not at room temperature. Your biggest concern would be mold or a bacterial infection. Bringing the wort to a boil will kill these but is it worthwhile? Since some of these would give your starter wort a bad flavor, I'd dump it and start fresh.