Starter Wort for Storing Bottle Dregs: To Hop, or Not To Hop?

[TAK]

I picked up a whole bunch of bottles from The Crooked Stave as I was driving through CO this last weekend. I plan on trying to harvest dregs from most of the bottles. I'll make small DME starters each time I open a bottle, and pitch the dregs in. After each ferments out, I might mix them all together.

In any case, the title says it, should I lightly hop my starters?

Unhopped wort sitting around for a long time scares me, since it's really just for storage, not being grown up to use soon. Should I put 5-7 IBUs in the starter wort to give it that protection that hops bring?

 

[BGBC]

I don't think there's a need to hop starters, especially for sour beer dregs. The alcohol and soon-to-be-lowered pH should inhibit growth of any other unwanted bugs. I would only add hops if you wanted to inhibit lacto/bacteria growth in your starter (or encourage the Brett over the bacteria) - the Brett won't mind the hops, but the bacteria would likely be slowed down at that IBU level.

Just follow the typical bottle harvest recommendations and you should be good. Start with a small volume, low OG and step up from there. There are several recipes around for no-hop sours, so again, I don't see a need to hop your starter.

Interested to hear what others might have to say though.

 

[sweetcell]

i'm in agreement with BGBC. unless you want to favor brett over lacto, i wouldn't hop at all.

Unhopped wort sitting around for a long time scares me, since it's really just for storage, not being grown up to use soon.

i don't understand this... why would unfermented wort be sitting around?

once the bugs ferment the wort (into beer), there will be alcohol and the pH will be lowered. this is much more effective at protection than a few IBUs.

 

[505-Brewer]

Lacto can lose its tolerance to hops in as little as one generation. So they say. Doubt bottle dregs will be troubled by this but commercial strains might. I have a lacto culture Im keeping going in unhopped wort and apple juice. But it only goes in 5 ibu wort. So far so good. For dregs Id process as normal (unhoped).

 

[TAK]

Ok, cool. I'll prep normal unhopped starter wort for keeping all these bottle dregs. Thanks for helping me set my concerns aside.

I've seen mention of around 1.020 for harvesting dregs. Is that a good ballpark, or should I go closer to my standard 1.037 starter gravity?

Here in NE, good sour beer is hard to come by. I'm so exited for all these Crooked Stave beers and harvesting their dregs. I've got a new Pyrex Erlenmeyer flask set on the way to help with the small volume starters.

 

[sweetcell]

I've seen mention of around 1.020 for harvesting dregs. Is that a good ballpark, or should I go closer to my standard 1.037 starter gravity?

for the initial step, use 1.020 - but just a little, like 150-200 ml/bottle. once that has fermented out, you can step up to 1.037 for the second round.

I've got a new Pyrex Erlenmeyer flask set on the way to help with the small volume starters.

are you planning on using a stir plate?

 

[505-Brewer]

for the initial step, use 1.020 - but just a little, like 150-200 ml/bottle. once that has fermented out, you can step up to 1.037 for the second round.


are you planning on using a stir plate?

This.

 

[BGBC]

I guess I should ask this just to clarify, but are you talking about making a big batch of starter wort and holding on to it until you open these bottles? I would not do that unless you can pressure can it (regardless of hopping or unhopped).

I hope/assume you're planning to make the starter wort for each bottle/pitch separately, as needed. Had to ask.

 

[TAK]

I'm planning on making starter wort for each bottle I open, as sweetcell said, about 150-200ml.

I have a stirplate, but I hadn't thought much about whether I should use it for these or not. Would you guys suggest stirplating these, or advise against it?

Also, since it's just for storage at this point, that is I don't have particular plans for these dregs at the moment, should I grow them up with a second step? I had been planning on just letting each bottle ferment it's own 150ml of wort, and then each would join it's peers in a growler over time.

 

[Wes440]

I would recommend getting some drilled #2 stoppers from your homebrew store along with some airlocks. Pour your starter wort directly into your sour beer bottle after pouring off most of the beer you'll be drinking, and snap that stopper and airlock in the top.

After a few weeks, add another 100-150mL of starter wort. This is a nice way to keep your sour cultures stored (and labeled). Sometimes stir plates can make sour cultures grow unevenly. Brett can put off extra acid with O2, and lactic bacteria often does best without O2.

 

[TAK]

One or two of the beers are 10-12% ABV. Is it worth capturing dregs from those bottles, or should I assume that those guys are too stressed to be worth using?

 

[Wes440]

One or two of the beers are 10-12% ABV. Is it worth capturing dregs from those bottles, or should I assume that those guys are too stressed to be worth using?

I would still try and prop them up! They may just need a little tlc!