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Yeast starter wort

Post #1 made 14 years ago
by jonesy
Hi All,

I'm after a bit of feedback on starters or in particular the wort to kick them off.

I've done starters a few times now using DME to kick them off but I was wondering if i was able to use left over wort from a previous batch to use as a starter for the next and if so are there any pitfalls or tricks i should be aware of.

I'm planning on doing a brew tomorow and another on Friday (you have to do something when your home looking after the kids on school holidays ;) ) so I wanted to use any left over wort from tomorows batch to kick off a starter for Fridays. I do the Maxi-BIAB method and usually have a bit of wort left over that often ends up down the sink :argh: so can i just use that for the starter. I was thinking of just cooling it down and adding it to my yeast ready to kick off the starter or do i need to do anything with if first eg dilute or increase the gravity.

Both batches will be lagers though not sure if that makes a difference.

As always any feedback greatly appreciated

Cheers

Jonesy

Post #2 made 14 years ago
by shibolet
Hey Jonesy,
there should be no problem at all with using wort for starters. i know i'v done it.
you have to adjust the gravity (usually by dilution) to around 1.035-1.040.
also, i would re boil the starter wort just to make sure it's extra sanitized.
the only difference between lager and ale starters (that i am aware of) is the volume. lager starter need to be huge.
Cube:
fermenter: Sourdough Spelt Ale, Classic Lambic, Oud Brune, Barrel Aged Belgian Dubbel
Kegs: Bob's Black IPA, Blanc Blond, Soda...
to be brewed:

Post #3 made 14 years ago
by jonesy
Hi Shibolet

Thanks for the reply i got the feeling that i was asking the obvious but good to get feedback. I was thinking the other day that i was spending more on DME to make a starter than on I was on the yeast hence the question so good to hear i was on the right track :P

Cheers

Jonesy

Post #4 made 14 years ago
by Cameron
Hi Jonesy,

I'm also having a go at using some leftover wort to make a starter. I read somewhere on the Mad Fermentationist blog about collecting all the trub out of the kettle, refridgerating this in a jug so clear wort separates from proteins and trub, then decanting this wort for use in a starter.

I collected 2L of trub after brewing a dunkelweizen the other day, refridgerated this and ended up decanting 500ml of clear wort off the top. I diluted this slightly, boiled it in a saucepan for 10 mins then 'no chilled' in a 750ml PET bottle (squeezing the bottle to eliminate headspace). This is sitting in my fridge until I'm ready to build up the WB06 starter for my dunkelweizen. I'll let you know how it goes.

I hear this method is supposed to give the yeast less of a 'shock' when pitched, because it has already been reproducing in an identical wort. Post your results for us!
Last edited by Cameron on 09 Jul 2011, 09:05, edited 5 times in total.

Post #5 made 14 years ago
by stux
This is what I normally do. Should work well

If necessary I sometimes boost the starter volume with some DME
Fermenting: -
Cubed: -
Stirplate: -
On Tap: NS Summer Ale III (WY1272), Landlord III (WY1469), Fighter's 70/- II (WY1272), Roast Porter (WY1028), Cider, Soda
Next: Munich Helles III

5/7/12

Post #6 made 14 years ago
by jonesy
Hi Cameron (and others)

It all worked well for me I got 2 litres of wort by just adding some more boiling water to my bag after i had finished sparging(maxi-biab style). It was a bit low in terms of gravity so i added a small amount of DME to boost it up just like Stux says and it worked a treat. I used a white labs Oktoberfest lager yeast in the starter which their web site says can be slow but i seemed to have activity in the starter after about 24 hours and the beer is happily fermenting away as I type so I'm happy :thumbs: .

Cheers

Jonesy
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