How long do you boil a starter? And does it matter?
I usually boil for 10 minutes, but I think anything in the 5-10 minute range is fine. I don’t think you even need to go that long for sanitation but it helps to make sure all of the DME is good and dissolved.
I boil for 15, but like tygo said even that is probably not necessary for sanitization.
I go for 10 minutes.
I have been wondering if you actually have to boil the starter or if holding it at 200+ for 10 min is fine?
If you boil in a flask the boiling does create steam that helps sanitizing the flask, though.
Kai
You could just hold it at 200 to sanitize the wort, but boiling is an easy indicator that the wort is hot enough. Also you’re right that the boiling creates steam which sanitizes the rest of the flask. Even if the air in the flask is hot, dry air does not sanitize as quickly as steam.
Since a starter is normally a small volume, I’m concerned with exaggerated boil-off and creating a higher-gravity starter than I planned.
Once you get to a boil, you’re not gaining any additional sanitation by holding the boil (unless you’re not reaching ~212F throughout the entire volume, which shouldn’t be a big deal with a small amount of wort).
I boil the starter for 10 min., but I start with a slightly higher volume to account for boiloff.
I typically bring my starter wort up to a rolling boil and then turn off the flame. Then I let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes and then cool it down.
I figure a rolling boil is over 212F and the wort stays above 200 for quite awhile after you turn off the heat. I’ve never had a problem.
Paul
+1 This
I boil for 15 min. but will probably go down to 10. I boil the last 5 min. with the foam stopper in to sanitize it as well.
I put a drop of Fermcap in the flask to prevent boilovers (and constant watching;; once you get a boilover you dont want to do it again for sure).
So 10 minutes seems to be the consensus. if ysing freshly sparged wort, do/should you use any nutrient. I dont reall understand how nutrient works FWIW.
The nutrient is there to promote maximum yeast health. It is possible for your starter to produce more cells that are less healthy and therefore less capable of fermenting.
My feeling is if you’re willing to go thru all that trouble to make a starter, why not put the starter into 6 or 7 mason jars and put them in a pressure cooker at 15 psi for 15-20 minutes. It’s not a ton of work to do this (I did 21 jars this weekend). Jars and pressure cookers are cheap and it sure is nice to have a few jars of starter at your disposal…
Is this basically pasteurization? How long will a starter like this keep? Do you refrigerate?
+1 to a 10 minute boil and accounting for boiloff.
It will keep a very long time in the cupboard. how long would a jar of tomato sauce keep unopened in the cupboard? similar. far more than pasteurization.