I assume if I take 1lb of LME as opposed to DME added to 1 gallon of water to achieve a gravity of 1.35. Can I use that to make a yeast starter? A 1 pound bag of DME is approximately $4 at my LHBS and $4 for the LME online. I have always used DME for whatever reason.
Thoughts
Also, would I have to boil it prior to pitching? Making another assumption but me thinks it was packaged sterile.
LME should be packaged sterile or it would go bad with no refrigeration. You can certainly use it to make starter wort at 1.035 (not 1.35) if you put a pound in a gallon. The reason I use DME instead of LME is that with LME you need to use the whole package once opened (or try to store it refrigerated) and I never make a gallon of starter wort at a time. DME can be purchased in large bags and used little-by-little without any storage issues. It is more expensive because it takes energy to dry the LME into DME and that costs the manufacturer.
I have always used DME for my starters. But like Richard said, it can go bad after opening the bag. So, I transfer my unused DME to a Food Saver bag and vacuum seal it for future use. Works great! A 2 pound bag lasts for many-many brews (6-8 months). Never had to discard any because it turned bad.
I think the point is that DME doesn’t go bad.
^^^^This
So in my opinion, DME is a mess to use. You have to boil, then cool. My assumption was, in a convoluted way, was to just boil my distilled water add the LME, let it cool to pitching temp w/o an ice bath. Oxygenate, add yeast and let it rip. IDK, seems less messy and easier too.
You can use LME if you wish too. It will work fine.
The main obstacle, in my mind, is storage. DME will last a very long time without any degradation but the clock starts on LME the moment you open the container.
Both methods require boiling/cooling down water so I don’t see any savings there. There isn’t any need to ice bath starter wort either. Just cover the pan and let it cool if you want. I use cold water and ice to save myself time.
It just a hobby, how you do it is up to you.
Paul
My misunderstanding. Thank you!
This is what I want to use. 1lb pkg will make 1 gallon of starter @ 1.035 I brew anywhere from 15-25 gallons at a time. Depending on recipe size and style, 1 gallon is perfect size.
Just save some leftover wort from your mash tun from a previous brew. We always steal a couple quarts from the end of the mash. No…it might not be Kosher, but it has always worked for a great starter. How long have we done this? Probably over 10 years. With extremely good results.
A guy in our club rescued some past date Light LME from the trash at a LHBS. When opened, it looked like molasses, very stale. I used it for starters, no problem, but I decanted. Some guys did make beer with it, and the beers tasted stale.
I also will take last runnings for starters, if they are roughly 7 P or more. A little boiling can raise that to 8-9 P. You can also freeze the runnings if your not growing yeast up soon.
So I would assume that you would have to process in a pressure canner to avoid any potential infection?
Yeah, or freeze and boil when needed
The hot unhopped wort is saved in sterilized quart jars, sealed, and then stored in the fridge. Then boiled when needed to make a new starter. It works very well.
With that method, there is always a risk of botulism. So far, so good works until it doesn’t
That was my first thought exactly. Boiling is not enough to kill botulism, but pressure canning can get to a high enough temperature to do it.
Follow up;
I made the yeast starter with 1 lb of pale LME. Let it ferment out, crashed and decanted on brew day. I ended up boiling the wort (see original post) because the 1lb package I purchased looked as if it was repackaged from a larger amount due to the clear tape around the lid and the generic label.
Anywhoo, I guess the only advantage was that there really was no mess to clean other than equipment. WTBS, I will use LME for all starters going forward.