How to - Can starter wort

[Moad]

Thought I'd make a guide as it doesn't seem like alot of AHBers are doing this (yet)

Equipment I am using:

- Pint Ball Mason jars - available from bigw for $32 for 12 - https://www.bigw.com.au/product/ball-regular-mouth-mason-jars-16oz-12- pack/p/WCC100000000011565/

- Pressure cooker from KMart - $79 - http://www.kmart.com.au/product/5.5-litre-pressure-cooker/139847

- Kitchen Scales - Most brewers would already have these

- DME - for 1.040 starter you need 46g per jar - LHBS $11 for 1KG (You could obviously make your own all grain starter too but for an extra $3 for 10L of starter I like the convenience of the DME)

- Spoon to scoop the DME into the jars

- Top up tap water

- About 30 minutes

- Website to calculate DME - http://www.captainbrew.com/dme-calculator

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1. Give the jars a rinse out with warm water and ensure they are clean of any old malt or the new jar stank
   
2. Scoop 46g (for 400ml starter @ 1.040) into each mason jar
   
3. Top up to 400ml with tap water
   
4. Clear the edge of the jar and the lid of any DME or debris that might stop it getting a good seal
   
   
5. Screw the lids back on finger tight, just enough to get a light seal
6. Fill pressure cooker (PC) basket with about 1.5L of water
   
7. Put jars into pressure cooker, the water should come up around half way but a little lower is fine
   
8. Place lid back on and lock in
9. Ensure the steam valve is turned to the right to seal the unit
   
10. Press the soup preset setting
    
11. Adjust down to 30 minutes
    
12. Click start (it will display "---" until it warms up and then you will see the countdown timer)
13. Once finished the unit will beep, do not try and open the unit
14. Place a wet tea towel over the unit to speed up the cooling process
15. After about 15 minutes you should be able to turn the pressure valve to the left and no pressure will be released, it is safe to open now
16. Open the lid and remove the jars, sit them outside to cool and then you can place the next batch in
17. While cooling you should hear a "clink" of the lids, the wort cooling creates negative pressure which pulls the lid on and creates a seal
18. Now you have jars of starter wort ready to simply pour into your sanitised flask or starter container!

 

[SBOB]

are those lids re-usable or do you need to re-buy lids every time?

 

[Moad]

Reusable for sure. They say buy new lids but I see absolutely no reason to if they seal. If they start to rust then replace them. You can get a 10 pack of the lids for a few bucks

 

[drsmurto]

Is there any reason you can't do this all in your HLT?

Fowlers preserving jars on gumtree would be another option.

 

[Moad]

I think the pressure of 10psi helps get the temperature of the liquid to 125 therefore making it sterile and safe to store for longer periods.

To do it at boiling temps only you would need to boil it 3 times or something very inconvenient like that.

Basically to kill spores and microbes it needs to be over 121 celsius not just boiling... that's my extremely unscientific understanding

edit:spelling

 

[SBOB]

how long do you think it could sit in the jars before its 'too old' to use?

 

[Moad]

No idea but the recommendation for canned fruits is one year

I don't intend on keeping any past a few months it is purely to make it easy and quick to get the starter going

 

[Tony121]

Could they be frozen?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

I'm often canning now its almost become a habit. Never even occurred to me to do it with wort. ha. Good idea. Just get the jar to pitch temp etc.
I always boil it in the flask and chill it on brew day and its an interference to the rest of the brewing really.

 

[Chridech]

Thanks Moad, I presume the jars don't need to be stored in the fridge? Fridge space is at a premium.

 

[Moad]

Nope in the cupboard which is why I have gone this method. You could freeze them but that would kind of defeat the purpose!

The link is broken in the original post - https://www.bigw.com.au/product/ball-regular-mouth-mason-jars-16oz-12-pack/p/WCC100000000011565/

 

[Mr_Brewer]

when you boil the jars would putting some hops hurt at all or would this help the yeast when i go to use them ??

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Is there any reason you can't do this all in your HLT?

Fowlers preserving jars on gumtree would be another option.

Used to do Fowlers Vacola jars when I was a kid. Done properly they would last for years

 

[niftinev]

no problems with fowler jars, have been using them for donkeys and never had a problem but fruit softens after a couple years and you will chuck the contents

never had any visible signs of mould or smell rotten with them even after 5 years

 

[MichaelM]

This is a great idea as we don't have yeast starters available commercially as far as I know. Northern brewer in the US sells a canned version. http://www.northernbrewer.com/fast-pitch-canned-wort-4-pack

 

[Moad]

when you boil the jars would putting some hops hurt at all or would this help the yeast when i go to use them ??

Yeast nutrient would be better and I meant to add that to the guide. You could put hops in if you do it for your normal starter

 

[Danscraftbeer]

when you boil the jars would putting some hops hurt at all or would this help the yeast when i go to use them ??

My starters are left over wort so its always hopped wort. I've always frozen it in PET bottles but then that means microwaving to thaw, then boil, then chill, then stir plate.

I'll be giving this canning option a go. See how it compares for time and fiddling. Freeing up freezer space will be a bonus at least.

 

[dannymars]

if "no chill" works and remains sanitary,

I don't see why you couldn't just put boiling wort in the jar, put on the lid and place in the fridge/freezer until cool/sealed....

 

[Moad]

if "no chill" works and remains sanitary,

I don't see why you couldn't just put boiling wort in the jar, put on the lid and place in the fridge/freezer until cool/sealed....

Excellent point, one which I can not answer other than to say it is a risk minimisation for me. The canning procedure is also for me less of a hassle than boiling in something else and then filling jars and tightening them while hot.

I would say there is less of a chance of botulism when it is over 120 degrees (USDA has some info on this).

I have just started playing around with no chill by the way

 

[drsmurto]

The requirements to go to 121C are excessive and unnecessary. The US standards for canning are much different to ours.

Generations of Aussies have been following the Fowlers method which is simply to heat to 80-95C for 1-2 hours dependent on what fruit/veg/foodstuff you are preserving.

My HLT is my mothers old Fowlers Vacola preserving urn. Dial is in degrees fahrenheit. I use it to preserve fruit and passata every year. Last for years in the pantry.

There is nothing wrong with using a pressure cooker and the OP has done a great job in documenting his method but it can be done perfectly safely using jars and a HLT. If it didn't work, no chill would be a ticking time bomb. Fark, those crazies don't even boil their cubes after filling them.