Importance of maintaining wort temperature

[manticle]

My starters are always hopped as I reserve final runnings from the kettle for this purpose.

 

[peteru]

If you are making the starter a few days before brew day, it means you need to pull your hops out of the freezer and open the vacuum packaging, just to get a few pellets out. Then vacuum again, reseal and back to the freezer for a few more days until you need them again.

I suppose you could keep some older hops in a separate container, purely for starter use... They don't need to be in top condition for that purpose.

 

[manticle]

There is no real point making the effort to hop a starter if it's purely a starter you've made. I understand the anti-microbial action is minimal so I wouldn't do it just for that reason.

There's nothing wrong with hops in a starter but no real gain either.

Only reason mine are hopped is that the wort is left from the main boil and thus already hopped.

 

[nosco]

Jamil Z says in the yeast book and on Brew Strong that you shouldnt hop starters because the anti bacterial properties can inhibit the yeast. The hop oils bind to the bacteria and yeast. Since alot of people use left over wort it cant have too much effect.

 

[Reman]

Umm actual experimental results...? Makes little difference except for stupidly high IBUs. For those saying if you can't make a sterile starter then give it up, I think this is not very nuanced. It doesn't take much of an infection for it grow and affect the final product. Hopping a starter is insurance against that and like insurance you could go without but you are taking a risk.

http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2013/07/01/yeast-growth-in-hopped-wort/