Left over wort for a starter (next day)

[Tahoose]

Hey guys, so I made a brew last night 100% pilsner malt.

I left the grain in my sparge bucket in a bucket, and 20hrs later I have 5 Ltrs of 1.020 wort which must have slowly dripped out over night.

Now am currently boiling it down to 2 litres and 1.050 but it doesn't quite smell right, not sure how to describe it, but it doesn't smell like the wort last night.

Should I be taking the risk with this starter and risk 24 litres of wort and 6hrs worth off work?

Or play it safe??

I'll be doing a 1 hour boil I think anyway...

 

[MartinOC]

If you've boiled it, 'should be fine.

If you keep the residual runoff from your sparge & boil it down to about 1035-1040, then hot-pack it (ie. capped whilst still simmering) directly into clean bottles, it's perfect for starters - ready to go anytime (normal sanitary practices apply, of course!).

 

[Smokomark]

If you have a lump of beef that has gone green and mouldy, you can cook it and it willl be safe to eat. Bacteria will be killed but it will taste like ****. Your wort will be the same. Safe but ****.

 

[Tahoose]

Hmmm been boiling for about 45 mins and still has that funny smell, I'm going to ditch it.

MartinOC I have done what you mentioned before and bottled in some passata bottles and that was no problem. It's basically like a mini no chill, bonus being its from the same wort as your beer.

Good points smokomark...

 

[Smokomark]

I often run off my leftovers and no chill in 2lt fruit juice bottles. It makes for great starters to use for the same cubes.

 

[manticle]

I save wort from my boil for starters. I reboil the next day. If anything smells odd, I don't waste my time.

If I were in your shoes, I would say goodbye to the wort.

 

[Edak]

If you are worried about the smell then I assume you guys add the while starter to the fermenter when it's ready. Do none of you decanter the starter? Have any of you smelled the starter once its been on a stirplate for 24 hours? Cardboard!

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Hmmm been boiling for about 45 mins and still has that funny smell, I'm going to ditch it.

MartinOC I have done what you mentioned before and bottled in some passata bottles and that was no problem. It's basically like a mini no chill, bonus being its from the same wort as your beer.

Good points smokomark...

Hmm, are passata bottles able to handle the worts thermal contraction as it cools? Sounds dangerous I'd be using fruit juice bottles or PET soft drink bottles (ive used these with success. Bonus is coke is that sterile all it needs is a rinse and starsan then ready to go

 

[Midnight Brew]

Serious question.

Wouldnt the wort melt the plastic coke bottles being at a hot temperature? I'm guessing you cool it down first?

 

[MartinOC]

Hmm, are passata bottles able to handle the worts thermal contraction as it cools? Sounds dangerous I'd be using fruit juice bottles or PET soft drink bottles (ive used these with success. Bonus is coke is that sterile all it needs is a rinse and starsan then ready to go

No problems. I've hot-packed home-made tomato sauce into passata bottles before. The little dimple in the lid pops down to confirm the seal/vacuum is holding.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Serious question.

Wouldnt the wort melt the plastic coke bottles being at a hot temperature? I'm guessing you cool it down first?

Serious answer. (Sorry, had to, it's FRIDAY!)

No, I didn't let the wort cool down any less than the wort going into the cube for no chill. They softened a bit as expected but were a long way from melting. I even used a 2L homebrand white vinegar bottle as well and that worked OK.

Might try the passata bottle, like the idea of the lid dimple seal and they're a perfect size! Time to make some pasta, for brewing purposes!!

 

[manticle]

If you are worried about the smell then I assume you guys add the while starter to the fermenter when it's ready. Do none of you decanter the starter? Have any of you smelled the starter once its been on a stirplate for 24 hours? Cardboard!

I make starters differently from most. I ferment at fermentation temp, oxygenate only at the beginnong (no stirplate) and pitch when active.

If I used a stirplate, I would decant (would probably also use dme).

Nonetheless, if the wort smelled 'wrong' I would be unlikely to use the yeast.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Also just looked up PET properties, it has a melting point of 250C, hence why no problems with the hot wort. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate

 

[Midnight Brew]

Was just a bit skeptical about the PET bottles cause I've had a few coke bottles here and there that just pierce when dropped from a small height.

Just to add in on the discussion, last time I stole 1L out of a cube I was pitching and put into a flask with a different yeast to build that up whilst I pitched my main batch. Two birds one stone.

Willing to give the PET/glass bottles another go.

 

[Tahoose]

The thing about using glass jars/ passata bottles is you could make 3x 700ml or 4x 500ml or 20 x500ml if you wanted then just only open and use as much as you need.

Maybe 1 x 500ml with the yeast then another 500ml a day later.

I just watched a YouTube video on sterilising bottles which was basically the jars in the oven for 10 mins at 180c and boil the lids for 5 mins. Then just put the wort in hot.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Was just a bit skeptical about the PET bottles cause I've had a few coke bottles here and there that just pierce when dropped from a small height.

Just to add in on the discussion, last time I stole 1L out of a cube I was pitching and put into a flask with a different yeast to build that up whilst I pitched my main batch. Two birds one stone.

Willing to give the PET/glass bottles another go.

That's failure from impact whilst the vessel is under significant pressure. Heat and pressure different effects on the material properties. I'd say the pressure puncture from dropping is more likely due to the low wall thickness, where heat to melt is the heat required to melt any wall thickness providing uniform heating.

Passata bottles sound like a goer though. Off to the Italian deli to pickup a 'slab' on special I go!

 

[Tahoose]

79c each?

If you were keen enough you'd pay that for the bottle... Then just think of it this way..

Free sauce!!

 

[TidalPete]

If I did BIAB I would consider saving a couple of litres of 1.040 or thereabouts wort to a sanitised container straight away & seal.
20 hours? Forget it.

If you can do the above then can add it to your (cold crashed & decanted) starter to create an Active Starter which you then add to fermenter before/after aerating. Both at near enough the same temp of course.
You'll be surprised what a difference an Active Starter makes to your fermentation.

 

[carniebrew]

Hey guys, so I made a brew last night 100% pilsner malt.

I left the grain in my sparge bucket in a bucket, and 20hrs later I have 5 Ltrs of 1.020 wort which must have slowly dripped out over night.

<snip>

I'm interested by the 5 litres that dripped out in 20 hours....how much grain was in your sparge bucket? 5l of wort seems like a lot if it was say 4 or 5kg of grain for a standard ~20l batch.

 

[Tahoose]

5.3kg of pilsner malt.

Aiming for a 24ltr batch of 1.050 at 75% efficiency

I have a feeling that my efficiency would have been higher than that but I'll check that when I pitch the yeast. Got 24 Ltrs in the cube anyway

Not to sure on my efficiency atm as I just got a new grain mill so I'm doing a couple of brews to but out the numbers