Small HDPE Jerrys for no chill starters

[Eagleburger]

two out of two I have gotten mould infections when I have kept boiled wort in laboratory HDPE 2L containers. I tried pressure cooking which worked but was a hassle. Now I rarely bother with starters and just pitch separated slurry from the fridge. If I am growing a vial from the freezer I use DME which costs 8 bux per kilo from CB.

Not what you asked, just my experience.

 

[manticle]

How long did you keep it. I use hopped wort for starters for 90+% of my brews, never a mould infection but yeast added between 1 and 2 days of collection.

 

[Eagleburger]

Two weeks. The mould did not present itself till the day after I emptied the bottle. I have not had visible mould in any fermenter, but I clean asap.

 

[Florian]

To me, the point of using ag wort for starters is to use identical wort to the main one the yeast gets pitched in.

I know that you have done exactly this for years and so have I, but it might be worth pointing out that yeast manufacturers recommend the exact opposite, as in not using the wort that the yeast will later be working on, but rather unhopped low OG wort at higher temps than we usually ferment at, as the yeast doesn't benefit from being 'conditioned' to their future work place during the growth phase.

I have heard Chris White and also someone else from white labs say exactly this when specifically asked by home brewers.

Real world experience against theory and all that, just throwing it out there for the new ones.

 

[Bribie G]

I only do starters with Whitelabs / Wyeast out of the vial or smackpack, then for subsequent brews I keep bottles of slurry in the fridge. The good thing about slurry is that it ends up about a third yeast and two thirds beer so, when opening, if the beer is good the yeast is good. Then I give it a wash in pure water and pitch.
A kilo of LDME usually lasts me six months.

 

[manticle]

I know that you have done exactly this for years and so have I, but it might be worth pointing out that yeast manufacturers recommend the exact opposite, as in not using the wort that the yeast will later be working on, but rather unhopped low OG wort at higher temps than we usually ferment at, as the yeast doesn't benefit from being 'conditioned' to their future work place during the growth phase.I have heard Chris White and also someone else from white labs say exactly this when specifically asked by home brewers.Real world experience against theory and all that, just throwing it out there for the new ones.

Florian - what I have read suggests there is not one perfect path but a series of possible methods that make up good practice.

Firstly gravity shouldn't be too high (or low) While recommendations are usually around 1030-1040, most of my beers are 1045 - 1055 so it's not crazy to use that wort. Admittedly if I do a quad, I use similar methods, just beginning with more yeast but most beers are mid range.
Secondly, while hops aren't necessary in starters, they're not especially harmful either according to Jamil for example.
Thirdly, if pitching a whole, active starter (which sources like mr malty, yeast etc suggest is perfectly acceptable) you want to avoid over agitating the wort. If I'm putting 2-6 litres of liquid in my wort, I'd prefer it to be something that won't change the balance.
Finally, I use the method to reduce kettle to trub losses.

I'd like to read more proper brewing science on it (although unlikely I'll change the method as it seems to work very well and I have no negative outcomes I can attribute to the practice) as opposed to HB texts but my method doesn't entirely fly in the face of yeast manufacturers recommendations.

Also I have heard about the enzyme profile of yeast being specific to the wort being fermented but I'm unsure whether that's hearsay or hb myth. I'd like to verify one way or the other.