Hello I just got a 12qt pressure canner. Well I want to know if I canned 2gal of wort for future starter’s how much DME do I need for 2gal at a OG of 1.040?
The ratio is 1 pound of dme per gallon of water yields a og of 1.040 to 1.043. So you will need 2 pounds. As far as caning I can’t help you there I freeze mine and works great for me. How i do it is with my vacuum sealed and freezer bags draws the oxygen out and i freeze it.
I jus freeze some second runnings in Tupperware
I usually have to dilute my starters after taking a gravity reading because of the boil off. Just use distilled water and DME. The pound to gallon ration is correct initially if you don’t boil for too long and have minimal evaporation rates.
Why do you want to can starter wort using DME? It would be significantly easier to just make the starter when you need it if using DME. Usually you would can starter wort by brewing a small batch of AG to store without fear of bacterial growth, namely botulism.
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I would think the time would be equal, from thawing out to pitchable temp as it is from cooling to pitchable temp… I will continue to make a starter with DME… I’ll bet this could be debated just as Fly sparge, Batch sparge, BIAB… Hey, even like using Briess to Rahr!! I’m not trying to push against the grain… Sneezles61
The optimum ratio for a starter wort is 10:1. This is where metric becomes your friend. Two gallons is 7,571 milliliters. You would need 757 grams (26 ounces) of DME for the starter wort.
Don’t worry about boil off. You don’t need to boil the starter wort. Maintain a low boil in the kettle for a few minutes to sanitize the kettle. Remove the kettle from the heat and add the DME. One minute at 171°F is sanitation temperature even though it is unlikely the DME could be contaminated. DME/sugar are preservatives. Bacteria will not grow unless chunks of something are included. Usually we are more careful not to add stuff to our bags of DME.
Canning wort at the appropriate SG can be more convenient than Fast Pitch. I’ve thought about canning wort but during the winter I’m too low on quart jars. Come Spring I’m short on brewing time and too lazy to check the pressure regulator. (Fall is the time the County offers free pressure testing.).
I understand that canned wort is VERY convenient. I just don’t think it’s that cost effective or efficient if using DME. You are already buying the DME and then processing it, which using pressure takes significant time (boiling it under pressure, allowing it to cool, bleeding pressure, etc).
I look at like this: I can take 3 hours in one day and spend money on DME to pressure can or I can spend 10 mins to make a starter the day before brewing.
Now, I’m not against the method, and in fact have just bought a pressure cooker for this. I’m just saying I think it is more cost effective and efficient to do this using AG.
@flars botulism can grow in any medium at pH above 4.6. Unfermented wort pH is around 5, which makes this a realistic risk. Sugar is clearly an effective preservative as botulism spores can be found in honey, which is why small children are not allowed to have it.
Just my $.02.
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^^^ THIS. Botulism can kill you, and lives in an anaerobic, fairly neutral environment. And the spores survive boiling temperature just fine. You need to process canned wort at XX pounds pressure for YY minutes to effectively kill the spores. Not going to post the numbers, because anyone who wants to can wort should look it up in a reputable reference book and not take the word from some dude on the internet.
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It’s the difference between water bath canning and pressure canning. Water bath canning is not safe if the pH of what is being preserved is above 4.6.
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Botulism is realy hardy. Just boiling kills the toxins but not the bacteria spores. It takes 240 degrees to kill the spore which is higher that the boiling point. This can be achieved with a pressure cooker if done safe and properly but seems like alot of work. This is why I like the freezing method. Botulism spores can be destroyed with temps below freezing but not the toxins that it produced. So it will still have to be boiled to kill the toxins. This is far safer way to store starter wort than the canning method and not near the amount of work.
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