I have a vanilla porter recipe I’m planning to brew in a few days. While I can simply pitch the yeast from the smack pack, I usually do a yeast starter. Unfortunately, I only have Breiss Golden Light DME on hand right now - not dark. …will that affect anything if I use it? Will it be fine, or should I NOT use the light DME???
Thanks!
Absolutely no effect, pitch away! The only time you may want to use a certain DME is with wheat beers, in which case you may want to use wheat DME. The idea is that malted wheat has slightly different sugar compositions, and starting your yeast in wheat-based DME has them acclimated to these sugars. But even that isn’t that big of a deal, I usually just use whatever is lying around.
Are you sure about the “different sugars” thing?
Not at all, which is why I really don’t bother - I think it says something to that effect in Palmer’s original book, which I realize is somewhat out of date. I’ll have to see if I can find the reference when I get a chance. However, there is a difference between the composition of wheat-based wort versus barley-based wort, in that they taste different.
Yeah, but I don’t think that has anything to do with how the yeast work.
Do you have any information regarding wheat versus barley wort sugar content? My quick google search hasn’t provided any information one way or the other. Can’t find the reference in Palmer’s book, I must have read it somewhere else.
You mean the amount or the makeup? Looks like barley is in the 36-38 ppg range and wheat is more like 38-40. As far as the makeup of the sugar, I can’t find anything that says there’s any real difference. And I can’t imagine why there would be.
Thanks much!!! Pitching in 3…2…1…
I use a light colored DME for all my starters, and would think you wouldn’t want to do a dark DME into a light colored brew, only concern would be slight change in the color of yer brew. Sneezles61
I only keep LDME on hand for adjusting OG so that’s what I use.
