I have mead kit that I bought several months ago and am just getting around to making it. I noticed that my yeast smack pack is 1 month past its “best before” date. I’m assuming I can bring it up to a decent pitch with a starter. However I’ve never made a starter for mead. Would a DME based starter be problematic if I decanted the spent wort before pitching?
I think your plan would work fine. Based on the beer piching rate info, you would want to increase the cell count.
I have used 71b dry wine yeast for my 2 meads so I have not worried about it.
Typically, atleast a 10% volume starter is recommended for a mead anyways when using a liquid yeast. You want a starter solution that is as close to yor must as possible. I would make a starter using honey and make sure to feed it nutrients.
