Saving Fresh DME Wort

Over The Cliff Brewing

Over The Cliff Brewing

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I want to make a good amount of DME wort for yeast starters in advance. Will it work like it should say a week or two down the road? Anyone doing this?
 
As long as you're OCD about sanitation and you keep it in a cold fridge, I think the risk of infection should be minimal. Just in case, be sure to give it a close look and an sniff test before using it though.
 
I clean and sanitize everything before, during and after using everything from spoons to funnels etc.
 
As nosey said can it sugar water unfermented in the fridge in my books is a serious infection risk.
 
Yup I have canned wort. It will keep for months. But you have to have a pressure cooker and know how to use it. If you are going to the trouble of making wort ahead of time why not use grain? Save a buck or 2.
 
If you're going to make it up in advance, it should be pressure canned. You could freeze it, but then you'd have to thaw/boil it so it wouldn't be any time saver.
DME spoils FAST, and in the fridge it may be ok but you'd want to boil it after taking it out of the fridge.
 
You can also use canning jars. Put the hot wort in the jar (180 °F or above), put on the lid, and cool. The lid will seal itself due to the vapor contraction in the head space. One advantage of the canning jars is that you know that it is still sealed as long as the "button" in the middle of the lid is still depressed. You probably want to bring the jars up to temperature in a water bath to avoid shocking the jars and breaking them when adding the hot wort. No need for a pressure cooker or anything fancy using this method.
 
Ahhh forget it....I'll just make it as I need it. I don't want to risk infection in something that becomes very important in the brewing process. I appreciate the advice though. Dont fret none, I'll have more questions. Thanks!
 
Frankenbrewer said:
Ahhh forget it....I'll just make it as I need it. I don't want to risk infection in something that becomes very important in the brewing process. I appreciate the advice though. Dont fret none, I'll have more questions. Thanks!
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Seems to me to be the most logical course of action...
 
I bottle and freeze excess wort for starters off my batches, put it in some hot water the day before and it works a treat.
 
Since this thread seems to have come to a conclusion, I'm going to hijack it and ask @Yooper to give a little info on "DME spoils FAST". First, dumb question/assumption...I assume you are talking about still dry DME and not the wort is was used to make. How fast does it spoil and what is the best method for extending it's freshness?

I use DME for starters so, the flavor impact of stale DME wouldn't be low....I assume. I usually have an open bag of DME (in a ziploc bag) which I store it at room temperature in the basement (60-70 F/15-21 C). I used to freeze it but, that was a mess because the condensation and DME instantly formed a gooey, sticky mess.
 
I've tried this canning style method years back and it was a infected stinking mess:eek:
I was pretty green back then I posted a thread on here somewhere on it.
But somehow a bug gut in them jars somehow and all i remember is I got a jar out to make a starter opened it and it was foul.
So I stuck with prepping my wort and getting my yeast in asap.
Now I'll even grab my starter fresh wort off mid or end of boil on main batch into a flask which I find super convinent.
If using kviek I'll cool the batch take a starter sample and pitch the kviek into fermentor and use the dregs to make the next generation from the wort i pinched.
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
Since this thread seems to have come to a conclusion, I'm going to hijack it and ask @Yooper to give a little info on "DME spoils FAST". First, dumb question/assumption...I assume you are talking about still dry DME and not the wort is was used to make. How fast does it spoil and what is the best method for extending it's freshness?

I use DME for starters so, the flavor impact of stale DME wouldn't be low....I assume. I usually have an open bag of DME (in a ziploc bag) which I store it at room temperature in the basement (60-70 F/15-21 C). I used to freeze it but, that was a mess because the condensation and DME instantly formed a gooey, sticky mess.
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Reconstituted DME spoils quickly - think setting wort out for all manner of bugs to get into. Best way of extending its freshness is keep it dry. It'll last nearly forever. And keep it sealed - as you noticed, it's very hydrophilic (loves water)!
 
Bubba Wade said:
You can also use canning jars. Put the hot wort in the jar (180 °F or above), put on the lid, and cool. The lid will seal itself due to the vapor contraction in the head space. One advantage of the canning jars is that you know that it is still sealed as long as the "button" in the middle of the lid is still depressed. You probably want to bring the jars up to temperature in a water bath to avoid shocking the jars and breaking them when adding the hot wort. No need for a pressure cooker or anything fancy using this method.
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DO NOT USE THIS METHOD! This is an excellent way to produce botulism. The bacteria spores that produce botulism will survive a boil for hours. They reproduce in a low oxygen environment, just like what is produce when canning anything, during reproduction they produce a very deadly toxin. I have heard of people using a boiling bath method, even this can lead to botulism. A boil bath can be used but only if the pH is below 4.6, the lower pH hinders the bacteria.

I don’t mean to be dramatic or offensive, but this is basic food safety. It’s no joke.

Edit: I forgot to mention, in order to can wort you need a pressure canning capable of 15 psi. At the pressure the temperature is around 250F from sea level to 1500 feet of altitude. This kills the spores in minutes.
 
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Not to be contrary, but wort would not be at high risk. With the DME processing, the likelihood of contamination of spores is very low.

This method is essentially no different than placing wort in a fermenter.
 
The risks may be low, but they are there. Botulism kills people in the US every year, mostly from improper home canning. This is nothing to f#*k with! If it doesn’t kill, it can cause breathing problems and paralysis. It is not worth the risk. Do it properly and it’s safe. There is no way to know if the toxin is in the canned wort. It doesn’t alway break to the vacuum of the seal.

I don’t mean any disrespect, but what you suggest for canning wort is very bad advice. It could cause someone to lose their health.
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
Since this thread seems to have come to a conclusion, I'm going to hijack it and ask @Yooper to give a little info on "DME spoils FAST". First, dumb question/assumption...I assume you are talking about still dry DME and not the wort is was used to make. How fast does it spoil and what is the best method for extending it's freshness?

I use DME for starters so, the flavor impact of stale DME wouldn't be low....I assume. I usually have an open bag of DME (in a ziploc bag) which I store it at room temperature in the basement (60-70 F/15-21 C). I used to freeze it but, that was a mess because the condensation and DME instantly formed a gooey, sticky mess.
Click to expand...

No, DME itself doesn't really spoil fast. Sorry for the way I phrased it. It does get rock-hard pretty fast once opened. I use a tall narrow tupperware to store mine, even though I reclose the bag and tie it with a twistie tie, that fits with my canisters, to keep it cool and dry in the cabinet. Like this, but Tupperware brand and not Rubbermaid, but you get the idea.
dfd50481-ad55-4861-b078-2a4d5edaae66



Dry sugary things don't really spoil because they need moisture. Once it's mixed into wort, especially without hops, it can go back very quickly though.

Edit- holy cow that's BIG. Sorry about that!
 
I had a bag of DME sealed with the tie wrap used for starters in the drawer start getting a bit sticky around the top. Divided it up into the amounts I use for starters and sealed each batch in vacuum seal bags.
 
west1m said:
I had a bag of DME sealed with the tie wrap used for starters in the drawer start getting a bit sticky around the top. Divided it up into the amounts I use for starters and sealed each batch in vacuum seal bags.
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Clever! Why didn't I think of that?
 
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