Old Wort

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StarRaptor
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Old Wort

Post by StarRaptor »

I have about a half a gallon of wort in my fridge that I used for some yeast starters the last time I brewed back in January.

The gallon was a clean and sanitized glass jar prior to being fulled

I used it to step up some starters back in January

I'm gearing up to brew on Sunday and plan on splitting a vial of WLP007 into two starters

Can I use the wort I have or should I start fresh?
dhempy
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Re: Old Wort

Post by dhempy »

Not sure ... maybe someone has more experience. I know that folks have used "canned" wort where it was sealed up on a jar with a pressure cooker. IIWM, I would either make fresh or at least bring that one to a boil first.

Dan
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3rdto1st
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Re: Old Wort

Post by 3rdto1st »

You have plenty of time to make a new starter, and with about 2mo on the old one, I would say make a fresh one. Any bacteria in that wort would have grown slowly, yes, but it still would have grown. Be safe and do a new one.
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maltbarley
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Re: Old Wort

Post by maltbarley »

I've done it as I don't have canning equip. If it had bacteria in it and it was a tight seal, it would have bloated. Just boil it again and use it.
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bwarbiany
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Re: Old Wort

Post by bwarbiany »

And of course there's the simple sanity check -- take a hydrometer sample. If it's dropped in gravity, then you have bacteria in there that has fermented it. If it's the same, then it's fine.

I definitely recommend re-boiling, which would then kill anything in there, but take a hydro sample first to make sure there's still sugar left over for the yeast.

(Edit: realized I said exactly the opposite of what I intended, edited to fix it.)
Last edited by bwarbiany on Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Brad
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StarRaptor
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Re: Old Wort

Post by StarRaptor »

Just made a fresh one. I figured if I had to ask the question deep down I knew the answer

:cheers:
dhempy
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Re: Old Wort

Post by dhempy »

StarRaptor wrote:Just made a fresh one. I figured if I had to ask the question deep down I knew the answer

:cheers:
Better safe than sorry ...
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lexuschris
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Re: Old Wort

Post by lexuschris »

StarRaptor wrote:Just made a fresh one. I figured if I had to ask the question deep down I knew the answer

:cheers:
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grico
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Re: Old Wort

Post by grico »

I put my extra runnings into quart ziplock bags, and then throw them in the freezer. Pull out a quart or 2 and throw them into a pot, boil 30min and i have a nice starter. I am sure it keeps a bit longer than wort in the fridge. I am constantly building starters though, so they dont stay around for very long.
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ArrogantDan
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Re: Old Wort

Post by ArrogantDan »

What's the gravity on the extra runnings? I just read in Jamil's yeast book that a starter's OG should be between 1.030 - 1.040.
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grico
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Re: Old Wort

Post by grico »

I seem to be running a little high at the end lately, around 1.023-1.030. So a 30min boil puts me right in that 1.030-1.040 range.
Gallons Brewed 2011: 85
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ArrogantDan
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Re: Old Wort

Post by ArrogantDan »

Perfect, nice strategy...
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