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anyone ever "canned" wort for starters? thinking of making a 2 gal batch just for yeast starters putting it hot into sealed mason jars. use it as i need to make a starter. Wondering if this would cause any problems.

I have, and a word of warning about 1.9L jars. They aren't recommended for canning due to lack of heat penetration. This is true. I had a jar go moldy after 8 months, still sealed...

You'll need to pressure can wort so be safe. Hot water bath or just putting the wort in hot just doesn't cut it. I've used 1.9L jars but gave extra processing time @ 15psi. If you have the means, and time on your hands, I think it's worth doing. It's really convenient to get a starter going on a whim, inside of 10 minutes.

Boiling water should be good enough in small jars, the pH is low enough from my measurements.

mr x wrote:Boiling water should be good enough in small jars, the pH is low enough from my measurements.

What's your pH, and what is considered safe for hot water bath canning? You just gave me an idea... add some lactic or some other kind of acid to get the wort into acceptable range. It's only for the starter and would have less effect on the finished beer if you decant.

4.5 and under. It's the reason some recipes for canned tomatoes specify lemon juice, etc...

I can't remember my pH exactly, but I measured it at the time and it was good. I'm not sure what happened there but mold formed on the top of one jar ...

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Hmm that is a great idea, I am always too lazy to make starters as I don't buy DME. But if I were making a 5 gallon recipe and bumped it to 6 gal and canned the extra... I've got a pressure cooker so I could probably pressure can if I needed to. Might have to look into this more!

It certainly won't hurt to pressure can if you have one.

Pressure canning is the way to go.
Wort isn't listed here, but this is a great website if you want to know you are canning safely.
http://nchfp.uga.edu/

I wonder what would happen if you boiled a beer in a pressure cooker? Extract some nasty shit from the hops?

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:Hmm that is a great idea, I am always too lazy to make starters as I don't buy DME. But if I were making a 5 gallon recipe and bumped it to 6 gal and canned the extra... I've got a pressure cooker so I could probably pressure can if I needed to. Might have to look into this more!

didnt even think about making extra wort, however i spend the time to wash the yeast to get it as neutral as possible. with the amount of hops i tend to use and the high gravity it might not be a good idea for me

No idea lol.

Personally, I'm going back to my favorite method of storage, which is far less hassle. Boil the wort in a big flask, cover with a beaker, and leave in the fridge for years if need be. Heat it again before use.

Is anyone doing this currently? I am tossing around the idea but do not have a pressure cooker. If you are canning can you share your process?

I'm curious about adjusting the ph for storage. Could be easy with some lemon juice/baking soda!