Canning Condensed Wort - DIY Propper Starters

*Hit that SUBSCRIBE button, you know you want to!!*
BUY ME A BEER 🍺 Doing so will help support the channel and allow me bring you even more brewing content! thanks and Cheers! 🍻 www.buymeacoff...
Making a yeast starter is an important step in making good beer. A yeast starter will ensure that you have enough healthy yeast cells to property ferment your beer, without producing any off flavors. This is particularly important in high gravity beers (Original Gravity greater than 1.060), lagers, or using old or expired yeast.
In this video, we go through step-by-step instructions on canning condensed wort, basically DIY Propper starters, that make easy yeast starters. This cost under $1 each vs Propper or Fast Pitch starters that cost up to 7 dollars each. Recommended equipment list and process is below.
Check out my other related videos on how to:
Harvest yeast from commercial beers here:
• Harvest Yeast from Com...
Make a Yeast Starter:
• How to Make a Yeast St...
Equipment for Canning Wort:
Pressure Canner:
amzn.to/3XguRuw
Mason Jars with lids (pint size):
amzn.to/3pcM9fv
Digital Scale:
amzn.to/34Cfcyv
Light Dry Malt Extract:
amzn.to/3sl4gNN
Yeast Nutrient:
amzn.to/43QYQf2
Making a Starter, you will also need:
Stir Plate with magnetic stir bar
amzn.to/3ruBNG9
2L(2000ml) Erlenmeyer Flask
amzn.to/3snJrRF
The process:
-Put 4 oz DME and 1/4 teaspoon of yeast nutrient in mason Jar
-Fill with water to about 3/4 to 1 inch from the top of jars
-Clean rims of jars to ensure a good seal
-put on lids and collars, lightly hand tighten
-Put in pressure canner with recommended water level
-Heat to boiling for 10 minutes
-Place 15 lbs pressure regulator
-Once pressurized, the regulator will shake and hiss, start 15 minute timer then.
-After 15 mins, shut off heat and let cool down naturally (overnight if possible, do not rush this)
-Once cool, take out jars and check lid for propper seal.
-Wipe them down with a damp rag to clean.
-These can be stored up to 4 years!
To use, shake a jar well, then pour into an Erlenmeyer Flask and fill with filtered water up to the 1L line. Add stir bar and yeast. Done!
For all your home brewing ingredients, equipment, and kits:
www.morebeer.c...
Individual Equipment (Exact products I use, except chiller):
Gas One 10 Gallon Kettle w/ Temp Gauge & Ball Valve:
amzn.to/34pZW7Q
You will also need Stainless Steel 1/2" Barb Hose to 1/2" NPT 2 Pack:
amzn.to/3uuHzJC
Hurricane 60,000 BTU Burner - (Natural Gas):
www.williamsbr...
Hurricane 60,000 BTU Burner - (Propane version):
www.williamsbr...
Bayou Classic High-Pressure Cooker/Burner(old Burner):
amzn.to/3grC5qV
Northern Brewer - Copper Immersion Wort Chiller:
amzn.to/3HwDdpf
Big Mouth Bubbler 6.5 gallon Glass Carboy:
amzn.to/34lNvdl
RV Inline Water filter:
amzn.to/3J8ky3q
Digital Scale (measuring grain and hops):
amzn.to/34Cfcyv
Digital Thermometer:
amzn.to/3t321it
Refractometer:
amzn.to/3KgQ53I
Inkbird Temperature Controller:
amzn.to/35IxD4U
Barley Crusher(what I have):
amzn.to/3NICEfs
or Budget friendly Grain Mill:
amzn.to/3x8oHkS
Polycarbonate (Shatterproof) Hydrometer
amzn.to/3U3Cwc9

[@WreckedBrewery]

Very cool and great video! I bought a pressure canner last year with the intent of trying to make my own Propper Starters and just now got around to trying it yesterday. The process was super easy to follow thanks to videos like this. I now have 8 jars of canned wort ready for a starter. Instead of DME, I just made a mini-mash with some base 2-row and dialed it to 1.040. I did forget to add yeast nutrient into each jar, but hopefully that won't make too much of an impact. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

[@CityscapeBrewing]

That works! Did you make them 1 liter in size? I concentrated mine using the DME so they would be 1.040 once I filled them to 1 liter later in the flask. The yeast nutrient is optional, But just helps for faster growth. You can always add that when you make the starter too!

[@WreckedBrewery]

@@CityscapeBrewing So I kinda derped and made the pint sized jars at 1.040 each. Therefore when adding to a 1l or 2l flask where I would normally add some water, that would bring it down some. I know for next time to concentrate it more. I guess I could just add 2 jars instead of 1 to make the yeast starter and not water it down. I was also thinking the next time I do it to skim some off the mash of a future brew day so save the step of making a batch from scratch. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks for your quick reply. I'm learning this process and enjoying it so far.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

@WreckedBrewery yep! I would just use two jars to make a starter and next time concentrate them. DME is super cheap, and you don't need to boil first when canning, like you would for a typical starter. That's not a bad idea just saving a liter of the top of a different brew for your next batch, but then you'll need to also pressure can it if you're going to save long term.

[@WreckedBrewery]

@@CityscapeBrewing I think I'd prefer AG over DME since I already do that and have a ton of grains. Any upside to DME that you can see? I assume neither has to be boiled pre pressure canning since that process kills anything off. Yeah, I figured take some from the sparge, can it and save for future starters.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

@WreckedBrewery you can do it either way, but there are advantages to DME. With AG you still have to do a mash process.. and let it soak for a while to get the sugars off.. with DME you just mix in the water and can it. It doesn't matter which one you use because you're just using the sugars to replicate yeast and then decanting off the old starter beer, so it doesn't end up in your beer anyway. Both ways will make a starter, just one is much more time consuming.

[@FermentationAdventures]

Great video. I've been canning my own starters for awhile. And while it's more labor and time intensive I usually make my starter wort from old base grains that I've had for quite awhile, and don't want to use in beer. But I've used DME a bunch of times as well!

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Awesome. Definitely more than one way to do it but having those starters on hand is a great idea.

[@MatthesGardens]

Great process video for homebrewers, and as a home canner, you nailed that too! Great safety focus.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Thanks 👍💯🍻

[@timwood4149]

Why is the wort so dark? You used light DME, I would expect a much lighter result.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Partly because it is condensed wort (same color as a popper starter) and because of how vigorous the boil is. You'll notice that when you picture yeast it will turn to a normal lighter color again once the yeast start to propagate. You will also decant off most of the spent beer if you cold crash your starter ahead of time. There's no effect on the final beer whatsoever.

[@StereoRodeo]

I’m a garden geek and like to can tomatoes, I may try this. Looks like you got your ingredients from Jess..

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Sure did! Almost all of them usually!

[@RichardDePas]

Great idea and super informative video. I've overbuilt a yeast starter and then separated it into 4 or 5 small sanitized specimen jars for yeasts I use often. Basically making my own liquid yeast. Store them in my kegerator. Saves me from making a starter each time. Been working out great.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Nice, that's a great way if you always use the same yeast. I tend to try new yeasts a lot, so I am not sure I'd use them in time.

[@RichardDePas]

@@CityscapeBrewing Makes perfect sense. I use Kviek Lutra and American Ale 1056 most of the time. I'm an extract brewer and have a ways to go before I can tell much difference in the yeast strains. Just having fun making drinkable beer. 🍺

[@paulywill]

On your Amazon shop page, you a Barton 8Qt Pressure Canner.... is that big enough to accomplish what you demonstrate in this video?

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Depends on the size of mason jars you use and how many you want to make at one time. I used the smaller half pint jars, so this would work to fit several of them since they are shorter than 8.75 inches. In the video I used a larger one, but they didn't have the same version online. You just need one that will get up to 15 psi.

[@ricktimm3227]

Great show like always. I use a can yeast starter lot . I have to try this as always, thanks for the info

[@CityscapeBrewing]

💯🍺

[@curtpick628]

Good stuff Dennis.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Thank you very much! You rock! 🍻

[@charlesmiller5606]

Now I'm sorry I sold my All American 15 qt a few years ago (Bad canner...no wort for you...). All--make sure you use a true pressure canner--not a pressure cooker, not an Instant Pot. Per the USDA, anyway. Since this isn't a high-acid food (don't want to prepare a pH below 5.0-5.3), perhaps consider a 20-minute process time for pints?

[@reyn66]

great idea

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Thanks! 🍻💯

[@brewpilot8958]

Wondering if it can be done with aluminum cans since it’s cheap to can homebrew, I have plenty of cans to use for this?

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Absolutely. That's how they sell the store bought canned starters like proper. You would have to boil the starter like normal first instead of using the pressure canner. You could still make it condensed and then put into sanitized cans and seal.

[@sagetx]

​@@CityscapeBrewingyou are contradicting yourself here. Either boiling the DME is good enough, or it isn't - and you must use pressure to increase the temperature. Which is it?

[@CityscapeBrewing]

@sagetx the main reason to pressure can is to kill botulism. Botulism is not killed with boiling temperatures of 212°F, hence you need the pressure in order to increase the internal temperature well over regular boiling temps. You have some risk by using aluminum cans, rather than mason jars.

[@sagetx]

@@CityscapeBrewing Right. So your answer of "absolutely" above is incorrect.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Yes. Most will watch the video, which talks about the botulism, but now if they read the comments they will be corrected. Thanks for pointing that out. You're my hero. 🍻

[@GREEENZO]

Thanks, I’ll have to try this! Just one question, isn’t sanitizing unnecessary since the heat should kill everything anyway? Or is it just a precaution? Thanks again!

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Yes it is definitely overkill. I did it mainly because the mason jars were new so I washed them and then just soaked them in sanitizer for a few minutes just to be safe.

[@GREEENZO]

@@CityscapeBrewingah, gotcha! New mason jars do have a bit of an off-smell to them lol

[@dewaynereid4839]

I was gifted with 50 lbs of breiss pilsen malt , 10 lbs briess pale ale malt , 10 lbs Viking Munich light malt . Tell me there something I can make with this or do I have to have a specialty grain to round off . Using safale 05 also was giving abt 6oz hops

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Those are all very versatile grains. You could use the Munich and pilsner to make an Octoberfest this fall for sure. Pale and pilsner can be added to just about any beer as the base malt or do a SMASH beer(single malt and single hop) with your choice or hops. With just those ingredients I'd use the 10 lbs pale malt, add 0.5 lbs of the munich for some color and malt body, and mash at 152 degrees for 60 mins. Then I'd use three oz cascade hops. 1 oz at 60 mins, 1 oz at 15 mins, and 1 oz at 5 mins. Cool and pitch the US-05 yeast and ferment at 67 degrees. Should be close to a Sierra, Nevada Pale Ale.

[@dewaynereid4839]

Thanks your the best ! Just one other thing.. pilsen and Pilsner the same thing right

[@CityscapeBrewing]

👍 yep technically the malt is Pilsen and the beer style is pilsner... But they are used interchangeably for the malt and many brands call their malt pilsner malt

[@dewaynereid4839]

So this is for a ready to use yeast starter ?

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Yes. You pour it in a flask, fill with filtered water up to the 1 L mark and dump in your yeast. Then let the starter continue like normal. No need to boil just dump pitch and stir.🍻

[@dewaynereid4839]

Last question, how long after I add yeast can I pitch

[@CityscapeBrewing]

I would let the yeast starter go for at least 24-36 hours. Then I would put it in a refrigerator to let the yeast crash down to the bottom for another 24 hours if possible... Then you decant off most of the the old beer saving just enough to stir up the yeast. I try to remove as much of the old beer as possible from my yeast starters. Check out the link to my yeast starter video in the description for this video. At the end of that video I show the decanting process.

[@dewaynereid4839]

Thanks love your channel

[@CityscapeBrewing]

Thanks! Happy to help! 🍻

[@TheMattMustain]

No way Memaw is letting me barrow anything from her kitchen. Fact

[@CityscapeBrewing]

If you ask nicely, maybe she would can your wort for you? 😂

[@bobbob-ze9zo]

Like # 65- My opinion is this is way too much work and you need too much equipment. Show people how to do this cheap .It is just a starter.

[@CityscapeBrewing]

This is really great for people who brew a lot. A starter for each batch requires boiling it every time, while this is boiling one time and you can have a dozen starters. I'd recommend borrowing a canner and then it's super cheap for just a few glass mason jars. Plus a huge time saver when needing to make a yeast starter after their made.