Canning Yeast Starters

Yes, You Can Can Yeast Starter!

Canning yeast starter? Sure. If you’re like most people you’re stressed for time. So how do you make a starter for your home brew and still have time to play? Well, it’s easy by – canning yeast starters.

Make up your yeast starter solution ahead by using a pressure cooker. The canned yeast starter solution keeps until needed. And it’s a safe and inexpensive way to have ready all you need for your yeast to thrive quickly and effortlessly.Don’t have a pressure cooker? You can probably find one to borrow if you ask around.

Plus, a canned yeast starter will keep without refrigeration for a long time in between brews – if needed. 🙂  Here’s how:

What you need for Canning Yeast Starter:

• Pressure cooker in good working condition
• Mason, Kerr, or Ball canning jars (pints or quarts)
  Check jar manufacturer for the jar capacity and safety instructions. Don’t skip the safety guide as it is dangerous otherwise.
• Rings
• Lids
• Extra light DME (dry malt extract) – Use 1 cup DME for each quart jar or ½ cup for pint jars
• Yeast nutrient (get it at your Home Brew supply)

What you do for Canning Yeast Starter:

1. Place Dried Malt Extract in a clean glass canning jar.
2. Add ¼ teaspoon yeast nutrient to each jar. This helps to ensure great yeast growth – your primary objective when making a yeast stater
3. Fill to ridged line at bottom of screw-on edge
4. Place lid and ring on jar and tighten with moderate pressure
5. Shake to mix
6. Prepare pressure cooker with water as per manufacturer instructions
7. Put prepared jars into the cooker making sure that you have a wire basket to elevate the jars off the bottom. They will break if allowed to “bounce” in the boiling water.
8. Cook for 15 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. This achieves a temperature of about 250 degrees Fahrenheit and kills bacteria.
9. Kill heat and allow to cool until there is no pressure in the cooker. Check the gauge to be sure!
   Cool completely – Do NOT release pressure manually as it has super-heated steam and will burn!
10. Label your jars with date and amount of DME.
11. Store until needed – and be thankful for the time you save when you use each one.

Each canned yeast starter solution may be used when needed. Your savings in time is tremendous over doing each yeast starter individually.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you may be able to borrow one. They are fairly inexpensive to buy. You may even find another homebrewer who would share the cost and use of the cooker.

Enjoy your time saving effort with each cool brew using canning yeast starter.

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