Yeast starter - DME with hops

[Tunabeast]

So bit of a disaster, was planning on making my first starter this evening and using some DME from a Cooper's kit I was gifted. Just went to open it and checked the ingredients, looks like it's DME containing hops. Also it's a dark malt and I plan on using to brew pale ale. Question is would it be acceptable to use this or am I better off getting some light, hop free DME?

 

[Brew Dad]

As with so much in homebrewing, the answer is - it depends. In this case, the flavour and colour impact to your beer will depend on the batch size. A one litre, hopped, dark starter will have much more influence on the final product in a 10L batch than a 20l batch. I assume you haven't made the wort yet, so you could always compensate for the colour/flavour of the starter by backing off a little bit on hops and dark malt when you do.

Having said all that, starters generally have a negligible impact on 20L or bigger batches, so if that is what you are making I suspect everything will turn out OK.

 

[Tunabeast]

Thanks, it's going into a 12l batch. I am planning on cold crashing it (the starter) and decanting the liquid off the top - would that help the situation? Failing that I need to find a local shop tomorrow!

 

[Brew Dad]

Cold crashing and decanting won't make a difference - there isn't really much that will settle out from the starter. Given your batch size, I wonder if you need a starter at all. What type of yeast are you using?

 

[Tunabeast]

I'm wanting to overbuild to harvest excess yeast. It's Wyeast 1318 London 3

 

[Brew Dad]

AH. In that case, I would get some very light DME. If it was just the one batch, no biggie, but if you are planning to harvest from starters, best to start off on the right foot.