Anyone add sugar to their starter wort?

[tyrub42]

I generally use the final runnings from brew days to make starters for future brews (I just fill an old water bottle, freeze, then dilute that and boil for the starter). I thought adding some sugar (sucrose or dextrose) might help to make it more fermentable without stressing yeast.

Just wondering if anyone else has done this. I figured something like 1.030 wort plus about 5-6 points with sugar might work well without any yeast stress, but thought I'd see if anyone has tried it.

I'm aware of the well-established reasons not to use all sugar, but couldn't find any info on getting 10-20 percent of starter gravity.

Cheers

 

[Vale71]

You don't need to add refined sugar to an all-malt wort as it already contains about 8-10% simple sugars (suchrose, fructose, glucose) from the malt itself. This is more than enough to kick-start the yeast.

 

[tyrub42]

You don't need to add refined sugar to an all-malt wort as it already contains about 8-10% simple sugars (suchrose, fructose, glucose) from the malt itself. This is more than enough to kick-start the yeast.

Ok, guess it won't hurt but also won't help, then. Thanks

 

[pdxal]

1.030 wort is already a pretty good gravity for starters- I've generally seen 1.030-1.040 as desired gravity.
That said, I don't think a little (16.67-20% at 5-6 points) sugar is going to hurt anything, just unnecessary.

 

[V-Fib]

I just started doing "all grain" starters on my stove top during the lockdown since I always have base grain and DME seems expensive. I've only done it twice so my water to grain ratio isn't dialed in to hit 1.040. Both times I have added normal sugar to bring it up to the goal gravity. I didn't notice any difference fermentation or attenuation.