what beer should I use in sour dough bread starter?

You don't really need beer, however you can add it for it's own unique live cultures present even after pasteurization........sour dough starter is just using the bacteria that are naturally airborne and letting them multiply........

I have the SAME SOURDOUGH STARTER TODAY THAT I HAVE BEEN USING SINCE MY PARENTS GAVE ME A SOURDOUGH STARTER KIT FOR CHRISTMAS IN 1968..........

So, with that starter, I've given people (THOUSANDS) enough to "start" their own starter.......It's kinda like a pet, you have to feed and burp it every now and then in the fridge..........

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/recipe-...

Check out that link, it's a good start for starter......(pun intended ;)))

Christopher K.

Well, first you're not exactly creating a true sourdough starter; it's more of a barm (i.e. yeast foam) starter. You may in fact get a sourdough out of it if you've got the right bacteria kicking around, but it won't be quite the same thing. It'll still work though, similar to an old dough starter.

That said, the key thing you need is a beer that is bottle fermented. For a long time people used to use the yeast from Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for English-style ales, culturing it up to a fairly large quantity using wort (unfermented beer), but I think SNPA switched over to a filtered product a few years back. Without a national brew like SNPA, you're kind of stuck with two possibilities. One is a local craftbrew that has visible sediment in the bottom (a bottle from a homebrewer friend will usually have this as well); that's the yeast you want, and it's usually the same kind of yeast as in bread, although usually a rather different strain. Bread and beer have a long history of intertwinement going back to the Sumerians, so using this yeast will work just fine.

The other possibility is getting a bottle of hefeweizen, preferably one imported from Germany. German wheat beers usually have some yeast as well, but it's a slightly different kind of yeast usually used for lager beers, which they add to carbonate the beer after bottling, and which results in a slightly cleaner flavor. However, you're getting off into the weeds a bit there; this yeast isn't the yeast that the beer is fermented with, and the actual yeast (if there's any left in the bottle) has been bred over the centuries to produce some rather interesting, fruity/solventy off-flavors typical to the style. If there's still some of the fermenting yeast in there, it may do some strange but potentially tasty things to your bread. (Many Belgian beers are also bottle-conditioned, but if you're siphoning off the dregs of a bottle of Chimay, what I just warned you about with weizen yeast goes double. Belgian yeasts are *weird*.)

1

Most beer does not have live yeast in it anymore, so most beers won't work. Keep in mind that sour dough means wild yeast and beer means brewers yeast (commercial yeast), so even if you found a beer that had live yeast, it would likely be commercial brewers yeast.

Organic grape skins work best for cultivating wild yeasts. Wild yeast will even grow with nothing to kick start things given enough time.

Sourdough Beer

My guess is your mother used either Pabst Blue Ribbon or Budweiser, or such beer as those. Check first to be sure either have the necessary ingredients you're looking for, such as a live yeast. Processes and ingredients have changed over the years.

Sourdough Starter This is the easiest and the best recipe I have tried for sourdough starter. Potato Flake Sourdough Starter Recipe Starter (first time): 1 cup warm water 1/2 cup sugar 1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast 3 level tablespoons instant potato flakes Starter feeder(subsequent times): 1 cup warm water 1/2 cup sugar 3 level tablespoons potato flakes First Time Starter Directions: Mix water, sugar, yeast, and potato flakes. Let ferment on counter for two days. Then feed with starter feeder (below). If you get the starter from someone else, you can omit this step. Starter Feeder: Combine water, sugar, and potato flakes. Add to Starter. Let stand on countertop eight hours. Refrigerate 3 to 5 days, then make bread, but let it come to room temperature before using. After using 1 cup of the starter for dough, pour 1 cup back into container and refrigerate. Discard any excess starter or give to someone else to start their own starter. When you are ready to make more bread or every 3 to 5 days add feeder starter mix again. Stir well and leave on countertop overnight or all day (about 12 hours). Sourdough Bread *Potato Flake Starter MORNING: Feed the starter and let stand out of refrigerator all day. EVENING: Mix starter well and remove 1 cup to make bread. Return rest to refrigerator. Keep covered. Repeat this process every 3 to 6 days. Place the one cup starter in large bowl and add: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup corn oil 1 tablespoon salt 1-1/2 cups warm warter 6 cups bread flour Mix into stiff batter (I use wooden spoon and then hands), divide into 3 lumps (if you want the smaller loaves or 2 lumps if you use the 9x5 in. loaf pans). Oil a large pan such as a broiler pan and roll each lump in oil and put in the large pan. Cover lightly with saran wrap, leave on counter overnight. NEXT MORNING: Knead each lump on floured surface until no longer sticky to touch (not much). Put in oiled loaf pans and cover lightly with saran wrap. Let stand 6 to 12 hours until risen. EVENING: Bake on next to bottom rack at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and checked with a toothpick for doneness. Cool on racks in pans.

Extremely good question, hope we get some good answers

You don't use beer, you use yeast.

Thanks to each and everyone of you guys for the answers.