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**9/9** · 05-11-2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maztec

From the very first post in this thread:

That should answer how long you can leave something sitting around.

I must just not be saying this right. My question is, what do I do after it has been out for the right period of time? People post in this thread talking about using the same strain of wild thread for many brews. So, if I want Saccharomyces, I leave it out for two weeks. Is there no way to keep the yeast/starter so I don't have to pitch it the next day, once my two weeks is up?

Thanks for trying to help me here. I am not trying to be an idiot about this, promise.

**maztec** · 05-11-2009, 08:27 PM

9/9:

Sterile Water Storage

That is a how-to on it. I believe it was posted earlier in this thread.

GreenMan · 05-11-2009, 10:12 PM

I have tried to collect some wild yeast by taking a 500lm flask with ~1.040 wort made from some DME. I placed this out next to my budding hops which are in pots so they are off the ground and left it outside for about 10 hours while I was at work.

I did this with two flasks, one just got pretty moldy and the other got a little bit of mold and some bubbles. The first one I dumped recently but the other had a good 1-2" of krausen on the top. It has a cheese-esk smell to it. Is there any way to save the yeast in it? Like can I try and transfer it to another flask and try and keep the mold chunks out of that new batch.

I'll try and post a photo later of it.

**maztec** · 05-11-2009, 10:15 PM

See my post right before yours, sterile water storage, you can transfer the yeast off.

**Schlenkerla** · 05-12-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9/9

I must just not be saying this right. My question is, what do I do after it has been out for the right period of time? People post in this thread talking about using the same strain of wild thread for many brews. So, if I want Saccharomyces, I leave it out for two weeks.Is there no way to keep the yeast/starter so I don't have to pitch it the next day, once my two weeks is up?

Thanks for trying to help me here. I am not trying to be an idiot about this, promise.

How long do want to store this sample?

FWIW - I do what maztec posted. I use sterile water for samples that I got from a agar plate. Its tiny though and stored in test tubes

If I where wanting to save the sample for a week I'd just refrigerate it with it covered. I assume you plan to use it within a few weeks. Right?

If you have a stir plate you could leave it on that too.

I did a yeast washing on the dregs of my first batch and its just sitting in the fridge.

Matt Up North · 05-17-2009, 05:29 PM

Hey Sacchromyces,

Have you ever made sourdough bread? I think that the problem that you are really having is that since it is too warm where you live, you are not getting the acid production from the yeast. When I make a sourdough starter, essentially you take water and flour and make a slurry, leave it out at room temp for about an hour uncovered and then throw some plastic wrap over the top in order to make it so that you don't get too much contamination. Then you leave it around 50* overnight, take it out the next day, add some more water and flour and uncover for an hour, then back to 50*. After three or four days you can put it into the fridge overnight (the souring begins to happen because at cooler temps the yeast produces acetic acid, warmer is lactic if memory serves me correctly.)

This all leads to capturing the wild yeast. You don't have to have the wort jar outside technically, just place it next to a screened window for 30 minutes and then place it into a cooler area (basement or fridge can work). Then bring it back out during the night and then back into the cool area during the day. I would imagine that in Texas you are looking at 100 degree days now, so during the night you should be getting down a little cooler than during the day. I live where it gets to 100 during the day and 50 at night, so it can be very happy with the schedule above. The fridge will help keep the bacteria at bay while the yeast will still put along at a relatively slower rate.

Try that for #3 and let us know what you think.

**Saccharomyces** · 05-18-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Up North

This all leads to capturing the wild yeast. You don't have to have the wort jar outside technically, just place it next to a screened window for 30 minutes and then place it into a cooler area (basement or fridge can work). Then bring it back out during the night and then back into the cool area during the day. I would imagine that in Texas you are looking at 100 degree days now, so during the night you should be getting down a little cooler than during the day. I live where it gets to 100 during the day and 50 at night, so it can be very happy with the schedule above. The fridge will help keep the bacteria at bay while the yeast will still put along at a relatively slower rate.

I'll let you know in about six months how that works. Even overnight temps are now too warm for another try.

I was thinking next time I will make up some hopped agar plates, I will add some acid to half and no acid to the other half. I'll expose one pair for one hour, another for two hours, the third for three hours, and so on. Then they will all go away to a cool dark place for a few weeks. Hopefully at least one of those plates will have colonies I can harvest for slants. I'll then try to build up a starter from each slant and select the most viable as my 'master copy'. As you said, my problem is that I'm leaving them out too long so they are getting contaminated with mold.

**Schlenkerla** · 05-18-2009, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saccharomyces

I'll let you know in about six months how that works. Even overnight temps are now too warm for another try.

I was thinking next time I will make up some hopped agar plates, I will add some acid to half and no acid to the other half. I'll expose one pair for one hour, another for two hours, the third for three hours, and so on. Then they will all go away to a cool dark place for a few weeks. Hopefully at least one of those plates will have colonies I can harvest for slants. I'll then try to build up a starter from each slant and select the most viable as my 'master copy'. As you said, my problem is that I'm leaving them out too long so they are getting contaminated with mold.

Sacch - Are you ever nearby the coast where you might cooler air off the gulf?

KingBrianI · 05-18-2009, 04:37 PM

I'm not sure the warm temps would be such a huge problem. I would still try, just leave the plate out for short amounts of time. Yuo could also try manually ocllecting wild yeast. For instance, you could take a paperclip or bobby pin, or small piece of wire or something, heat it up with a lighter, let it cool, then stick it down into a flower and get some of the nectar, and rub that on the plate. I'm not sure if that would work, but it's worth a try!

**Schlenkerla** · 05-18-2009, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingBrianI

I'm not sure the warm temps would be such a huge problem. I would still try, just leave the plate out for short amounts of time. Yuo could also try manually ocllecting wild yeast. For instance, you could take a paperclip or bobby pin, or small piece of wire or something, heat it up with a lighter, let it cool, then stick it down into a flower and get some of the nectar, and rub that on the plate. I'm not sure if that would work, but it's worth a try!

KingBrianI has a good idea. Shorter time and the flower idea.