Yeast Bank- Wild Yeast/bacteria

Jsta Porter · 04-20-2009, 05:09 PM

Hello,

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I was interested in hearing if folks are making yeast banks with wild yeast. With lambics and other wild brews taking several strains the price runs up rapidly if purchased individually.

If you are, or know about it:
1. Do you prepare the yeast/bacteria the same way you would a standard sach?
2. Are "procreation" times the same?
3. Do you use standard wort at about 1.035-1.040?
4. Any other nutrients worth adding?
5. Do all the bacteria follow the same protocol?

Many thanks

**Schlenkerla** · 04-20-2009, 06:09 PM

I just started doing this. Look at my sig, below titled "Myeast".

I used a large slant to capture my yeast then transferred it to a vile of sterile water.

My slant is the typical 1.040 media with yeast nutrients, no hops.

flyangler18 · 04-20-2009, 06:29 PM

Isolating strains would be the obvious challenge. I have strong reservations that a starter grown up from a slant inoculated with a commercial lambic blend would have the same characteristics as just pitching the culture. The various organisms would have different growth potentials and you have to wonder if the inoculation loop would pick up cells in the same ratios as the commercial blend.

You can certainly bank pure strains on 1.040 wort agar media, but I believe the bacteria do better on a media with more glucose - though I could be mistaken. I plan on slanting the Brett C that was just released from Wyeast.

**Schlenkerla** · 04-20-2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyangler18

Isolating strains would be the obvious challenge. I have strong reservations that a starter grown up from a slant inoculated with a commercial lambic blend would have the same characteristics as just pitching the culture. The various organisms would have different growth potentials and you have to wonder if the inoculation loop would pick up cells in the same ratios as the commercial blend.

You can certainly bank pure strains on 1.040 wort agar media, but I believe the bacteria do better on a media with more glucose - though I could be mistaken. I plan on slanting the Brett C that was just released from Wyeast.

Are you making slants now?

I make slants only to prove viability. My yeast cultures ares kept in sterile water vials. I can noc a slant or do the 2-dip method. (Vial-to-starter)

flyangler18 · 04-20-2009, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schlenkerla

Are you making slants now?

I make slants only to prove viability. My yeast cultures ares kept in sterile water vials. I can noc a slant or do the 2-dip method. (Vial-to-starter)

Yeah, my entire yeast bank is kept on slants in 8-dram vials, 3-4 per strain. I started out doing the frozen bank, but I ran out of space too quickly with a styrofoam cooler in the freezer. SWMBO wasn't too pleased.

**Schlenkerla** · 04-20-2009, 06:53 PM

I don't freeze mine. They just stay in the fridge.

flyangler18 · 04-20-2009, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schlenkerla

I don't freeze mine. They just stay in the fridge.

That's exactly why I slant as opposed to doing the frozen glycerin solution. The entire yeast bank occupies a shelf in the supply fridge in the basement.

Jsta Porter · 04-21-2009, 01:20 PM

Thanks all, I plan on freezing vials. I will use the single strain species, and not the blends.

Could you do a blend in the same way that you would do a standard Sach, without isolating strains? I presume that the bacteria and sach have different rates of procreation when you put it in the starter and thus it would become out of balance, just speculation, as I know nothing about this area.