yeast storage

bcbingman · 03-20-2010, 01:45 PM

I've recently purchased about 10 liters of Hefeweizen yeast. I've used just enough for a 7 gallon batch so far and would like to store the rest for later batches.

I've read some of the threads on yeast washing and yeast starters, but none of these seem to apply directly to my situation.

I put 250 ml of a 1.039 gravity cooled wort in to the remaining wort. Based on what I've read this seems like it should keep it alive and healthy. I'm storing it in a loosely sealed container in my fridge, covered with a dark towel. The fridge is cooling at 46 degrees F.

Any advice for me? Anything I'm doing wrong?

TipsyDragon · 03-20-2010, 05:04 PM

all the new wort will do is start a fermentation. but seeing as your keeping it in the fridge that may not happen till you warm it up. all you need to do is keep your yeast in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. but i would do this after i let it warm up and ferment the new wort you added.

bcbingman · 03-21-2010, 09:43 AM

I should put a tight cap on after it ferments? The tight cap won't kill the yeast?

Will it do any harm to just let the wort sit in there without allowing fermentation?

manticle · 03-21-2010, 10:35 AM

Low temperature will just make the yeast dormant. It will rouse when it gets warmer and it's given some food. You don't need wort - either boiled, cooled water in a sealed container (which is how I do it at the moment) in the refrigerator or look up making agar slants. You want to stop it fermenting until you're ready to make a starter - that's when you add the wort (at higher temperature).

bcbingman · 03-21-2010, 02:22 PM

How many hours ahead of time (prior to pitching) should I warm up the yeast to rouse it?

boo boo · 03-21-2010, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcbingman

I've recently purchased about 10 liters of Hefeweizen yeast. I've used just enough for a 7 gallon batch so far and would like to store the rest for later batches.

I've read some of the threads on yeast washing and yeast starters, but none of these seem to apply directly to my situation.

I put 250 ml of a 1.039 gravity cooled wort in to the remaining wort. Based on what I've read this seems like it should keep it alive and healthy. I'm storing it in a loosely sealed container in my fridge, covered with a dark towel. The fridge is cooling at 46 degrees F.

Any advice for me? Anything I'm doing wrong?

Yeast will not last indefinatly like this and will begin to go downhill the minute it goes dormant. The reserves of glycergen it stored will begin to be used and some yeast autolysis will occur at a slower rate.

It is OK, and I have stored yeast this way, for a month or so, but the best solution is to make a yeast bank out of it for long time storage. It could either be frozen ( properly ) or kept as a streak on an agar filled slide. Starters would then be required to restart the yeast.