scottfro

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Great_Neck_Brewer

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Fantastic article, thanks very much

BryanZ

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sorry, im a little new at this

but what is the point of doing this?

all I see is you freezing yeast, why are you not just buying it when you need it?

mykayel

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Why not just go buy a beer at the store while you're at it... its just another aspect of homebrewing, and with freezing or washing being so easy why pay $8 for a vial of yeast (you can also grow your own hops if you like to). As with many aspects of brewing, you can keep it very simple and do very little or you can get very complicated and do a whole lot, just another part of the hobby.

FlyGuy

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The idea is to buy one package of yeast, build a starter from it for your next brew --- but before you do, steal 6 - 10 small samples of yeast slurry that you can freeze. Then, when it comes time to brew again with that yeast, you will have some on hand to build up a starter from. MUCH cheaper than buying a new package each time. Plus, if you use a bunch of different yeasts, you can bank them all away and have a great selection of yeast in your freezer -- no need to be driving down to the LHBS each time you need new yeast.

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slimer

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I went to the grocery store last night and the only glycerin that I could find was premade suppositories.

They're 5.5mL in size, so it's the perfect pre-measured size, but a little expensive because of the packaging. Anyone know if Walgreens or CVS carries bottles?

jds

Recipes 

Thanks to everybody for all the good information. I was inspired to hit up my local science supplies shop -- Colorado Scientific. These guys have all kinds of toys for brewers -- vials, glassware, stir plates, agar, etc etc. I was sorely tempted to pick up some premade agar petri dishes, but was content to grab a handful of 6 ml vials.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get some culture media going tonight, and be ready to inoculate a couple of slants with some of the WLP400 I'm going to brew with this weekend. Y'all have inspired me.

One question, though. I'm confused as to whether slants can be safely frozen without glycerin. Can I just wrap my slants in a couple of icepacks after a few days of growth, and move them from RT to fridge to freezer, or will this be a problem for vitality? I seem to hear differing opinions.

I only brew about once a month, but I'd like to be able to start banking some yeast. So, do I need to top off slants with glycerin before freezing, or RDWFYY (RDW, Freeze Your Yeast).

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cdanprice

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That place has a $25 minimum. Any other source on vials?

DaleJ

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Walmart here carries a 6 oz. bottle in health and beauty.
It's near the cortizone and espom salts type stuff.

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camiller

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Also don't forget about the limited edition yeasts from Wyeast's VSS(now called Private Collection) program. Try walking into your LHBS today and getting Pacman(Sept-Dec 06'), Flying Dog(Jan-Mar 07') or Fat Tire(Oct-Dec 07') yeast. Yeah, Wyeast might bring them back to the public again in the future, maybe. BTW anyone tried Wyeast 2450PC "Denny’s Favorite 50" yet?

I've been holding off opening my Fat Tire yeast until I accumulate the materials necessary to freeze some samples... I just ordered vials and picked up a flask. Just need something along the lines of a pipit.

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