Yeast washing vs. yeast harvesting (kraeusen skimming)
Which method produces better results?
I would imagine that kraeusen skimming is more prone to infecting the beer, but would would gather a stronger sample. Where yeast washing would safer but less effective. or maybe it doesn't matter, just build up a nice starter.
The only homebrewer I know of who top-crops is Mike McDole. I think he refers to it as "super yeast." He gets his blowoff tube down almost to the beer's surface and the positive pressure of fermentation pushes the kraeusen through.
Washed yeast should be plenty potent if you harvest enough and use it soon.
For a single yeast strain, top cropping is probably better only if you can reuse the yeast nearly immediately.
For mixed strains, top cropping is the only way to harvest yeast without getting substantially more of whichever strain is more flocculent each generation.
This is good stuff guys, I like the super yeast technique and I'll have to try it. Now I brew almost exclusively Hefe Weizen, I heard that the Hefe yeast will only last a couple of generations. is this true, if so about how many generation's?
I like the 'starter splitting' method, its one of the easiest and best methods I have seen!
When you are making some starter wort with DME or whatever, make it 1.080 instead of 1.040.
Get a bunch of sterilized (boiled) mason jars and leave about a third of your water in.
Add your yeast to your strengthened starter wort, mix it really well, then top off your mason jars until you have enough. Wait a few days and voila, more starters!
Pitch one of your jars of starter into enough wort to get your cell count for your beer ready to go and you are set.
How many generations of yeast would one get before reaching the EOL of the yeast? Or does that happen. All my genetic classes say there would be a EOL or defective yeast if propagated from the very same strain.
How many generations of yeast would one get before reaching the EOL of the yeast? Or does that happen. All my genetic classes say there would be a EOL or defective yeast if propagated from the very same strain.
I realize this is an old thread, but I wanted to mention something. Elsewhere on these forums, I've read that hefe yeasts noticably lose their aroma producing properties after the 4th generation. I'm not sure what EOL means, but I'm guessing it's related to "how many batches can I put a hefe yeast through before it's not really hefe yeast anymore".
I realize this is an old thread, but I wanted to mention something. Elsewhere on these forums, I've read that hefe yeasts noticably lose their aroma producing properties after the 4th generation. I'm not sure what EOL means, but I'm guessing it's related to "how many batches can I put a hefe yeast through before it's not really hefe yeast anymore".
If that is the case, how would the yeast "manufacturers" breed them? Not to sound like a smarta$$, as I will be the first to admit I am completely ignorant in the ways of the yeasts. (I take the 15th century trappist monk approach short of calling it simply "god is good") It does, however, occur to me that in order to keep a yeast strain pure one must cultivate it from something of an original, shall i say, "blood line". So it makes sense to me that a hefe, belgian, english, american lager, etc. has been duped over and over from much older cells to obtain the same yeast essentially, over many batches. It is hard for me to believe that the "manufacturers" just will a particular yeast strain to grow and put it in a pouch or foil packet. Am I completely off base here?
If that is the case, how would the yeast "manufacturers" breed them? Not to sound like a smarta$$, as I will be the first to admit I am completely ignorant in the ways of the yeasts. (I take the 15th century trappist monk approach short of calling it simply "god is good") It does, however, occur to me that in order to keep a yeast strain pure one must cultivate it from something of an original, shall i say, "blood line". So it makes sense to me that a hefe, belgian, english, american lager, etc. has been duped over and over from much older cells to obtain the same yeast essentially, over many batches. It is hard for me to believe that the "manufacturers" just will a particular yeast strain to grow and put it in a pouch or foil packet. Am I completely off base here?
This is a good question and something I have wondered, too. I know that yeast can occur naturally and could be found in the air and on plants/fruits... But where would the original source of a particular yeast strain (like the american hefe) be?
Yeast washing vs. yeast harvesting (kraeusen skimming)
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