One more Yeast washing question

zman · 08-13-2009, 05:56 PM

Traditionally I have used cooled boiled water to do a yeast wash. Is it possible to use sterilized or purified water instead? I am just looking at shaving some time off of the process.

Thanks,

Z

EvilGnome6 · 08-13-2009, 06:01 PM

I used distilled water last time I washed my yeast and it looks a lot better than the batches I did before (1 with boiled/cooled filtered water, 1 with filtered tap water that I didn't boil/cool).

**ChshreCat** · 08-13-2009, 06:04 PM

I just used bottled water for mine. Poured right out of the bottle. Probably not the best way, but it worked just fine.

zman · 08-13-2009, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilGnome6

I used distilled water last time I washed my yeast and it looks a lot better than the batches I did before (1 with boiled/cooled filtered water, 1 with filtered tap water that I didn't boil/cool).

Have you tried out the yeast that you washed with Distilled water? Schweet. I am going to try it out tonight. Thanks for the info. It is going to make my life so much easier

**ChshreCat** · 08-13-2009, 06:09 PM

I've heard that distilled water is very hard on yeast. Since there are no minerals or anything in it, it can burst the cell walls of the yeast due to osmotic pressure.

EvilGnome6 · 08-13-2009, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zman

Have you tried out the yeast that you washed with Distilled water? Schweet. I am going to try it out tonight. Thanks for the info. It is going to make my life so much easier

I haven't tried it out but it's looking perfectly smooth, light and creamy 4 weeks later. The other batches I washed were looking a little gray on top within that timeframe.

I found some references that the total lack of nutrients in distilled water forces the yeast to go dormant and will therefore keep much longer.

Rick500 · 08-13-2009, 06:28 PM

My only concern with not using boiled and cooled water is that half the point of boiling it is to remove the dissolved oxygen from it, point being to deprive the yeast of oxygen and make them go inactive.

**Bsquared** · 08-13-2009, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChshreCat

I've heard that distilled water is very hard on yeast. Since there are no minerals or anything in it, it can burst the cell walls of the yeast due to osmotic pressure.

This is correct, the water will rush into the cell to equilibrate the difference between the salt content inside the cell and out side causing it to burst. It's like putting a salt water fish in to fresh water.

If you are not going to store the yeast for long term, you would not need to deplete the O2 levels buy boiling, but if you want to store the yeast for a couple months in the fridge, you need to deprive them of O2 and food as to assure they go dormant till you want to use them again. If they are active during storage there is a chance to develop off flavors from autolysis.

zman · 08-13-2009, 07:29 PM

Ok. so much for making my life easier...lol

**ChshreCat** · 08-13-2009, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zman

Ok. so much for making my life easier...lol

If you were wanting to use storebought water, just use bottled drinking water rather than distilled.