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Bob · 11-16-2009, 12:24 PM

Hermit - Not long. As long as the yeast is stored cold (between 35-40F) and under beer, it will last a few weeks. But just sitting in the fermenter? Not long at all. That's why brewers who practice the technique knock out the same day they racked off the cake.

St Anthony - The Prophet Charlie is not only wrong about big breweries doing that, he's not infallible. Everything will NOT be fine if you practice this technique; your beer will be mediocre. But you can RDWHAHB!

Boo Boo - I can and will tell you it's filthy. Any fool can look at it and plainly see the truth of it. Trub and other soils are dirt. I'm glad you at least decant the slurry; you're halfway to pitching appropriate amounts. Yeah, I do sort of make it out to be the end of all things. Mainly, that's because it's such a lazy thing - take ten minutes and clean the dratted fermenter. What is so hard about that?

Bob

chefmike · 11-16-2009, 10:14 PM

But if CHARLIE said it was fine!

[ducking from another newspaper swat!]

**Reno_eNVy** · 11-16-2009, 10:17 PM

I've reused Wyeast #1099 (Whitbread.) I have a single jar of it left at generation #3 that can still possibly get me many more batches (maximum 16; I get roughly 4 jars out of a wash.)

Basically what I'm saying is I've heard 5 generations is the limit. I'd like to try going further to see if any weird mutations arise.

EvilGnome6 · 11-16-2009, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reno_eNVy_446

Basically what I'm saying is I've heard 5 generations is the limit. I'd like to try going further to see if any weird mutations arise.

Somebody here linked this paper recently where an ale yeast was repitched 98 times and a lager yeast was repitched 135 times, both with no mutations. I don't think mutation is as much the concern to a homebrewer as contamination is.

huntsman · 11-17-2009, 12:04 AM

How do I know if I over pitched?
I did a Hank's hefe weizen using Wyyeast 3068. After complete fermentation
on Oct. 25, I washed using the Washing Yeast Illustrated thread to obtain four separate pints of yeast. On the 14th of Nov. I took one of the pints and made a starter using 3/4 cup of DME and three cups of water to make a starter. The starter looked good so on the 15th, I started brewing and pitched the starter after brewing my second batch of Hank's. First thing this morning the fermenter is going crazy. I was extremely stoked until reading this thread about over pitching. I just looked at my batch and it is bubbling through a blowoff tube like CRAZY. Did I over pitch or am I worrying over nothing?

**Reno_eNVy** · 11-17-2009, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilGnome6

Somebody here linked this paper recently where an ale yeast was repitched 98 times and a lager yeast was repitched 135 times, both with no mutations. I don't think mutation is as much the concern to a homebrewer as contamination is.

Holy hell... well then, I redact my statement!

Malticulous · 11-17-2009, 01:07 AM

Call it what you want but it is possible to select yeast (I don't like to call them mutants, just descendants.) You can easily select the flocculation by when and how you harvest the yeast. I agree, the biggest problem is contamination.

I don't wash. I just swirl the remaining beer in the fermenter and fill a quart jar. The most dense trub stays stuck to the bottom, the beer and the best yeast go in the jar.

StAnthonyB · 11-17-2009, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conroe

Call it what you want but it is possible to select yeast (I don't like to call them mutants, just descendants.) You can easily select the flocculation by when and how you harvest the yeast. I agree, the biggest problem is contamination.

I don't wash. I just swirl the remaining beer in the fermenter and fill a quart jar. The most dense trub stays stuck to the bottom, the beer and the best yeast go in the jar.

The scientists are aided of course by microscopes in order to look for creepy crawlies in their yeast.

babalu87 · 11-17-2009, 11:18 AM

You can re-use the yeast forever ot at least as long as your lifetime.

Bass did it for a long time.
Got to get the yeasties from the krausen, you can just keep re-using those.

Quote:

Originally Posted by huntsman

How do I know if I over pitched?
I did a Hank's hefe weizen using Wyyeast 3068. After complete fermentation
on Oct. 25, I washed using the Washing Yeast Illustrated thread to obtain four separate pints of yeast. On the 14th of Nov. I took one of the pints and made a starter using 3/4 cup of DME and three cups of water to make a starter. The starter looked good so on the 15th, I started brewing and pitched the starter after brewing my second batch of Hank's. First thing this morning the fermenter is going crazy. I was extremely stoked until reading this thread about over pitching. I just looked at my batch and it is bubbling through a blowoff tube like CRAZY. Did I over pitch or am I worrying over nothing?

Under pitch on Hefe/Dunkelweizens

SupraSPL · 11-17-2009, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huntsman

How do I know if I over pitched?
I did a Hank's hefe weizen using Wyyeast 3068. After complete fermentation
on Oct. 25, I washed using the Washing Yeast Illustrated thread to obtain four separate pints of yeast. On the 14th of Nov. I took one of the pints and made a starter using 3/4 cup of DME and three cups of water to make a starter. The starter looked good so on the 15th, I started brewing and pitched the starter after brewing my second batch of Hank's. First thing this morning the fermenter is going crazy. I was extremely stoked until reading this thread about over pitching. I just looked at my batch and it is bubbling through a blowoff tube like CRAZY. Did I over pitch or am I worrying over nothing?

If you used 16 oz (1 pint) of slurry in your starter I'd say yes that is more than what is ideal for a hefe. Mr. Malty calc is usually closer to 4 oz.

That said, I have been wondering the same thing regarding slurry starter's and estery beer styles. Let's say you used 4 oz slurry in the starter with well aerated wort, surely the yeast in the starter are creating esters as they multiply which end up in the beer, right?

I've been experimenting reusing Wyeast 3638 with hefes and dunkel weizens. First I tried pitching 4oz of (2 week old) slurry directly into 5 gallons of wort. Fermentation took 48 hours to ramp up but the esters in the final product were awesome. Next I used 2 oz of slurry in a 1 cup starter with 30g (1/4 cup) table sugar and 1/4 tsp yeast nutes. I let the starter work for 48 hours then pitched it into 5 gallons of wort. The fermentation was roaring in 12 hours. Hopefully I will get the esters with the starter method. I will let you know in 3-4 weeks when I crack a test beer.