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**WheeledGoat** · 08-28-2011, 10:22 AM

Using this very method, I "washed" (rinsed? scrubbed? apologies to everyone to whom the terms matter) the Wyeast Fat Tire yeast that a fellow homebrewer mailed me back in '08. I made a batch then and saved it just like the first post in this thread outlines.

It's been sitting there since Oct 2008 and last week, using all 3 jars I had to give myself the best possible chance of it taking off, it worked! I got a nice, frothy starter! It took 2 days, and I was nervous and getting sadder by the hour, but it took off!!! Yay!

So there's your answer to "how long does this last" - about 3 years!

And it still smells just perfect. I may have altered the strain a bit, selecting for the heartier of the breed, but it smells absolutely perfect - it has that nice, malty breadiness of Fat Tire that I remember. YUM.

Grinreaper · 08-28-2011, 04:53 PM

Here's what my belgium washed yeast looks like after 4 months or so.

What do you think? Whats the yeast layer and whats the other layer?

**WheeledGoat** · 08-29-2011, 07:50 AM

Was that taken from a primary? I'd bet you have a layer of napping yeast, and a layer of dead ones mixed w/ sundry trub...

my mason jars never have that much in the bottom! I'm lucky to have 1/4" of yeasties in the bottom, but they always work like a charm anyways!

Grinreaper · 08-29-2011, 09:22 AM

Well i've used the trub at the bottom of my primary 4 times after racking. So after all 4 beers, i wanted to keep the yeast so i did the washing process but i scrapped the bottom of my plastic fermentor and got this much yeast soo thats why i have so much at the bottom. It's in my fridge since then.

**WheeledGoat** · 08-30-2011, 04:38 AM

nice! you're my new hero - racked on those bad boys four times!! heheh.

Grinreaper · 08-31-2011, 12:30 AM

Yeah i bought 4 brewferm kit that would be better with belgium yeast so

Hopleaf11 · 09-02-2011, 05:07 AM

After reading a lot of this thread I decided to try my hand at yeast rinsing (or washing...). I bottled yesterday with 4 quart jars filled with boiled cooled water at the ready. Once my bottles were full and capped I tossed the water over the yeast cake, gave it a swirl and filled all 4 jars. After tightening down the lids I place them in the fridge. The yeast has settled as did the trub at the bottom. There's also a bunch of beer-colored liquid taking up the majority of the jar space.

My question is what should I do to ready a pit h of yeast? I think I should decant off the beer-colored liquid, add more boiled and cooled water, let settle for 20 min and pour off the yeast-filled water. Then pitch this into my newly brewed wort. Sound good?

bigbeergeek · 09-02-2011, 09:40 PM

Just decant most of the liquid from the mason jar, swirl it to get the yeast into suspension, and pitch the slurry into your wort or starter. I recommend making a starter for every batch, especially with washed yeast that's been in the fridge for a while.

Kealia · 09-02-2011, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbeergeek

just decant most of the liquid from the mason jar, swirl it to get the yeast into suspension, and pitch the slurry into your wort or starter. I recommend making a starter for every batch, especially with washed yeast that's been in the fridge for a while.

+1

**WheeledGoat** · 09-04-2011, 08:22 PM

I'm slowly climbing (or perhaps descending) the ladder of laziness. Last night, instead of following this yeast *****ing procedure, I just swirled up the trub remaining in my primary and poured it into isopropyl alcohol-sterilized mason jars. Labelled, and popped em in the fridge.

Problems I can forsee;

1. A little fermentation still trying to happen, warping the lid and breaking the seal

2. The extra trub and sediment (the dead detrious) spoiling everything in the jar. Hopefully storage in the fridge would slow this?

I only tried this cause I also have a separate "starter" of the yeast that I'm culturing specifically for storage.

Anyone with experience or thoughts on my laziness???