Danek

Recipes 

So just to check - when you come to use these yeasties, the stuff you want is on the bottom, right? And you'd get rid of the liquid at the top?

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Bottle conditioning: Pliny the Elder clone; Tramp's Overcoat Barley Wine
Next up: Vanilla Porter

Bernie Brewer

Recipes 

Correct. I leave a little liquid in there, and give the whole thing a good shake to get the yeast back in suspension. It pours out easier that way.

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I like to squeeze the nickle until the buffalo craps-mt rob

"Why don't we get drunk and screw?" Jimmy Buffett

splat

Recipes 

Ok, just a couple of quick questions.... I have wanted to try this for a while to save money on batches, and Im brewing this weekend, so in about a week or so Im giving it a go...

First question. After you pour your cooled/boiled water into your primary and shake it up do you pour it into your large jar, or siphon it in?

After it settles a little bit in the large jar, do you pour it into the smaller jars/or siphon it... I think it said to try and leave the bottom layer without disturbing it,,,,,I guess that is what makes me think you are going to siphon it...

Oh, one last thing....I end up with a LOT of Trub in the bottom of my primary....I was wondering if that is ok to still wash yeast from....I strain from kettle to primary through a stainless strainer, but there is still an inch or so of trub after a week.... I have heard of guys whirlpooling their wort in the brew kettle before siphoning it into the primary, would this help the trub issue, and make it easier to wash the yeast?

Thanks in advance for the help...

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Primary- Dead guy clone 10gallons
Secondary-Ambition Amber Ale
Secondary-
Keg #1- Edworts Pale Ale
Keg #2- Empty :(
Keg #3- Empty :(
Keg #4- Empty
Bottled- Canadian Draft
Bottled- Honey Wheat Ale
Bottled- Octoberfest lager
Next up- Another coopers Cervesa kit for the ladies.

Warped04

Recipes 

I just did my first one and I poured....It's too hard to start and stop a siphon on a dime. If you go slow, all the junk stays behind.

SuperiorBrew

Recipes 

I used that mini auto siphon and just lined the jars up right next to each other. At first I pinched the hose to stop the siphon but then just decided to move the hose from one to the next with out stopping the flow, that worked fine too.
I had so much suspended yeast I could have poured and not even got close to the trub. (It was fron a 10 g batch)

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Rich

Bitter Creek Homebrew Supply

GlassblowersBrew

Recipes 

I have some serious noob questions. If I want to use my yeast cake from my secondary to immediately brew my next batch of beer, can I pour the yeast cake back into my primary? If I can, should I do that before or after I pour in my wort? I looked through this thread and didn't find anything. Also, how many times can you use the same strain of yeast while using the yeast cake method? (I am using extract brewing). Thanks.

Bernie Brewer

Recipes 

It was on the first page, dude!

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I like to squeeze the nickle until the buffalo craps-mt rob

"Why don't we get drunk and screw?" Jimmy Buffett

GlassblowersBrew

Recipes 

Bernie brewer,
Thanks for your response. My question still is, can I pour the yeast cake back to the primary so I don't have to do my primary ferment in my secondary carboy. I want to ferment in the 6.5 gallon, not the 5. Basically, can I add my oxygenated water and wort to my primary and pitch in the yeast cake as if it were a liquid yeast tube? Does this question make sense?

New question: Can I wash my yeast cake with sterile water, as per the earlier instructions, and pitch directly into my new brew, forgoing the storage? I don't see a need to store yeast if I plan on brewing and bottling the same evening. I'm stuck on ales, so I plan on using the same yeast for a while. I brew evry three weeks. One week in primary, two in secondary, then bottle and brew on the last day of the third week. My thursday night ritual.

Thanks for your help.

Bernie Brewer

Recipes 

I don't see the need to go the trouble of washing the yeast if you are going to use it right away. I would find a way to get the yeast cake into the primary right from the secondary. Maybe boil and cool just a pint of water, swirl it gently in the yeast cake and then pitch into your primary It's worth a try anyway. Are you using dry yeast? If so I would just use a new packet every time-it's certainly cheap enough. Good luck.

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I like to squeeze the nickle until the buffalo craps-mt rob

"Why don't we get drunk and screw?" Jimmy Buffett

Bombo80

Recipes 

I washed my first yeasties, this weekend. I actually boiled four pint jars, one half gallon jar, and one gallon jar. I double washed it too, just to make sure. I siphoned off my beer, and then just stirred the whole yeast cake, to get it a bit more fluid. I then filled the gallon jar about half way, and topped it off with sterile water, shook it, and let it settle out for a while. I then filled the half gallon jar, about half way, and topped it off with sterile water, shook it up and let it settle out. Then the last step of filling the pint jars half way and topping off with more water.

I was having trouble getting it to siphon, so I just used my turkey baster to transfer the yeasties from jar to jar. Yeah, I know it was dumb on my part, but I got it done, and I think it turned out very nice. I need to get something else setup to transfer the yeast from jar to jar.

Now that I have done it once, I am going to get a bunch of pint jars sterilized and ready to go. I found a whole case (12) of brand new jars in my cellar, along with 16 others. I think I'll be set for my yeast, down the road.

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Primary - (2) crabapple wines

Secondary - Brewtopia Barleywine, Delirium Tremens

Fourth rack Secondary - Sugar Beet Wine, Rhubarb wine (back sweetened and bulk aging)

Bottled - (2)Apple wines, (2)Crabapple wines, Cherry port, Raspberry port, Spiked Hard Cider, Spiced Mead, Ginger Spiced Mead, Cranberry Cider, Mixed Grape wine, Raspberry wine