Yeast washing

BubbaK · 03-05-2009, 11:16 AM

I saved the trub from an irish ale I brewed with the intent to wash it and save the yeast. Its been sitting in the fridge for almost 2 weeks, and I never got to it. Is it still worth it to try to wash and save? I plan on doing another red soon.. could I pour it back into the primary and re-use the whole thing? Or should I just toss it... It was Nottingham yeast that came in a brewers best kit..

homebrewer_99 · 03-05-2009, 12:45 PM

You need to smell it first and make sure there are no off odors coming from it.

Any liquid is on top has protected the yeast itself so make sure you pour it off then make a starter with the yeast and new water.

But, it should be OK.

kryolla · 03-05-2009, 01:44 PM

most dry yeast are cheap to buy I would just buy more yeast but if it was a certain strain say Wyeast Irish Ale then I would try and re-use it.

rsmith179 · 03-05-2009, 01:48 PM

I totally agree with kryolla. The amount of time and energy you'll be spending on washing that dry yeast, you might as well go to your LHBS and pick up a new pack. Washing yeast is great for those liquid yeasts you'll find and should usually be done as soon as you're done racking to the secondary. This really helps us save that $8-10 we'd be spending on a new vial of yeast each time we brew. I usually wash any liquid yeasts that I plan on using in the future. If I haven't use that yeast in about 2-3 months, I'll start up a starter with that yeast and propagate some directly from the starter to ensure I have new, fresh starters ready to go.