re-using yeast after a few months

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Walker

I use secondaries. :p
HBT Supporter
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
10,982
Reaction score
122
Location
Cary
I know that some (maybe a lot) of you guys will rack a new batch of wort into the primary, right on top of the trub from a previous batch and not pitch new yeast.

I've never done this before, because I always just used low-cost dried yeasts. However, I am now starting to experiment with different yeast strains, which has forced me to start buying the much more expensive smack-packs of Wyeast. Since I am now paying about 4 or 5 times as much for my yeast, I'd like to re-use the stuff for at least two batches.

The problem is, I like to bounce around and make a lot of different kinds of beer, so re-using a special yeast for two back-to-back batches doesn't work for me.

My Question
There is usually a small amount trub in my secondary, and it's basically just yeast. Ie; it is free of the extra 'junk' that is mixed in with the trub in my primary, like hops and other particulates.

If I put that yeast cake from the secondary into sterilized glass bottles and kept it in the fridge, could I re-use it after a few months time? My thinking is that keeping the stuff cold would shut the yeast down, and I might be able to make a starter from it when the time came and I needed one of these special kinds of yeast again after a couple of months.

Has anyone ever done this? How did it work for you?

-walker
 
I decided to try this myself awhile ago. I used this method. Scroll down until you see the article Yeast Washing – (Quick and Dirty).

Mine is still in the fridge; I haven't tried to reuse it yet.
 
cool thanks. Ironic that the article is from the CARBOY newsletter... I just joined that group and went to my first meeting this week!

-walker
 
I think I'm going to do things slightly different with regards to storing the yeast. Since I plan to gather my yeast from the secondary, fermentation will definately be done, so I am not going to bother with an airlock.

I'll just make use of the clear Newcastle's bottles I have saved and actually cap the things and put them in the fridge (inside of a hard plastic tub just in case something does decide to explode.) Hmmm.. maybe I'll just use plastic soda bottles and screw the caps on tight. Much less risk, I guess.

thanks for the link, and I'd be interested in hearing how this works for you when you eventually try to make a starter from one of your samples.

-walker
 
I usually get 1 or 2 half liter bottles of yeast from a primary.

I use clear flippies for my yeast. This way I can vent the CO2 build-up and see the yeast (like in a large vial).

I have reused yeast that was several months old without any problems.

Sometimes I'll make a larger than normal starter and split it prior to pitching in a batch. This way I get 2 for 1.

Be sure you come up with some kind of labeling system for the bottles if you reuse your yeast. And be sure to date it so you know which one to use first. :D
 
homebrewer_99 said:
I use clear flippies for my yeast. This way I can vent the CO2 build-up and see the yeast (like in a large vial).

Cool. The same things will apply to 16oz soda bottles, so I like my plan so far.

homebrewer_99 said:
I have reused yeast that was several months old without any problems.

Good to know! That was the one thing not mentioned in the CARBOY article (longevity).

homebrewer_99 said:
Be sure you come up with some kind of labeling system for the bottles if you reuse your yeast. And be sure to date it so you know which one to use first. :D

Already considered that part. :) I have visions of opening the fridge and seeing rows of bottles with little white labels, each filled with salvaged yeast strains;

"Irish Ale 1082 - from Kaffe Stout Secondary - 10/30/2005"
"Scottish Ale 1782 - from Guagach 80/- Secondary - 11/30/2005"
etc, etc, etc.

Thanks for the info HB99!

-walker
 
Is there enough yeast in the secondary to properly ferment a second beer? It seems that you'd throw a lot away in the primary.

I also have a question about saving the trub from the primary. Wouldent you be saving some malt and hops too? Wouldent that affect the quantity of ingrediants in the second batch?
 
OtherWhiteMeat said:
Is there enough yeast in the secondary to properly ferment a second beer? It seems that you'd throw a lot away in the primary.

No idea. It seems that the majority of people chose to draw from the primary, but no one has said that the secondary WON'T work. There will yeast in it, and as long as a starter is made to let the yeast begin to reproduce, I would think that it should be fine.

OtherWhiteMeat said:
I also have a question about saving the trub from the primary. Wouldent you be saving some malt and hops too? Wouldent that affect the quantity of ingrediants in the second batch?

According to that article linked above, you mix the trub and remaining beer from the primary and let it settle out a bit. Then you decant the small amount of liquid in there AWAY from the sediment, leaving you with a small amount of beer with lots of yeast in suspension. I don't think the teeny tiny bit of malt that is there will affect the flavor of the 5 gallon batch you are going to pitch into, and the solids from the dregs of the primary are not kept.


-walker
 
When I used hop pellets there was a lot of hops left in with the yeast. This also added some extra bitterness to the subsequent brew. I believe this is the reason you should wash your yeast.

When I switched to whole hops the yeast is much cleaner.

Just checked my fridge for a count . . . I have 17 - 1/2 liter bottles of yeast in there. :D
 
homebrewer_99 said:
When I used hop pellets there was a lot of hops left in with the yeast. This also added some extra bitterness to the subsequent brew. I believe this is the reason you should wash your yeast.

When I switched to whole hops the yeast is much cleaner.

I was thinking about all the hop sediment in the trub effecting the flavor of the next brew. So, just how do you wash yeast? :confused:
 
I did this yeast washing to salvage the Irish Ale Yeast from the trub of my stout last night. It didn't go as well as I had hoped.

I had a large amount of trub, so I had to mix in a couple cups of water to get things mixed up in the primary. Then when I dumped that into a large plastic tupperware it was really REALLY thick.

I put it in the fridge and waited for it to separate so I could pull the yeast off the top. After two hours, there was only a very thin layer of liquid above the sediment, so I just left it in the fridge and went to bed.

This morning, I had maybe a half inch of liquid on top, but since I was late for work, I just left it in the fridge, planning to take care of it later.

Now, I just re-read the article linked in the second post and it warns to not let it sit too long or the yeast will all fall out of suspension and I won't be getting the right goods out of the container.

Argh. I guess I can pull off the beer, and TRY to also suck up the thin layer of yeast that separates the rest of the trub from the liquid, but I am sure I will pull some trub over doing it this way, so I might have to make it a two-step process to get what I am after.

-walker
 
FWIW, I let it sit a couple of days before pouring it off into a bottle. I think the main concern is getting as much of the suspended yeast on top as you can, without the trub.

I have yet to brew with my salvaged yeast, though. When I do, I plan to make a starter a couple of days ahead of time and see if the starter is okay before pitching.
 
Rhoobarb said:
I have yet to brew with my salvaged yeast, though. When I do, I plan to make a starter a couple of days ahead of time and see if the starter is okay before pitching.

That's my plan here, too.

Maybe HB99 can chime in with details about how he washes and re-uses yeast. He says he's got close to 20 bottles of salvaged yeast in the fridge, so I assume he knows a few things about it. :D

HB99:

  • How long to you let the trub settle before pulling the yeast off the top?
  • Do you just take the liquid from the too, or so you also take some trub?
  • Is the liquid on top clear or cloudy when you pull it off?

Sorry for the slew of questions, but you're probably the most experienced in this area.


-walker
 
Walker said:
Maybe HB99 can chime in with details about how he washes and re-uses yeast. He says he's got close to 20 bottles of salvaged yeast in the fridge, so I assume he knows a few things about it. :D

HB99:

  • How long to you let the trub settle before pulling the yeast off the top?
  • Do you just take the liquid from the too, or so you also take some trub?
  • Is the liquid on top clear or cloudy when you pull it off?

Sorry for the slew of questions, but you're probably the most experienced in this area. -walker

I just got in...no problem about the questions. Glad to help.

Washing yeast is not difficult. It actually does most of the work. You're just there to make sure it gets done. Sounds familiar, huh?

Here's a couple of sites that I found useful for washing instructions.

I recommend the first one first (simply because we all like pictures):

http://www.homebrewing.org.uk/beer/yeast-washing.php4

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hbrew/hbyewash.htm

http://dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C14/C14Links/www.brewpubmag.com/98jul/craftbrewer.html

Let me try to answer your questions:

1. How long to you let the trub settle before pulling the yeast off the top?
That's really a judgement call. How clean do you want your yeast? How many steps do you want to perform is more like it (three works well). I usually put my lid back on the primary and swish it around for a couple of minutes to break up the more solid pieces of sediment (there's yeast stuck in there) and get it well mixed with the beer you left in there. When you first pour your yeast from the primary it is pretty full of trub sediment. Mixing this with the water in a growler and swishing it around some more further breaks the yeast out from the trub. How long to wait really depends on how much trub and yeast you want to leave behind. AS long as the trub is falling out and the yeast is floating on top you're fine. Anything floating is yeast.

2. Do you just take the liquid from the too, or so you also take some trub?
Again, depends on how greedy you are at this point. If you try for all the yeast...well, it'll never happen, so you have to guess when you want to stop. Does trub go from the first container to the second and the second to the third? Sure it does. But you regulate that by your pouring speed.

3. Is the liquid on top clear or cloudy when you pull it off? It is cloudy, but the solids should have fallen out. If they have then you're doing fine. In the end the yeast will fall to the bottom of the bottle and clear liquid will be on top. The water you began with was sterilized and the water barrier keeps the nasties out.

For my final pour (wash) I pour the yeast into my clear 0,5 liter bottles (with flippie lids). This makes it wasy to see the yeast and any activity. I used to wonder if light had any effect on the yeast, then realized the vials are clear plastic. When I get ready to use the yeast I just pour off the water (leaving only yeast), pour in the cooled water and malt for my starter and add an airlock. :D

Here's another tip I do. Some of you may agree, some not, but that's OK.

When I make a starter from a vial I make a large one. Prior to pitching for the first time I swish (you can shake it if you want to) it around and get it all in suspension again. Then I pitch only half of it. I can use the rest of it for my next batch which is usually within a week. :D If you can time the high kreusening on the day of brewing then your lag time will be greatly reduced.

You can add more malt and some water to the remaining "starter" the day prior to re-activate the yeast to get it to kreusening again then pitch it. :D

It's all in the planning and timing.

Oh, and another thing. You don't have to wash if you don't want to. I know others mentioned that they pour their cooled wort onto the trub in the primary, so have I as well as pouring that trub straight into bottles. My only copncern here is the fact that if you use hop pellets they too are in there and contribute bitterness to the next batch. How much really depends on how much you used and what style beer will you be using it in. How much to reuce your bittering hops by is really anyone's guess.

I hope I addressed all of your concerns satisfactorily. Good luck.
 
Back
Top