how to top crop yeast from carboy

An erlenmeyer flask, carboy caps, racking cane, tubing and sanitizer.

Here's the video: Top Cropping Yeast From Carboy

That's a cool vid. Never considered the idea before.

I know Twitter / jefflouella from twitter. Are you on there as well?

I don't think Sam is on twitter, but I am glad he is in my homebrew club.

olllllo said:

That's a cool vid. Never considered the idea before.

I know Twitter / jefflouella from twitter. Are you on there as well?

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Nope, haven't played around with Twitter yet. I've just discovered facebook and think I get Jeff's twitter updates there.

As for the video, Jamil said he's done basically the same thing but he also hooked up his CO2 tank to the other inlet on the cap on the carboy. This makes the process go much faster as you're not relying on CO2 produced by the yeast to push the krausen up the racking cane.

I've been using the carboy caps for years. It really make it easy to push beer around usng a very similar technique.

I like the ALEiens site as well.

Nice Work Sam!

http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio

February 26, 2009 - Carboy Top Cropping
James talks to home brewer Sam Scott of Hamilton, New Jersey about a method he's using to harvest yeast from a carboy during primary fermentation. Also, we get another homebrew legislation update.
- Sam Scott's Top Cropping Video

iTunes | Streaming mp3

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Good to have you, Sam! I actually posted about that technique after listening to your podcast with James earlier this morning.

I'll be trying this soon, for sure.

Thanks guys! I was a little nervous... sorry for all the uh's and um's. Like I said in the interview, I've only used this technique once but it worked very well. If you look at my comments on the video's page, you'll see Jamil Z. did this too but hooked up his CO2 tank to the fermenter's cap to help push the krausen into the flask... I haven't tried that but I would imagine it would cut the collection time down quite a bit.

-Sam

BUMP.

People need to see (and try) this technique.

How much do you end up collection, and do you turn around and make a fresh starter with it right away or save it? If you save, how? Thanks!

bump! I'm gonna try this but have the same unanswered questions.

Do you turn around and make a fresh starter with it right away or save it? If you save, how? thanks!

maida7 said:

bump! I'm gonna try this but have the same unanswered questions.

Do you turn around and make a fresh starter with it right away or save it? If you save, how? thanks!

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According to Jamil's Yeast Pitching Calculator, you'd need about a 1/2 cup of relatively thin slurry for 5.25 gallons of 1.060 wort.

I don't wait around to collect too much so I always make a fresh starter with it (same as Tasty McDole does when he top-crops... he collects a couple/three teaspoons of creamy goodness and pitches it right to a 2000ml starter).

You could probably save it for a short while (couple days?) but I wouldn't recommend it. The problem is the exposure to oxygen. The yeast will quickly deplete their built-up reserves if they're exposed to oxygen without anything to eat. You could make a starter from it and save the starter for a short while (week or two?) in the fridge... The beer above the yeast will protect it (not totally) from oxygen exposure. After a couple weeks of storage, I would decant and use roughly 10% of it to make a new starter. (Keep in mind that every time you transfer the yeast to a new container you risk infection.)

I use a sanitized turkey baster to collect.