user 40839
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Bit of an odd question, but given that homebrewers are odd people, can't think of a better place to ask it!
So I've been doing this for six months now, several batches through the wringer - some bad, some decent, one absolute grand slam.
I've moved from partial mash to all grain, and loving the drop in batch price as a result. Stopped buying hops from the LHBS, and bought in bulk from hopsdirect, and loving the better drop in batch price as a result. And now I'd like to eliminate the other expensive non-grain item from my batch bill, the yeast.
I've read through several tutorials on washing yeast, including the excellent illustrated version on these here interwebs forums - and in my journey, stumbled upon the genius idea of capturing yeast from commercial bottles (the Rogue Pacman yeast seems to be a popular and easy-ish one) where you make a starter, pour the dregs from 2-3 bottles of your source beer in (after adequate sterilization), then cross your fingers and pray for rain.
Question, though, for anyone who practices both - is it possible to capture yeast, and just wash the starter without having to pitch it into a batch first, or is it a case of there being nowhere near enough yeast in the starter flask to make washing worthwhile?
So I've been doing this for six months now, several batches through the wringer - some bad, some decent, one absolute grand slam.
I've moved from partial mash to all grain, and loving the drop in batch price as a result. Stopped buying hops from the LHBS, and bought in bulk from hopsdirect, and loving the better drop in batch price as a result. And now I'd like to eliminate the other expensive non-grain item from my batch bill, the yeast.
I've read through several tutorials on washing yeast, including the excellent illustrated version on these here interwebs forums - and in my journey, stumbled upon the genius idea of capturing yeast from commercial bottles (the Rogue Pacman yeast seems to be a popular and easy-ish one) where you make a starter, pour the dregs from 2-3 bottles of your source beer in (after adequate sterilization), then cross your fingers and pray for rain.
Question, though, for anyone who practices both - is it possible to capture yeast, and just wash the starter without having to pitch it into a batch first, or is it a case of there being nowhere near enough yeast in the starter flask to make washing worthwhile?