Question About Reusing Yeast

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cactussam

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Hey guys, so I followed the wiki on recapturing yeast out of the trub left in the carboy after primary/secondary fermentation (found HERE) and I wanted to know what to do with that yeast before I'm ready to brew my next batch.

So, the idea here is that I had a brew that turned out great, and I want to try to re-create it using my recycled yeast. Now that I have a mason jar of yeast/water solution, what should I do with it?

I've read a lot about using yeast starters and what not, and I've also heard of people just pitching yeast directly into their primary fermenter. I know that yeast starters result in MANY more yeast cells being available right off the bat in your primary, which kick starts fermentation, and that sounds good an all, but am I potentially going to run into any trouble by just taking my yeast out of the fridge and pitching it into my primary WITHOUT doing a starter?

What would you guys recommend?
 
i started washing yeast due to posts here around the same time i decided i wanted to get a stirplate and flask and make starters as well. personally i say make a starter. However got in a pintch once and used washed yeast that had been in fridge for 2months w/o a starter and got great beer. either way will work. starter is best way to ensure greatest chance of success.
 
Great question; very interested to hear.

I would assume though that given the life cycle of yeast, that you'll need to "activate" them if they lay dormant in the fridge for a while... aka a starter.

I may be wrong though...
 
i take the jar out and let it sit at room temp while i brew then chuck it in after the wort is cool. depending on how much yeast you have you may not have to make a starter, a half inch or more of yeast in the bottom of a quart jar is way more than what comes in a smack pack from the store.
 
i take the jar out and let it sit at room temp while i brew then chuck it in after the wort is cool. depending on how much yeast you have you may not have to make a starter, a half inch or more of yeast in the bottom of a quart jar is way more than what comes in a smack pack from the store.

Really, is this true? Well that completely settles everything... I'll do starters from now on and keep different strains on-hand (not that I wasn't planning to do this :p).

Can I freeze the mason jars containing this yeast?

Edit: So I see I shouldn't call these starters, obviously, but yeast washing? Anywho thanks for the link cactussam as this seems like a great way to reutilize and harvest yeast.
 
I wash yeast and only make a starter if I know what I have in the fridge won't be enough for the brew. I have never had a problem with the yeast not being viable, hurray! I usually just take the jar out the morning of brew day and let it warm to room temp.
 
There is a way to do this using glycerin... I havnt done it, but you should be able to find it on here.

What I'm slowly gathering though, is that freezing is not necessary as it seems that the yeast is still pitchable without needing to do a starter.

What is the average time frame you keep your yeast washed yeast (sorry if I'm stating this wrong, but I've only skimmed the page linked in the OP, though I will read it in full shortly).
 
This is my first time attempting to reuse yeast so at this point all if mine is only a few days old in the fridge. Before that, it's probably sat in secondary for around 2 weeks andva week in primary before that.

However, I've heard of refrigerated yeast being up to 6 months old and still being usable.
 
Inverted_Giraffe said:
What I'm slowly gathering though, is that freezing is not necessary as it seems that the yeast is still pitchable without needing to do a starter.

What is the average time frame you keep your yeast washed yeast (sorry if I'm stating this wrong, but I've only skimmed the page linked in the OP, though I will read it in full shortly).

Yea, I don't freeze. The oldest (T58) I used was 5 or six months. Worked great. My more used strains like 05 and 04 don't usually go more than a month before getting reused, but I brew a lot.
 
do you guys wash yeast that started as dry yeast packs? I was told that at the price... Why take a chance... Just use new yeast.

well if I can save 3-4 bucks a batch I figure it's worth it! What's your opinions?

also when reusing you just let it warm up to room temp and dump it in your primary when it's time?
 
crazyseany said:
well if I can save 3-4 bucks a batch I figure it's worth it! What's your opinions?

also when reusing you just let it warm up to room temp and dump it in your primary when it's time?

That's pretty much the reason why I decided to start re capturing yeast. For the most part, my LHBS only sells liquid yeasts, so I'm gonna be saving around $8 per batch.

From what I'm reading, it's OK to just warm it up and pitch, but starters really guarantee good yeast health and faster fermentation due to there being a lot more yeast cells available.
 
crazyseany said:
do you guys wash yeast that started as dry yeast packs? I was told that at the price... Why take a chance... Just use new yeast.

well if I can save 3-4 bucks a batch I figure it's worth it! What's your opinions?

also when reusing you just let it warm up to room temp and dump it in your primary when it's time?

Yep, dry yeast. Warm it up, toss it in.
 
Yea, I don't freeze. The oldest (T58) I used was 5 or six months. Worked great. My more used strains like 05 and 04 don't usually go more than a month before getting reused, but I brew a lot.

Another question for you, when you get ready to pitch your yeast into your brew/starter, what's it smell like? Mine had a bid of an acrid smell to it, not like the doughy smell I am used to out of the smack packs and what not. I'm a little worried that the yeast went bad, but I'm trying to just sit and wait to see signs of fermentation. I only pitched last night, so waking up this morning and not seeing my air lock bubbling away didn't help. I'm just hoping that I see some activity when I come home from work tonight in about 10 hours.
 
Not to hijack the thread but.... I've tried washing yeast once. I ended up with a good 3/4" of "stuff" in the bottom of the pint canning jars I was using. The photos I've seen on here usually show no more than say 1/4" of nice white yeast on the bottom of the jar. Mine seems to be more of a marbled color. I'm guessing leftover trub, etc. didn't settle out before I filled my pint jars. Will this be an issue trying to reuse this yeast? With so much in the bottom of the jar, should I bother with a starter? This originated as a dry yeast.
 
Not to hijack the thread but.... I've tried washing yeast once. I ended up with a good 3/4" of "stuff" in the bottom of the pint canning jars I was using. The photos I've seen on here usually show no more than say 1/4" of nice white yeast on the bottom of the jar. Mine seems to be more of a marbled color. I'm guessing leftover trub, etc. didn't settle out before I filled my pint jars. Will this be an issue trying to reuse this yeast? With so much in the bottom of the jar, should I bother with a starter? This originated as a dry yeast.

I am doing this exact thing tomorrow, so I'll let you know. I am not one to worry about such matters though, and prefer to just try stuff and see how it goes. I'll turn to the internet experts when something doesn't seem right.
 
Great success! I came home tonight to a happily bubbling air lock and all is right again with the world :D

I'll be posting my recipe soon for this pumpkin ale, it's really gonna rock your world ;-)
 
Great success! I came home tonight to a happily bubbling air lock and all is right again with the world :D

I'll be posting my recipe soon for this pumpkin ale, it's really gonna rock your world ;-)

awesome to hear! Everyone likes getting some action!

(also shouldn't you wait till you try a bottle before posting recipe? Lol)
 
crazyseany said:
awesome to hear! Everyone likes getting some action!

(also shouldn't you wait till you try a bottle before posting recipe? Lol)

This is my second batch ;-) waiting for the first one to finish bottle conditioning before I throw up the recipe, just to be sure. From wort taste tests to testing right before bottling (I always sip on my gravity readings), this brew has a lot of potential.
 
cactussam said:
This is my second batch ;-) waiting for the first one to finish bottle conditioning before I throw up the recipe, just to be sure. From wort taste tests to testing right before bottling (I always sip on my gravity readings), this brew has a lot of potential.

Had my first taste today, and to describe it in a word... Delicious.

It might even be the best beer I've brewed so far. Recipe coming soon :)
 
From what I'm reading, it's OK to just warm it up and pitch, but starters really guarantee good yeast health and faster fermentation due to there being a lot more yeast cells available.

YES! Please do a starter if the yeast has been sitting for more than say 1 - 2 weeks...you need to show viability...
 
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