Yeast washing attempt failed, please help me to try to fix this...

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badmajon

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So, I tried to wash the yeast as illustrated in the guide in the forum. My problem was, the crap never settled down. In the pictures, you see, after 20 minutes or so, the trub falls to the bottom, and the yeast (still in suspension) is siphoned off and the process is repeated a couple of times.

My trub never fell to the bottom, and the whole thing just looked like a muddy black and tan without any clear seperation. So, I ended siphoning out most of the milky stuff (that's the yeast I reckon) and left the clear top part and the black part at the bottom (it was washed from a porter).

So now I've got about 800 ml of milky yeast-beer. The yeast isn't dropping, it just wants to float around.

I also have 1000 ml of DME based starter.

I don't know what to do, I don't want to just dump the yeast-beer in there, because I'd figure it'd lower the gravity of the starter and mess me up.

Help!
 
Why didn't you let it set, it would have settled eventually you could have even put the contianer in the fridge and let it cold crash. Just because it didn't tak3 20 minutes there's no reason why it would settle out at some point.
 
The last time I checked it, I was at 2 hours. So, now I've got it (the yeast-beer) in the fridge and I'm hoping that'll work some kind of magic and help the yeast settle.

Next time I'm just going to do what I usually do to lower yeast costs- make a big-ass 3 liter starter and then divide the yield into three beer bottles for future use. This (well, last brew day) time I was just impatient and I thought I'd wash afterwards.
 
I have tried to wash several batches and found that I wasnt using near enough water to start. After one failed attempt (or at least I gave up on it) I poured a bunch of tap water in the carboy to see what would happen and low and behold it started to seperate and settle... Also after pouring out of the carboy into the first container, sticking it in the fridge for a while helped in the seperaton of yeast and trub.
 
I second the water thing, I am not sure how much you used, but my carboy ended up being 1/3 ish full when I poured it all in there. I wasn't washing a dark beer though, so I don't know how that changes things.
 
I just put a gallon in there per the instructions. Eeeh, it seems to be seperating now that I put it in the fridge, it's just taking forever (been in for 9 hours and its 2/3rds settled). I'm never doing this again.
 
My first yeast wash attempt was like magic. Just like you'd want it to go. But I haven't recaptured the magic since then. Mine never seem to make a good separation or settle noticeably in a half hour either, but I just go with it and it works out OK.

Just do it per the instructions, then make a starter. $1 for DME for a starter is still way cheaper than a pack of any yeast.
 
Why didn't you let it set, it would have settled eventually you could have even put the contianer in the fridge and let it cold crash. Just because it didn't tak3 20 minutes there's no reason why it would settle out at some point.

YES!! You guys, just pay attention. It WILL settle out..... 20 min or 20 hrs. Just listen to Revvy. It WILL settle.......
 
Did you wash from the primary or the secondary? Primary should work better, since the yeast that's still settleing during the secondary is the not so flocculant kind, it isn't recommended that you wash the secondary yeast.
 
According to wyeast website flocculation is "medium to low"

yeah I've never used a yeast that flocculates this weakly, I think if I were to ever do yeast washing again, I'd only attempt it on a high flocculation strain
 
Make a big starter then split it for future use.

Duh, good idea. Seems obvious. I never would have though of that on my own.
 
yeah I've never used a yeast that flocculates this weakly, I think if I were to ever do yeast washing again, I'd only attempt it on a high flocculation strain

If you want to re-use that strain of yeast you might want to try top cropping.
 
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