Using washed yeast, starter or no

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Kaz

Kaz

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Today I racked a brown ale from carboy to keg. I washed the WLP002 that I used and now have it in the fridge in mason jars. If everything goes as planned, I'm going to brew a porter tomorrow. Given the short amount of time between harvest and pitching, should I do a small starter or just decant and pitch one of the mason jars straight in? I know if I wait more than a few days are starter would be helpful, but what about in this case? TIA
 
Pilgarlic said:
Just pitch the appropriate amount of slurry.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought...however, question on that...looking at my mason jars, I have the typical liquid layer above a compacted layer on the bottom. I looked at the slurry pitching calculator on Mr. Malty and it says for my gravity and volume to pitch about 100mL of slurry. When it says 'slurry', what exactly is the slurry? Is it just the compacted layer on the bottom or do I decant off some liquid so that I have about 100mL of liquid and solid, swirl and pitch?
 
Kaz said:
That's what I thought...however, question on that...looking at my mason jars, I have the typical liquid layer above a compacted layer on the bottom. I looked at the slurry pitching calculator on Mr. Malty and it says for my gravity and volume to pitch about 100mL of slurry. When it says 'slurry', what exactly is the slurry? Is it just the compacted layer on the bottom or do I decant off some liquid so that I have about 100mL of liquid and solid, swirl and pitch?
Click to expand...

I've wondered the same thing. It's been bugging me for a while. I had some washed us-05 which I used for a normal gravity beer (chocolate stout) and a high OG beer (imperial wheat) and I made a starter for the wheat, but just pitched 2 jars worth (equal to about 40 ml of extremely compacted washed yeast) for the stout and fermentation took off in less than 12 hours in both cases.
 
Yes. it's the creamy, light colored layer on the bottom. That's yeast slurry. The colored, clearer liquid on top can either be decanted or poured in. I decant most of it, swirl the compacted yeast into suspension and pitch it.
 
After only one day in the fridge you may still have a lot of yeast in suspension that will be lost if you decant. I think I'd consider pitching the entire contents of the jar.

Ed
 
Ohio-Ed said:
After only one day in the fridge you may still have a lot of yeast in suspension that will be lost if you decant. I think I'd consider pitching the entire contents of the jar.

Ed
Click to expand...

It's WLP002, you don't have much of that in solution in fermented beer 5 seconds after during off the stir plate let alone overnight in the fridge.
 

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