DFW Yeast Trade?

Is there anyone else in the DFW area that washes thier yeast and want to trade some. Only have Kolsch right now but going to try to build up a decent yeast bank.

Hey there. I'm in Oak Cliff and have the equipment to wash and harvest yeast but haven't done a lot of it. Right now I just have the old standby - 1056, but I have successfully harvested Chimay Blue Label in the past. I'd be interested in trading once I build up a larger collection.

Most of my yeasts are getting old and I need to rehabilitate them. I've been waiting to get a big order together so I can get to brewing again. Otherwise, I'd have more yeast than I could handle and I would be glad to share.

Ryan, what kind of equipment do you have. I just followed the video from billybrew.com and washed like that, from yeast cake. This was my first wash but I think I did everything right. In a few weeks I'm going to brew another kolsch and verify my yeast is good to go. If we could get some kinda yeast bank or trade together for us DFW brewers it would be pretty convienient.

Well, I don't wash yeast so much as harvest it. I have about 50 autoclavable vials that I use with an agar solution to propagate yeast strains. For example, with the 1056 I have currently, I just have colonies I cultivated from a smack pack and turned that into about 5 vials (slants) of yeast colonies. I'll take some pictures when I get home from work and show you what I'm talking about. Then, when I design a beer to brew, I create a very small starter and take a few spores and throw them in the starter until I get some multiplication and some activity, then I step it up until I have a starter I can pitch into my brew. The entire process takes about a week. I just recently used spores from a 1056 slant that I made over a year ago with success.

It's not too difficult to get started making slants instead of collecting slurry and washing it in my opinion. The equipment I use: inoculation loop, autoclavable vials, agar, water, and a pressure cooker. I'm sure someone around here has put together a how-to with more detail than I've posted....

I have seen how to do the slants, for now I will probably stick with washing slurry. But in the future fridge space may put me into having to do the slants. How many times do you have to step up a vial and what size do you use?

Gah - sorry I haven't posted pics, sounds like you don't need them though.

I step up usually three times for ale yeast. I've yet to try this method with a lager, but I'd imagine it'd be the same with a little extra time.

I use a sanitized vial to start off with, my vials hold 50ml of water. (Small, yes I know, but it's important not to stress the yeast). Then I step it up to a 1000 ml flask. I ONLY step it up with 200ml of wort though. Once it's ready to grow more I up it to a 2000ml flask and create about a 1L - 1.25L starter with that. I guess the size of the containers isn't that important, just as long as you have enough head space for some krausen. Oh - once I'm in my 2L flask I set it on my stir plate and keep the yeast in suspension for at least 24 hours. Then, 24 hours before I pitch I let it settle in my temperature control fridge and get the yeast to pitching temperature. Decant, pitch, wait, enjoy.

It may not be perfect - but it's never failed me. Once you start making slants you can harvest yeast from some of your favorite beers. (Not all - some commercial breweries use a different yeast for bottling)

Thanks for the explaination. Like I said, I will probably have to go that route when fridge space becomes an issue. Hopefully it won't be for a while, I'm getting stuff together to go AG right now. Even though I'm just going with BIAB for a while trying to keep costs under control.

Have you been out to any NTHBA Brew Days? They're a lot of fun, you learn a lot, and the mystique of AG brewing disappears. There isn't one this month due to the Bluebonnet, but there will be one again in April. I'll be out there for an hour or so to hang out and spend some time with the guys.