Commercial Yeast - what are good ones to harvest?

I have to be honest, I hate buying yeast. I just don't like it. THere is something really cool and satisfying about culturing yeast from commercial beers. I am now converting my operations to use strains that I have cultured. Rogue Pacman for my "normal/everyday" ales and Chimay for my belgians.

I have also cultured yeast from redhook...but not impressed with that yeast.

Do you guys have any input or opinions on some other yeast to harverst from commercial beers? I would love to get my hands on new belgiums fat tire yeast...they say it's a neutral american strain....bull crap!!

I was thinking possibly harvesting from boulevard so I get a nice heff strain.....


when you think about it, rogue pacman yeast is just so versatile.......it really reminds me of nottingham....

How about buying yeast, washing it after use, and keep re-using?

meddin said:

How about buying yeast, washing it after use, and keep re-using?

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I certainly wash my yeast, I have far too many jars of washed yeast in my fridge. I have washed US-05, Nottigham, White labs WLP029 (kolsh), Chimay, and pacman.

I am just a big fan of harvesting yeast, it is an amazing process and it is nice to know you are really using the same exact strain as the big guys.

same strain that has been stored at who knows what temperature in a nutrient decimated, alcohol laced medium...

It makes sense to go with the closest, most local, quickest selling beer that you can. Is summit bottle conditioned? When I was a bartender in north dakota the robust porter keg turned over every week...because I stayed up until 5 am drinking it with the cooks!

permo said:

I have also cultured yeast from redhook...but not impressed with that yeast.

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I don't like Redhooks yeast either, it is slow working and not very flocculant. It also has a distinct ester taste that makes your beer taste Redhooky, not that that is a bad taste but it isn't appropriate in some beers.

permo said:

when you think about it, rogue pacman yeast is just so versatile.......it really reminds me of nottingham....

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Rogue pacman is a mutant form of the Sierra Nevada strain, which came from Ballantines. Ballantines was using Nottingham, so that's where Rogue Pacman came from originally.

I would just use the yeast from the freshest beer I can get my hands on, which is usually from a local brewery.

Word is that pacman is derived from the cali/chico strain which itself was derived from the Balentine strain (aka Nottingham).


edit: Jebus! alecoholic beat me to it ...