Commercial Beer Yeast Harvest List

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Stone doesn't bottle condition most of their beers, so why would they add a different yeast anyway?
 
Stone's normal beers just use WLP007 anyways...

But no, I'm pretty sure they don't bottle with a different yeast. In fact, it's absolutely pointless when they're using such a widely available strain.

That's how I understood it, had the six pack already so I just figured I'd give harvesting a shot more of a fun experiment than economic choice for getting yeast for a batch.
 
Add Bell's Special Double Cream Stout and Cherry Stout to the list of successful harvests. I imagine it's their standard proprietary strain (same as Two Hearted) but don't know that for a fact, just hearsay that they use the same strain for most of their ales.
 
I don't know if its been mentioned before but Lagunitas Stout has no yeast in it. I even examined the debris in a microscope and saw no yeast, only bacteria (likely because I wasn't very clean about taking care of the bottle after pouring). I presume they filter. Anyone know for sure?

Re: Stone yeast. There seem to be a lot of opinions here but I'm not sure what the source of information is. I have the recollection of hearing or reading that Chris White of White Labs stocks Stone proprietary yeast for their use only so, while I presume it is a derivative of a CA Ale strain, I thought it was their own variant. Whether that strain is in the bottle, I don't know but I presume that it is. They certainly have yeast in their bottles so I presume they bottle condition to some extent.
 
I don't know if its been mentioned before but Lagunitas Stout has no yeast in it. I even examined the debris in a microscope and saw no yeast, only bacteria (likely because I wasn't very clean about taking care of the bottle after pouring). I presume they filter. Anyone know for sure?

Re: Stone yeast. There seem to be a lot of opinions here but I'm not sure what the source of information is. I have the recollection of hearing or reading that Chris White of White Labs stocks Stone proprietary yeast for their use only so, while I presume it is a derivative of a CA Ale strain, I thought it was their own variant. Whether that strain is in the bottle, I don't know but I presume that it is. They certainly have yeast in their bottles so I presume they bottle condition to some extent.

If I remember correctly, Stone's yeast is just a strain of WLP007 that flocculates a little bit better than the normal WLP007 strain. They've discussed it on Can You Brew it episodes with Mitch Steele.

It costs extra money for breweries to maintain a 2nd yeast for bottle conditioning, and it is risky to mess with a finished beer when it isn't necessary, so unless a brewery has a damn good reason to use a 2nd yeast, they'll likely not do it.
 
I think you should add some indicator to the list that shows which beers have been confirmed as conditioned with their primary fermenting strain. Lots of beers have yeast in them but I wouldn't want to waste time with a bottling strain. Anyways good job thus far. I think a good list like this is overdue.
 
SecretBrew: I think the problem is that few have reliable information about this issue. Unless the brewery is telling people their procedures, which doesn't seem to be the rule, then we have no way of knowing. All we can say is we used the yeast and it worked and had properties we can describe.
 
Rogue American Amber Ale seems to be bottle carb'd on pacman per references on their website and a step up starter that seems to be taking off from the dregs.
 
I think you should add some indicator to the list that shows which beers have been confirmed as conditioned with their primary fermenting strain. Lots of beers have yeast in them but I wouldn't want to waste time with a bottling strain. Anyways good job thus far. I think a good list like this is overdue.

My understanding the beer we want to have the yeast from is rarely conditioned w/ a bottling strain.
BUT:
When there's a yeast you'd like to harvest call/email the brewery and ask point blank this question most will answer honestly.
 
Hey all,

I'm new to home brewing, and can't brew in my apartment, so as a project between brews I'm trying to harvest yeast from commercial beers. I'm trying a Heady Topper from the Alchemist in VT. It's a canned beer that is unpasteurized, but I'm not sure if it's can conditioned (of if that's even possible).

Added to that I'm using a Malta Goya starter (2:1 ratio MG:Water, boiled to sanitize and release carbonation). I've heard people have had luck with that.

Has anyone tried harvesting from a can? Oskar Blues maybe? Just wondering if this is a waste of time. I've got a control starter from a home brew that should work, so if that takes off and my Heady Topper doesn't I think I'll have my answer.

Thanks!
 
Drinking my dark Belgian I made with my yeast harvest from a bottle of ommegangs Abby ale and-it-is-good!
 
LowOg - although it's not pasturised it'll be filtered and I bet if you got it under a microscope you'd find yeast but you'll never have enough to harvest.

At work we centrifuge beer before bottling, that leaves a small amount of yeast but not enough to deposit any on the bottom of the bottle.
 
I definitely have a good amount of sediment, but time will tell if any of it is usable yeast.
 
I have a starter going from the dregs of 2x 12oz bottles of Long Trail Ale unfiltered IPA.

I have a mixed case of Rouge bombers, I'm planning to get some Pac-Man going next!
 
  • Edelweiss Weissbier plated and slanted. Growing strong.
  • Tree Brewing Co Heffeweizen Wheat Ale. Plated and slanted. Growing strong.
  • Brew Dog. Not working. Dead or screwed up. Will try another bottle.
  • Chimay Blue. Plated and slanted. Grew just fine.
  • Chimay Yellow. Plated but hasnt grown yet. Probably old bottles. Will incubate for another few days as its still too early to tell. Same strain as blue but proves not all bottles that are harvestable can be. Try try again!
  • Fullers 1845. Plated but hasn't grown. More time.
  • Samuel Smith India Ale. Plated but hasn't grown. More time.

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I was going to buy one of the Chimay's for giggles as I've never tried any of it but the whole color thing threw me for a loop. I was torn between the Red (would seem the most viable as it's the youngest) and the Blue (which I figure they might add yeast again to condition but it's just a guess). They are all three the same strains aren't they?
 
I got the dregs from an Ommegang Bier De Mars, Russian River Temptation and Supplication. All are fermenting right now in gallon jugs. Take off time was about 2 days. Dregs only.
 
I was going to buy one of the Chimay's for giggles as I've never tried any of it but the whole color thing threw me for a loop. I was torn between the Red (would seem the most viable as it's the youngest) and the Blue (which I figure they might add yeast again to condition but it's just a guess). They are all three the same strains aren't they?

All the same, yes.
 
Anyone harvested yeast from Westvleteren 12 ? Got a bottle sitting in my beere fridge and didn't wantt to crack into it until I knew if/how to harvest.
 
I've stepped up my delirium tremens yeast up to 750ml and have a huge slurry already! Won't need much more to get it pitchable.
 
Working on harvesting the yeast/brett from Green Flashes new Beer Rayon Vert. A Belgian Pale ale with Brett added. The bottle says it has ale yeast and brett added at bottling time. I have a starter going now and I should have a quick taste by the end of the week.

I have a great slurry going. With some circles on top, I'm hoping that it is the brett. I still plan to taste it over the weekend.


Lewy
 
I can confirm that yeast can be harvested from unfiltered canned beer. I grew some from Heady Topper (I asked about it a while back and there didn't seem to be an answer out there).

My first IPA and my first harvested yeast are both a success as of bottling today!
 
Pranqster harvest worked....

Just took a gravity reading for a tripel I brewed and it went from1.071 to 1.010. Am going to bottle either next week or the week after that....

Sample tasted pretty good.
 
Just successfully harvested from Ommegang Aphrodite

its ommegang house and brett

hopefully going to make an awesome saison!
 
Delirium tremens harvest took my beer from 1.086 to 1.013, 83% attenuation. Smells and tastes pretty good so far, bottling today.
 
I did my first bottle harvest on my new stir plate and was amazed at how much this took off. The yeast was harvested from a single bottle of Bell's Winter White Ale. I believe this yeast is very different from the yeast Bell's uses in their year round beers. The website says it's a belgian strain. tastes a bit like a hefe but not as much banana. pretty god wheat yeast though. pitched it into 250 ml of about 1.020 wort and was surprised to find this much krausen when I got home from work today.
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Pranqster harvest worked....

Just took a gravity reading for a tripel I brewed and it went from1.071 to 1.010. Am going to bottle either next week or the week after that....

Sample tasted pretty good.

Just started drinking a Belgian Golden brewed with Pranqster yeast. Mine also fermented out very well, 1.080 to 1.010 (87%!). 10.1% ABV Tasting very good and great body. Seems like I should have raised the temperature a bit for some stronger belgian character but a great brew nevertheless.
 
I harvest pacman from dead guy all the time. It takes several step ups, but about twice a year I'll harvest pacman and share with my brew club.
 
Ok so I'm new to harvesting and making larger starters. Question is this, how important is it to use a stir plate? Also is it necessary to use yeast nutrients?
 
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