Hi all, I'm interested in harvesting yeast to save a few bucks. The process seems fairly straight forward but my question is after I harvest how much of that yeast would go into the next batch with a 1.050-1.060 og? Is over pitching a possibility? And how long is said yeast viable? Thanks in advance
Pitching harvested yeast
- Thread starter Pesi
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cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
Time is a factor, yeast evidently degrades. So how long you store it matters.
Fresh, 1/2 cup seems to be a good amount as far as I can figure it.
Beyond that I care not.
Fresh, 1/2 cup seems to be a good amount as far as I can figure it.
Beyond that I care not.
bob1006
Well-Known Member
You can rack your new beer right on top of the existing yeast cake. If you cant do that, sterilize a mason jar and scoop a bunch out and put it in the fridge. Make a starter 24 hours before you brew and pitch it in when its ready!
heckler73
Well-Known Member
make a starter when you're reusing yeast.
mrmalty.com has a tab for calculating pitching from slurry.
I did that on a 3 gallon batch yesterday. I might have gotten less yeast than anticipated since it has been a little slow to take off but it is fermenting.
I did that on a 3 gallon batch yesterday. I might have gotten less yeast than anticipated since it has been a little slow to take off but it is fermenting.
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
I used to belong to this camp. you are seriously over pitching by doing that.
Just rinse 3/4 or so of the cake out of the fermenter and pitch on that. Just as easy (almost)
bk0
Well-Known Member
I'm not so sure I believe in the 'overpitching' boogeyman. He lives in the same house as Freddy Autolysis and Sally HSA...
bob1006
Well-Known Member
The over pitching debate has begun! Ding ding!
I rack once on a yeast cake then pull from the slurryfor the third beer. Right now I'm on the 6th lager from one vial.
I rack once on a yeast cake then pull from the slurryfor the third beer. Right now I'm on the 6th lager from one vial.
Pie_Man
Well-Known Member
From my understanding over pitching, and I could be wrong here, reduces the ester profile of the beer. The yeast don't multiply since there are so many of them and this results in less esters and a different flavor. That's what I heard, I think from the Jamil Show. I've never sampled over pitched and normal pitched beer from the same wort to prove the theory, but the guy knows a little about yeast. Over pitching still produces beer, I don't believe that's the argument, it's more about the correct flavor and ester profile from my understanding.
Either way, I've not repitched yeast yet, but would like to soon. Keep us posted on your approach and how it turns out for you
Either way, I've not repitched yeast yet, but would like to soon. Keep us posted on your approach and how it turns out for you
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
I got 19 batches from the same yeast.
onipar
Well-Known Member
By no means do I consider this conclusive (especially considering the many other factors that went into this), but the one time I pitched onto a yeast cake, i could swear the beer had a strange band aid, burnt rubber sort of flavor and smell to it.
I say "other factors" because that particular beer was an experimental American Wheat that I did spur of the moment using leftover ingredients from a number of other kits.
In other words, the off flavor could have been from something else.
EDIT: I should also mention everyone else said they liked it, so it could also have just been me. I'll probably pitch onto a yeast cake again eventually, just to see if I get similar results. But for now, washing yeast and starters all the way.
I say "other factors" because that particular beer was an experimental American Wheat that I did spur of the moment using leftover ingredients from a number of other kits.
In other words, the off flavor could have been from something else.
EDIT: I should also mention everyone else said they liked it, so it could also have just been me. I'll probably pitch onto a yeast cake again eventually, just to see if I get similar results. But for now, washing yeast and starters all the way.
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
FWIW band aid is not from overpitching. Usually from leftover sanitizer.
onipar
Well-Known Member
It definitely wasn't sanitizer, considering I pitched into the fermenter I had just had beer in. Plus I use Star San. I just used "band aid" as a descriptor (probably incorrectly). More like a rubber flavor or something.
...unless you have a cup of fresh slurry.
