Yeast washing ?

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HI_SALENITY

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After 4 weeks in the primary can I still wash and reuse the Yeast or is that too long ? I haven't been able to find any info about how long the yeast stays good but I was thinking I had heard reusing the yeast was for those that did 7-10 day primary's and the yeast would die off or consume each other if left in the primary for an extended length of time .

Obviously they don't all die or the priming sugar wouldn't work.
 
4 weeks in the primary is no big deal, there should still be plenty of healthy, viable yeast cells. I tend to skip the secondary and just primary for 4-8 weeks, depending on the brew, and I've yet to have a problem washing yeast, or just pitching onto a yeast cake for that matter.

Hope that helped. :mug:
 
Cool, One more thing after I boil the water how cool should I let it get?
Can I just do this by putting the pan in ice water or is it necessary to put it in the refrigerator overnight?
 
i let the water cool to room temperature. i've put in in the fridge, and just left it sitting on the counter (with lids on the jars). both equally effective.
 
If washing from the primary cake, do the hop particles have any negative effect or does it not matter?
 
Austin: that's the whole idea of washing, it seperates the viable yeast from all the other gunk in there. Hop particles, dead yeast, hot/cold break material, etc...
 
No worries, the whole concept of yeast washing was miles above my head for a long time. Then I tried it once, and it was surprisingly simple. Hell, at one point I was afraid of doing even a yeast starter! The whole boiling and stirring thing was just too much for my fragile little mind. :D
 
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