washing yeast from dry hopped beer

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Zeppman

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hey all,

Is it a good idea to try and wash yeast from a carboy that I've dry hopped with 2oz of hops? Usually when I want to wash yeast and dry hop, I transfer to a secondary to avoid this issue. I was lazy this time, and just threw the hops in the primary, but I want to save the yeast. Will the hops settle below the yeast when washing via the method shown in the sticky? Or is it wiser to just toss the yeast...

Thanks!
 
Just toss the yeast. Washing will separate the yeast from the trub, but it won't rinse away the hop oil coating the yeast.

It's not worth the $4-7.
 
Is there that much of a difference between 2oz used for dry hopping and 2 oz used in the boil? (assuming the boiled hops made it all the way to the fermenter)
 
Is there that much of a difference between 2oz used for dry hopping and 2 oz used in the boil? (assuming the boiled hops made it all the way to the fermenter)


No. Washing will be perfectly fine. It will remove hop oils and debris, which is more important, but even if it didn't, that's not going to affect the short term viability of your yeast. You're good to go!
 
this is the first i hear about the hop oils on yeast being a problem, i always just scoop up a 1/4 cup of slurry into the next beer.
 
That been my experience as well. I've counted up to 97% viability on slurrys with several oz of boiled hops and had no problem with the yeast. That's why I was wondering what the difference might be with dry hops.
 
That been my experience as well. I've counted up to 97% viability on slurrys with several oz of boiled hops and had no problem with the yeast. That's why I was wondering what the difference might be with dry hops.

That's really interesting. You always read about yeast health with higher gravity or highly hopped beers. Is it possible they were viable but still sick or mutated? What did you use, trypan? What a bummer, I just threw out a HUGE cake of Bell's yeast.
 
That's really interesting. You always read about yeast health with higher gravity or highly hopped beers. Is it possible they were viable but still sick or mutated? What did you use, trypan? What a bummer, I just threw out a HUGE cake of Bell's yeast.

Well, I'm not sure how it really effects highly hopped beer. My beers are around 20 IBUs, and I have yet to dry hop a beer. If dry hops and boiled hops have the same effect as others have said then my results likely apply to the OP.

My first counts were with 0.4% trypan blue, but I have switched to 0.01% methylene blue. I did quite a few comparison counts at different concentration of both and the methylene blue counts are about the same as trypan. Methylene blue I can get at the pet store, and it's what White Labs uses. (FWIW 0.1% methylene blue seems to kill the yeast if you let it incubate to long)

This is my procedure:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/counting-yeast-cells-to-asses-viability.html
 
this is the first i hear about the hop oils on yeast being a problem, i always just scoop up a 1/4 cup of slurry into the next beer.

Talk to literally any pro brewer, and ask them if they repitch yeast that's been dry hopped. Sure it'll make beer, but it's not best practice.

Secondly, there's a rather big IBU carry over from bitter beers with the yeast. If you brew a 70ibu IPA, and pitch that yeast into a 35ibu pale ale, you'll wind up with a more bitter pale ale than you'd expect.
 
I doubt there would be any issue as far as viability. I would be concerned about contamination. There is most likely small amounts of bacteria/ wild yeast introduced when dry hopping. This would not be an issue in the dry hopped beer due to the hostile environment of alcohol/high ibu's but could pose an issue in the beer you are pitching the washed yeast into...just a thought.
 
So for the OP's 2 oz of hops it sounds like the consensus is that he can reuse the yeast, but if it was a highly hoped beer there may be some flavor impact.
 
Secondly, there's a rather big IBU carry over from bitter beers with the yeast. If you brew a 70ibu IPA, and pitch that yeast into a 35ibu pale ale, you'll wind up with a more bitter pale ale than you'd expect.

I don't buy this. In said example if you were just scooping & pitching into the next beer, that;s maybe 1 cup of slurry, which isn't even 2% of the overall next beer. If you washed, made a starter & pitched, its even less. The effect would be miniscule. Maybe you've had experiences that say otherwise, but regardless of what the beer was before it, it's never had a flavor impact for me.
 
Good point. Quantitatively that makes a lot of sense.

IBUs, are a direct measurement of concentration of hop acids. If the yeast comprised 2% of the beer, then a slurry from a 50 IBU beer would boost the next beer by 1 IBU.
 
You can always make a starter from the "dry-hopped" yeast. Or just go for it and learn something new. The cool thing about brewing is that trying something outside the box doesn't kill anybody. The most important factor in repitching is using your most vital yeast at a proper pitch rate.
 
I don't buy this. In said example if you were just scooping & pitching into the next beer, that;s maybe 1 cup of slurry, which isn't even 2% of the overall next beer. If you washed, made a starter & pitched, its even less. The effect would be miniscule. Maybe you've had experiences that say otherwise, but regardless of what the beer was before it, it's never had a flavor impact for me.

i feel the same way, it just doesn't make sense as far as a flavor or bitterness contribution from washed yeast. some commercial brewers may not do it (around here most of them do) but it must be hard to watch all of that money go down the drain.
 
As far as introducing and cultivating wild yeast and bacteria from the dry hop goes, pellet hops go through some sort of heating sanitation in the pelletizing process so that shouldn't be an issue. With whole hops that's a very real possibility however.
 
If the yeast comprised 2% of the beer, then a slurry from a 50 IBU beer would boost the next beer by 1 IBU.

actually, it'd require 50IBUs higher than the next beer to even raise it 1 IBU

As far as introducing and cultivating wild yeast and bacteria from the dry hop goes, pellet hops go through some sort of heating sanitation in the pelletizing process so that shouldn't be an issue. With whole hops that's a very real possibility however.

hops are antimicrobial, it's not a worry
 
As far as introducing and cultivating wild yeast and bacteria from the dry hop goes, pellet hops go through some sort of heating sanitation in the pelletizing process so that shouldn't be an issue. With whole hops that's a very real possibility however.

Count me in the "highly doubt things survive in a bag of hops" crowd.
 
I think that hops in beer are anti microbial but wild yeast and bacteria can still sit on a whole cone and then be pitched in. Maybe it's the isomerized alpha acids and oils or something. But the cone itself is just spicy vegetation.
 
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