Best method for yeast washing

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BrewingBrian001

Brewing Brian
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I made a video of washing yeast and although this was my first time, it seems pretty simple. That is, until I started reading about how people don't even use water or separate the trub but rather harvest the whole slurry and pitch as-is.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmzApcz4pVg&t=18s[/ame]
^ Is this what most people do when re-using yeast? I appreciate any feedback!
 
without sitting here and watching this guy do his "thing", I give the trub a really good mixing after I rack the beer off of it by swirling the carboy. Then I pour it into however many sanitized vessels I want. I have a 2000mL flask and a 22oz bomber right now. Both have fitting stoppers and airlocks. Placed in the fridge for a few days the liquid separates from the goo. When I'm ready to repitch, I mix up a batch of fresh starter wort, pour off the liquid from my yeast, and pitch the goo into my starter wort. I give it several mixings over the next day or two and then let it sit long enough to stop fermenting and separate from the liquid. Then again, I pour off the liquid and then pour the goo into my new beer. Focusing on sanitization principles and never letting my yeast sit open to the atmosphere for longer than it has to.
 
you are opening a big can of worms, here. There are so many different ways to do it, and everyone will tell you there way is the best.

The truth is, they all work. I have tried many different ways to save yeast, and they all work. You wont taste any difference whether you wash it, or just pitch the whole yeast cake. its all personal preference.
 
I washed yeast for over a year then decided to just make huge starters and save some in jars in the fridge. While many methods work, this works best for me so when you find something that works for you, stick with it.
 
My personal preference is adding some boiled/cooled water to the cake, mixing it up, pouring into a 1-gal jug and let stand until it separates out the right amount and pour off the milky yeast suspension into jars. I sometimes just pitch fresh wort onto the yeast cake without touching it if i brew and bottle on the same day, provided there isn't a massive amount of hop matter.
 
I washed yeast for over a year then decided to just make huge starters and save some in jars in the fridge. While many methods work, this works best for me so when you find something that works for you, stick with it.

I was originally going to go with the starters but they are a bit more expensive. Plus I think it would be good to taste the difference between dry yeast vs washed yeast vs eventually starter yeast.
 

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