Harvesting Karbach Weisse Versa Yeast

[Zabuza]

Just wondering if anyone had tried it and what kind of success they might've had. I poured a can into a glass earlier today, stuck it in the fridge to encourage yeast to fall out of suspension, and after about two hours when I swirled the last bit of liquid I found there was a few faint whisps of what looked liked yeast clouds/tendrils in the bottom of the beer. Think there's a chance?

For those of you that don't know, weisse versa is Karbach's cross between a witbeir and a bavarian hefeweizen that's supposedly unfiltered. It's hard to see much sediment since it comes in cans, and it seems as though I was only successful in concentrating only a bit of the yeast into sediment.

I mean, as long as I can get a bit of that sediment to form, I should be able to capture it and step it up into a colony, right?

 

[Zabuza]

Wow, 1 view...guess I need to learn how to make topic titles more catchy!

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Just take the small sample you have and step it up. Use a starter wort of 1.030-1.040 and make small steps until you have a normal volume if yeast then make your normal starter from that.

 

[Zabuza]

Just take the small sample you have and step it up. Use a starter wort of 1.030-1.040 and make small steps until you have a normal volume if yeast then make your normal starter from that.

I guess I'm wondering if just the faintest trace whisps of yeast are enough from which to use this method. I'm thinking an inoculation needle and petri dishes (followed by slanting and stepping up) might be a more effective method than ye olde pouring the dregs into 1.040 wort and seeing what happens method. There's just so damn little of it, and that's what I'm worried about.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I guess I'm wondering if just the faintest trace whisps of yeast are enough from which to use this method. I'm thinking an inoculation needle and petri dishes (followed by slanting and stepping up) might be a more effective method than ye olde pouring the dregs into 1.040 wort and seeing what happens method. There's just so damn little of it, and that's what I'm worried about.

I'm sure that would be more effective if you have the equipment around to do it with. I'm more if a lets try this and see what happens kind of guy though. Without the extra equipment already on hand I would just go for the stepping up starters. Just my .02. I'm sure there are lots on here with better/different recommendations. I figure if you can let beer sit for weeks/months and still have enough yeast to carb with there should be plenty in the dregs to grow a more viable quantity from.