Yeast starter harvested from 2 bottles of Oberon

[boarderx3120]

So, I think this years batch of Oberon from Bell's is probably their best batch yet. I got excited (and a bit buzzed) one night and decided it was time for a clone, so I carefully harvested the yeast from the dregs of the 2 bottles I had left in the fridge (couldn't believe how much yeast was in those bottles!). I should mention, this is my first attempt at harvesting any yeast from a commercial bottle. I started with a 10ml starter of about 1.020 wort. Let it sit for about 3 days, nothing happened. Stepped it up to about 100ml of 1.030 wort and within a couple days there was some activity! A bit of white creamy foam on top and clearly some cloudy yeast in suspension and CO2 coming out of solution when I gave it a good swirl. Once all that died down (about 3 more days) stuck her in the fridge in preparation of another step. This time, 500ml of 1.040. I prepared the starter and decanted the spent wort from the 100ml starter into a pint glass before dumbing the slurry into the new 500ml starter. As I taste the spent beer, I get a very mild tartness. No bad tasting by any means, but slightly tart. I cant tell if this is a pending infection or just a characteristic of Bell's yeast strain. I keep going back and forth thinking, this doesn't taste right, but then thinking, it sort of tastes like some of the characteristics I get from Oberon. I was extremely cautious during all of this so as to avoid an infection, but obviously f-ing with these little guys so much greatly increases the chances regardless of my careful attempts.

Anyone have experience in doing this? Should I be concerned? I know its early but it will eventually get dumped into 11 gallons of wort so I am a bit nervous to take any chances and trash what could have been a good batch if I had used a new yeast packet.

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[cswis86]

I bet it's fine. I always taste my starters when I decant them and they all tend to taste tart. I attribute the tartness to the beer being unhopped. It will be fine in an actual beer with hops. Also, in the future I would suggest skipping the 10ml starter and go straight to 100ml.

 

[Oldskewl]

I think you are fine. The Bell's yeast has a little twang to it. I used it to brew a NE IPA recently that I brewed with 1318 last time. Totally different beer. I agree with cswis86. Go straight to a 100-250ml starter of 1.020. Then step up once or twice from there. Good luck!

 

[davemattb]

Agree. I've harvested twice and used about 200ml and 6 bottles then worked up from there. I've been feeling like I need to do this again.

 

[SGTSparty]

probably fine. I know this isn't what's recommended but I do this every year with Oberon yeast, make 2.5 L starter using 250 g DME, pour of 500 into a ball jar, let it rip on a stir plate for like 2 days, leave the rest in the flask covered w/ foil in the fridge. After 2 days cold crash the 500 ml starter and take out the flask to warm up (I do about 6 hours, my fridge sits at 34f) decant the mini starter and pour the yeast into the 2L starter. let that rip on the stir plate for 2 days, pour off 500 ml into a sterilized mason jar, cold crash the rest. That way you have 1.5L starter for your batch and 500 ml saved for next time.

more steps/weaker wort may be safer/smarter but this has always worked for me. RDWHAHB

 

[JonM]

I bet it's fine. I routinely dump one bottle's dregs into 150 ml of wort, then step up to 1L with no issues. Fully finished starter in 72 hours.

Don't worry if the spent starter beer tastes a little tart. It's flat, unhopped, and very,very green beer and won't taste right no matter what.

ETA: Oh, and a lot of the characteristic Oberon flavor comes from grist that's about 50% wheat, which probably isn't in your starter wort.

 

[boarderx3120]

Thanks for the comments. I'm thinking it's probably okay too. Although out of habit I put a drop of simethicone in the starter before I boiled it and now I wish I hadn't. It's hard to tell what find of activity is happening without any krausen forming.

Should my next step be the biggest/last step? My flask is only 2L so my assumption is to jump from 500 straight up to 2L.

I do plan to harvest some for later use.

 

[SGTSparty]

yeah you should be fine to jump up to 2L. Just remember to pull of 500 ml before you cold crash. Oh, and remember, if you don't have krausen you can still take a gravity reading. 2 days is typically more than enough time for a starter but if you're not sure, just take a reading from the decanted portion.

 

[ericbw]

I've never done it with Bell's but with others. It's probably fine if you were really careful - like, did you drink out of the bottles before deciding to harvest? You said you were buzzed, so... I usually start in the bottle with a little (maybe more than 10ml, though), just to see if there is life.

 

[ericbw]

probably fine. I know this isn't what's recommended but I do this every year with Oberon yeast, make 2.5 L starter using 250 g DME, pour of 500 into a ball jar, let it rip on a stir plate for like 2 days, leave the rest in the flask covered w/ foil in the fridge. After 2 days cold crash the 500 ml starter and take out the flask to warm up (I do about 6 hours, my fridge sits at 34f) decant the mini starter and pour the yeast into the 2L starter. let that rip on the stir plate for 2 days, pour off 500 ml into a sterilized mason jar, cold crash the rest. That way you have 1.5L starter for your batch and 500 ml saved for next time.

more steps/weaker wort may be safer/smarter but this has always worked for me. RDWHAHB

Slightly off topic (sorry!), but you're using a half gallon Ball jar? Is the bottom perfectly flat? I can't get a stir bar to spin in a Ball jar. I use a 1L flask, but a big jar would be cheaper than a 2L flask for stepping up.

 

[boarderx3120]

Slightly off topic (sorry!), but you're using a half gallon Ball jar? Is the bottom perfectly flat? I can't get a stir bar to spin in a Ball jar. I use a 1L flask, but a big jar would be cheaper than a 2L flask for stepping up.

Started in a ball jar then moved it to the flask when stepping up to 100ml. No stir bar in the ball jar.

 

[SGTSparty]

Slightly off topic (sorry!), but you're using a half gallon Ball jar? Is the bottom perfectly flat? I can't get a stir bar to spin in a Ball jar. I use a 1L flask, but a big jar would be cheaper than a 2L flask for stepping up.

The bottom is not perfectly flat but I've not had problems getting the stir bar to spin. It might take a few tries at first but its always worked. I did practice with water the first few times until i got it down so if you're having problems you could try that to get the hang of it. Also might depend on what stir plate/setup you have.

 

[boarderx3120]

Well, I failed somewhere. The 500ml starter smells of vinegar. I'm thinking acetobactor contamination. I think I'll try again with more than 2 bottles and start with 100ml. I figure less steps means less chance of contamination.

 

[JonM]

I usually go one bottle dregs into 150 ml. With two bottles, you could easily go 300 ml to 2L and done.

 

[eadavis80]

I used the yeast from three Bells Oberon bottles and a couple of spoonfulls of slurry from my Hefe which I used Wyeast 3068 to make a "hybrid" yeast. I love Oberon and I love my Hefe and I made a 2-step starter with this yeast combo. The Bubbler is doing its thing 6 hours after pitching so the yeast was clearly very viable. Hopefully I get at least some of the Oberon flavor in there. I attempted a clone of Sam Adams summer ale. Used 2 oz of lemon peel and 1 gram of crushed grains of paradise at flameout. For hops I went .5 oz Liberty @ 60 and 1 oz. Saaz at 5 minutes. I hope it turns out to be a nice summer ale for July 4!

 

[davemattb]

I'm no expert but I personally would have waited for the bells yeast to take hold before adding the hefe slurry. Culturing from bottles takes a while to build up. Do you still have the 3 other Oberon bottles?

 

[JonM]

I've cultured from Bell's bottles many times and step one is always rocking in less than 24 hours. It gets going in a hurry.

 

[davemattb]

Mine usually takes longer but maybe my yeast is more stressed out in Arizona with shipping/heat.

 

[eadavis80]

I'm no expert but I personally would have waited for the bells yeast to take hold before adding the hefe slurry. Culturing from bottles takes a while to build up. Do you still have the 3 other Oberon bottles?

Well, it took off in a hurry so I'm hoping what I pitched was enough. I hope it doesn't stall out. I'll take a reading next weekend and hope it's at 1.012 or less. If it's Hefe-heavy so be it. I guess I should have - looking back on it - probably JUST done the Oberon yeast starter as I'll never really know if my step-ups were from the Oberon yeast or from the Hefe slurry. The goal was to make a "hybrid" yeast and create an easy-drinking summer ale. Time will tell...

 

[davemattb]

I'm sure it'll still be great. Got me looking into reculturing the bells yeast again. Experimenting to me is more fun than drinking

 

[Rairdog]

I just harvest some, stepped it up and put it in a PA Saturday. No stir plate. Just a gallon jug I shook up every couple hours over 3 days.


Anyone re-use the slurry and how many generations did you get out of it?

 

[eadavis80]

I have not reused slurry made from harvested Oberon, but the yeast I harvested from 3 bottles of Oberon + a few spoonfulls of WYeast 3068 I put together for a yeast culture got my summer ale down to 1.011 in a week, so I know it worked. (Well, I know what I pitched was viable) - now, how much of that was from Oberon and how much from Wyeast I don't know, but whatever. The summer ale looked, smelled and tasted fine. I would THINK you could harvest from the pale ale and at least go a few generations with it.

 

[davemattb]

I recall going 3-4 generations with no problems. I used to make larger starters and throw some into mason jars so I'd have a "clean" culture vs a slurry. I'd store it for extended periods and make another starter when needed.

 

[Rairdog]

What attenuation % are you guys getting with Oberon yeast or what comparable yeast to plug into Brewers Friend?

 

[Oldskewl]

The 2 batches I brewed with Bell's yeast attenuated as follows:

1.067 batch 78%
1.064 batch 81%

Both were harvested from 3 bottles of Oberon. 0.25L 1.020 SG starter, stepped up to 1L of 1.040 SG. I then split into 2 pint mason jars for storage in the fridge. 12-18 hour before brew time I decanted one pint and made a 1L starter. When the wort was ready I aerated and dumped the whole starter. The second one fermented so fast I thought it stalled, but went down to 1.012 SG

 

[seilenos]

I just decanted some from a 1L starter that I had stepped up from 3 cans of Oberon.

I don't know if I would have gone to "tart" first ... maybe "vinegar-y" but lightly so. Is that would others would call "tart"?

The flavor stays during swishing but disappears quickly giving way to a pleasant floral flavor that lingers a bit on the tongue after expectoration.

Does this sound about right for this yeast? If not I can try again or fall back to using WLP001.

 

[boarderx3120]

I just decanted some from a 1L starter that I had stepped up from 3 cans of Oberon.

I don't know if I would have gone to "tart" first ... maybe "vinegar-y" but lightly so. Is that would others would call "tart"?

The flavor stays during swishing but disappears quickly giving way to a pleasant floral flavor that lingers a bit on the tongue after expectoration.

Does this sound about right for this yeast? If not I can try again or fall back to using WLP001.

Sounds like acetobactor contamination. Same thing I got from my first attempt. I dumped it and tried 8 bottle in 500ml with no activity then stepped up to 2L and it's chugging along nicely now with a nice thick krausen. Going to pitch tomorrow.