Harvesting yeast from Bells Amber bottles

Plan on trying to brew this friday and just made a starter with 1/2 cup of DME mixed with 1/2 quart of water and the yeast from one bottle of Bells Amber. Have it in a flask on a stir plate which looks to amount to 300-400mL of liquid.

1. Should I add the yeast from more than one of the Bells amber beers into the flask?

2. How can I tell when I have enough yeast?

Thanks!

 

That is too strong and too big for the first step. Make a small weak starter. Something like 250 ml of 1.020 wort. Add the dregs from several bottles. Let it go for several days and then step it up. It may take a few steps to get enough yeast.

1/2 oz will give you a 250 ml starter of 1.020. 3/4 oz will give you a 250 ml starter of 1.030.

I just got back from a trip to Michigan and brought back a case of Bell's Amber and am about to grow up some yeast myself.

 

Thanks for the feedback. How about instead of starting over, I just add the dregs from several more bottles to the stirplate?

 

FYI I brewed a bells IPA clone with CA ale yeast (wl 001) and it turned out great.

 

Do I need to turn the stirplate off and let the yeast settle to see how much I have?

 

Made a starter Monday with dregs of 2 bottles of Bells Amber, here on Wednesday I plan on adding the dregs of another bottle. Hope it will be ready to pitch on Friday because we plan on brewing Friday evening. Any thoughts on this? Or, should I be swinging by the local brew shop to pick up some yeast today? If so, what yeast?

Thanks

 

Beergolf is right. To big for the first step, it might work though. Take it off the stir plate tomorrow and put in the fridge, let it sit for a day. If you have a yeast layer on the bottom you should be alright. on brew day take it out of the fridge and let it sit long enough to get to room temp. When your ready to pitch Then carefully pour off the wort and stir the yeast by swirling the container.

 

Just wondering why that is too big for the first step? I followed directions straight out of john palmers how to brew book.

Thanks

 

I guess that's why home brewing isn't an exact science. It will probably be OK.
I'm 20 min away from Bell's Company store and I've ask them a lot of questions about culturing there yeast. They recommend using the stepped starter.
I'll put up a copy of the directions they give out at there store.

 

That would be great. Thanks. And if my starter doesnt work out what yeast should i use from the local brew shop since it is now wednesday and we plan on brewing friday?

My local shop carries wyeast and some dry yeasts

 

Ask your local shop what they recommend. I have had good luck with dry yeast, but prefer the Bell's.

 

That is for doing a starter for a pack of yeast. The dregs of a couple of bottle does not contain a lot of yeast so it needs to be slowly grown up so as not to stress the yeast. It would be the same as making a 5 gallon batch and then severely underpitching. It will stress the yeast and create off flavors.

That is why it is best to make a small, low gravity starter for the first step.

If this does not work out, and I am guessing that you will not have enough yeast to pitch by Friday, I like WY1272 a lot. It depends what you are making.

 

+1 on 1272 as a Bell's yeast substitute. From what I understand, it's pretty close.

 

Great, thanks for all the replies today. In the How to Brew book there is a section on preparing a yeast starter from liquid yeast and then there is a section shortly after that on "Using yeast from Commercial beers" which says to use " a prepared starter solution as described in "Perparing a Liquid Yeast Starter"." Following the directions fails me yet again

wondering if I keep adding the dregs of more of the Amber bottles at this point, if that will do anything to help?

If I go get a packet of Wyeast today, Wednesday, and make a starter with it tonight, will it be ready to pitch by Friday night (probably around midnight is when we normally finish)?

 

You can even make the starter tomorrow and just pitch. the whole thing on Friday. You are good.