Capture yeast from blow off?

[Coffee_Creek]

I just started brewing two months ago and have a lot to learn. After trying my hand at washing yeast from primary, I noticed that when I use a yeast starter and blow off tube( half gal mason jar) I end up with lots of "stuff" in the jar that looks like yeast. If I used sanitized water, jar and tube could this be cold crashed and used as a starter?

 

[str8wire]

If you put sanitizer into your water to make sanatized water, then it will be killing all of your yeast in the jar.

 

[Coffee_Creek]

would boiling my water first allow me to capture the yeast?

 

[nukinfuts29]

Boiling kills yeast.

Sent from my Galaxy S 4G using Home Brew Talk for Android

 

[erikhild59]

I believe there is a rig that allows blowoff capture.if memory serves, it involves a mason jar with a double grommeted lid. One hole is the inlet for the blowoff, the other is a smaller diameter for an airlock. Ill see if I can find some info...

 

[Coffee_Creek]

I believe there is a rig that allows blowoff capture.if memory serves, it involves a mason jar with a double grommeted lid. One hole is the inlet for the blowoff, the other is a smaller diameter for an airlock. Ill see if I can find some info...

Thank you, I'm really interested in capturing yeast this way.

 

[erikhild59]

Ok, search home brew top cropping and also www.aleiens.com and search top cropping from a carboy. Hope that helps.

 

[Spillsaw]

BTW Sanitizer does not kill yeast.

 

[Sithdad]

Top cropping from a blow off tube is so easy. No special gear required. Tubing, sanitized vessel, lid for afore mentioned vessel. That's it. Drop your blow off tub into your bucket/carboy down just enough into the krausen that your start getting some to be pushed into the tube and over into the collection vessel. Sometimes it's easier to drop it down far enough that some of the wort comes up with it. Your collection vessel (I use a 2qt Mason jar) can have some left over wort from your boil so that the yeast being collected have something to "swim" in and eat. This way you're collecting the healthiest yeast and growing more all at the same time! To keep out any unwanted yeast/bacteria just cover the opening with a piece of sanitized aluminum foil (press it down around the tube and the opening really well. Believe it or not it really keeps out everything. I ferment in my laundry room. I have never, ever, gotten an infection in my collection jar.
Once you've collected all that you want you can wash the yeast and split it up however you want.
I brewed up a beer on Nov 5 and I hadn't planned on cropping the yeast, but the darn thing nearly blew the airlock out so I ended up getting nearly a quart of yeast and wort. This jar is still sitting in my kitchen in the jar,with aluminum foil over it, and there's no infection.

 

[Montanaandy]

BTW Sanitizer does not kill yeast.

Star San actually is beneficial...

 

[Coffee_Creek]

Thanks guy's, I've learned a lot reading these threads.
Been capturing yeast frm primary but this seems a lot easier and more yeast.
Just startedbrewing a couple of months ago, only did three extract and moved up to all grain. could not have done it without the help of the people on here. Thanks again!!!!!!

 

[TimT]

BTW Sanitizer does not kill yeast.

Yes it does, it would not be called sanitizer if it did not.

 

[nukinfuts29]

Yes it does, it would not be called sanitizer if it did not.

Wrong, in fact it is designed to break down into yeast energizer. It will absolutely not kill yeast what so ever.

 

[1Mainebrew]

Cleaners like PBW and B brite will kill yeast. Starsan will not kill yeast. Check their website.

 

[TimT]

Well their website says it is a broad spectrum bactericide and fungicide that is USDA approved. A redox reaction does not discriminate, plain and simple.
If you pour yeast into a jug of starsan it will kill them. Starsan would be totally useless if it did not kill yeast as you would have massive problems with wild yeast infections. Next time use a liter of starsan for your starter and tell us how it works out?

 

[Montanaandy]

Well their website says it is a broad spectrum bactericide and fungicide that is USDA approved. A redox reaction does not discriminate, plain and simple.
If you pour yeast into a jug of starsan it will kill them. Starsan would be totally useless if it did not kill yeast as you would have massive problems with wild yeast infections. Next time use a liter of starsan for your starter and tell us how it works out?

My thinking & experience is along the lines of having Starsan residue (i.e. foam) present and not Starsan solution. I use Starsan to sanitize my mason jars just prior to yeast harvesting, the yeast come into contact with the fresh Starsan residue and I have never had a problem. Yeast coming into contact with 1 ltr of Starsan solution would be problematic.

 

[nukinfuts29]

Well their website says it is a broad spectrum bactericide and fungicide that is USDA approved. A redox reaction does not discriminate, plain and simple.
If you pour yeast into a jug of starsan it will kill them. Starsan would be totally useless if it did not kill yeast as you would have massive problems with wild yeast infections. Next time use a liter of starsan for your starter and tell us how it works out?

And if you do your research you will see that their formula is specifically designed to do the exact opposite to yeast.

You can argue all you want, star san does not kill yeast.

Sent from my Galaxy S 4G using Home Brew Talk for Android

 

[Montanaandy]

And if you do your research you will see that their formula is specifically designed to do the exact opposite to yeast.

You can argue all you want, star san does not kill yeast.

Where can one find the research or info. that would support the idea that not only does SS not kill yeast, but that it enhances yeast?

I personally have believed that SS does not hurt/helps yeast based on the testimonials of others over the years and as I mentioned, my own experiences with washing yeast indicated that at the very least SS didn't gravely harm the yeast.

However, I did not see anything on the 5 Star website or in the literature provided pertaining to SS that would indicate that it enhances yeast growth or yeast.

 

[daksin]

And if you do your research you will see that their formula is specifically designed to do the exact opposite to yeast.

You can argue all you want, star san does not kill yeast.

Sent from my Galaxy S 4G using Home Brew Talk for Android

Sorry, but he's right. Star-san is phosphoric acid and detergent. Star san KILLS everything- it's an extremely powerful acid, but when it breaks down, the remaining ions and broken down detergents are nutrients that can be utilized by the yeast. Sure, a little star san in your 5 gallon bucket of beer won't kill all your yeast because it's instantly diluted and neutralized.

If star-san didn't kill yeast, it would be useless, as he also mentioned, because part of what we are trying to kill when we sanitize is all of the wild, free-range yeasts that float about in the air and land on stuff we have in our houses. Those yeasts can over-attenuate and throw all sorts of weird flavors into your beer. That's why we want to kill them. That's what "broad spectrum fungicide" means: it kills all sorts of fungus. Guess what yeast is? Yup: it's a fungus.

Just a little experiment for your next batch: using a packet of dry yeast, rehydrate in a cup of starsan for 10-30 minutes as you would with water. Then pitch that into your fermentor- see what happens.

 

[Coffee_Creek]

Top cropping from a blow off tube is so easy. No special gear required. Tubing, sanitized vessel, lid for afore mentioned vessel. That's it. Drop your blow off tub into your bucket/carboy down just enough into the krausen that your start getting some to be pushed into the tube and over into the collection vessel. Sometimes it's easier to drop it down far enough that some of the wort comes up with it. Your collection vessel (I use a 2qt Mason jar) can have some left over wort from your boil so that the yeast being collected have something to "swim" in and eat. This way you're collecting the healthiest yeast and growing more all at the same time! To keep out any unwanted yeast/bacteria just cover the opening with a piece of sanitized aluminum foil (press it down around the tube and the opening really well. Believe it or not it really keeps out everything. I ferment in my laundry room. I have never, ever, gotten an infection in my collection jar.
Once you've collected all that you want you can wash the yeast and split it up however you want.
I brewed up a beer on Nov 5 and I hadn't planned on cropping the yeast, but the darn thing nearly blew the airlock out so I ended up getting nearly a quart of yeast and wort. This jar is still sitting in my kitchen in the jar,with aluminum foil over it, and there's no infection.

I've been brewing a Barvarian Hefe and had to use a blow-off tube because of such a strong fermenting and noticed it had a lot of yeast in the jar so, the next two batches I brewed I used the blow-off tube and jar that were sanitized and used cooled boiled water in the jar and covered it with sanitized foil. From each of the two carboy's I collected a full pint of yeast. This was using 2 half gallon mason jars and letting them fill with the liquid from the carboy's and placing them in the fridge. There's at least a full pint of yeast at the bottom of the jar. Don't know how this turned into a Star-San debate, I never planned on using it except to sanitize the equipment. I've always had a minute amount of Star-San left in Carboy's, Kegs and bottles when brewing and never had an issue so I'll continue using the way I've been during brewing, bottling and kegging but don't think I will be trying to capture yeast in it.

Thanks for all the info.

 

[Coffee_Creek]

Top cropping from a blow off tube is so easy. No special gear required. Tubing, sanitized vessel, lid for afore mentioned vessel. That's it. Drop your blow off tub into your bucket/carboy down just enough into the krausen that your start getting some to be pushed into the tube and over into the collection vessel. Sometimes it's easier to drop it down far enough that some of the wort comes up with it. Your collection vessel (I use a 2qt Mason jar) can have some left over wort from your boil so that the yeast being collected have something to "swim" in and eat. This way you're collecting the healthiest yeast and growing more all at the same time! To keep out any unwanted yeast/bacteria just cover the opening with a piece of sanitized aluminum foil (press it down around the tube and the opening really well. Believe it or not it really keeps out everything. I ferment in my laundry room. I have never, ever, gotten an infection in my collection jar.
Once you've collected all that you want you can wash the yeast and split it up however you want.
I brewed up a beer on Nov 5 and I hadn't planned on cropping the yeast, but the darn thing nearly blew the airlock out so I ended up getting nearly a quart of yeast and wort. This jar is still sitting in my kitchen in the jar,with aluminum foil over it, and there's no infection.

I did as you said above and it worked great!!!

 

[Calichusetts]

If your getting some serious krausen coming out of your carboy...why not try to capture the yeast in the tube itself...I don't make starter so I have no idea how much you need, but it seems plausible and a lot easier than any other method...I have some seriously thick krausen for a few inches up my tube...you might consider putting more tube into the carboy to help with this

 

[corncob]

I have also captured yeast this way--with the blowoff tube and sanitized foil. I did it once and did not get the dreaded wild yeast infection, but I was nervous the whole time. I do not recommend it for this reason.

 

[chuckjaxfl]

Top cropping yeast from a carboy. - ALEiens Homebrew Club