Create a starter to pitch and to store

[nwbrewing32]

Hey Everyone,

My idea is to buy a Wyeast starter pack, pitch it to a starter, keep half of the ending starter in a mason jar in the fridge (for a month or more) and use the other half to pitch to a beer right away.

This way, I have a starter ready to use in the fridge for next time.

Thoughts on this?

 

[Spectre216]

You'd probably lose a lot of yeast with it sitting for a month or more, so you'd still need to do a second starter. Overall though, i've done this with no real issue as long as it was a big healthy starter. Someone with more experience might be able to help more than me though.

 

[LLBeanJ]

It could work, depending on OG and batch size of the subsequent batch, as well as how old the saved yeast is. Use a yeast calculator to determine if a new starter is needed or not. Worst case is that you have to make a new starter and do it all over again.

I do this, but I only save 25-60B cells and plan on making a starter when I need to reuse it. It's not uncommon to go 6-9 months before I use the saved yeast again, so it really doesn't make much sense for me to save more cells, as the viability will deteriorate considerably before reusing. I just brewed a batch this weekend with some WLP400 that had been in storage since January. Made a starter to pitch and saved off ~60B cells to feed a starter for a future batch.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

http://brulosophy.com/methods/yeast-harvesting/

That is how I do it. Works great. Just brewed my 7th batch from the same vial. I use a lot of 001 so that gets stored that way.

 

[nwbrewing32]

How should I stored the yeast? Mason jar sealed?

 

[LLBeanJ]

Mason jars work well. I use the 8 oz jars.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I like hdpe nalgenes. They can't explode and leave glass shards everywhere.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Why would the mason jar explode is the yeast giving off CO2 in the fridge during storage??

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I am very skilled at breaking glass. I let my yeast warm up a bit before pitching into a starter and it is safer in plastic.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Why would the mason jar explode is the yeast giving off CO2 in the fridge during storage??

It can, but if you don't crank the sealing ring down ridiculously tight, it shouldn't be an issue. I've been using mason jars to store yeast for over 2.5 years and have never had one explode.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Do you have headspace or fill to the top? I would guess you want headspace.

 

[LLBeanJ]

I leave a little headspace. An 8 oz jar is about 236 ml and I usually fill to 200 ml by weight (1 gram = 1 ml).

 

[Brulosopher]

Hey Everyone,

My idea is to buy a Wyeast starter pack, pitch it to a starter, keep half of the ending starter in a mason jar in the fridge (for a month or more) and use the other half to pitch to a beer right away.

This way, I have a starter ready to use in the fridge for next time.

Thoughts on this?

I've been doing it this way for years and it works great! A few recommendations based on my experience and info gleaned from folks who know more than me:

1. It's best to pitch the harvested portion into a new starter prior to use, which is great because you can make it a little bigger and steal a little more for a future batch. I've taken a specific strain out 16 generations without any degradation... I gave the yeast to a friend who forgot to harvest more for me. His beer, the 17th that yeast was pitched into (WLP090), was fantastic.

2. It would appear 500mL of starter yields somewhere between 50-90bil cells, depending on the original size of the starter. I've been making my starters about 1 quart larger than suggested and stealing that amount, it's been working really well.

3. There's nothing bad about leaving the yeast under the starter beer in your mason jar, in fact there's some evidence this may be best practice. I've been doing it this way for a few months now and all is well.

It looks like a few people have already linked to it, but HERE IS MY WRITE-UP on the method.

Cheers!
Marshall

 

[MatterOne]

I've been using Brulosopher's method with great results.

To me, it just makes the most sense to do it that way.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Okay so store in a mason jar, sealed, with some headspace in a refrigerator. When wanting to use, make a starter and steal a bit for future batches to keep reusing.

Sound right?

 

[LLBeanJ]

You got it.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Do I need to decant before storing??

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I store with starter wort over the yeast. I decant right before I used my stored yeast.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Okay guys, last question!

I made the starter (1600ml) and ran it on the stir plate for 36 hours. Then put it in the fridge for 10 hours, decanted half of it (so it would fit in my quart mason jar), poured into the mason jar with about 3/4" of headspace, sealed and put in the fridge. This morning it has really separated All the yeast is down at the bottom.

Anyone see anything I did wrong or half/fast? I just don't want an exploding mason jar!

Thanks!

 

[LLBeanJ]

I see no issues. Just loosen the lid a bit to allow any CO2 to escape.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Hmm, I sealed it pretty tight. How long do I leave it loose? I won't be using it for a couple weeks...

 

[sportpak]

Activity should cease when it gets to fridge temp. A quick burp should be enough to let pressure off and leave some CO2 present to insulate if from oxygen.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Alright when I get home ill open it quick and re-seal it

 

[LLBeanJ]

It just needs to be loosely tightened so CO2 can escape. Even in the fridge, CO2 can build up. That doesn't mean it will, but it can. The idea is that any pressure that builds will be able to push its way out through the lid long before it can exceed the pressure rating of the glass jar. If you were to shake it up, you should be able to hear gas escaping out the lid.

 

[nwbrewing32]

Hmm I loosen it when I get home then

 

[nwbrewing32]

Can I store the yeast under thr starter wort doe extended periods or under boiled water??

 

[LLBeanJ]

There are varying thoughts regarding this question, but my own personal observations strongly suggest that the starter beer is a better medium for longer term storage than sterile water.