Dry your own yeast?

[zeg]

Well, HISTORICALLY I don't think it's that big of a leap, it's actually not much different then the yeast sticks I mentioned at the beginning of this thread. They were making beer with yeast dried on sticks millenia ago in Norway. Here's a mention of it.

Yes, yes, I saw your post and have heard about the sticks before. It's unquestionably possible. Heck, if you ever do any baking in your kitchen, you can probably get beer just by leaving your wort open to the yeast floating around.

I really mean something a bit more sophisticated, here. The brewing stick is a step more sophisticated than just letting wild yeast fall in, and drying a starter is a step further than that. There's still a ways to go to dry a specifically selected, pure strain, though.

 

[COLObrewer]

If you manage to get one of the liquid strains to work, that would be something.

This is what I don't understand, David says the same thing with a little more background in the thread I started (Before I knew about this one by PassedPawn) here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/can-i-dry-my-captured-yeast-long-term-storage-204433/
Does anyone have any background support on why most liquid yeasts can not be dried? I assumed it was just less cost effective, aren't most yeasts in the world airbourne? Do all the strains we find in liquid yeast live in liquid in the wild? David?

 

[tunder2]

Anything ever come from this? I would have loved to see him come up with something!

 

[kaconga]

This is what I don't understand, David says the same thing with a little more background in the thread I started (Before I knew about this one by PassedPawn) here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/can-i-dry-my-captured-yeast-long-term-storage-204433/
Does anyone have any background support on why most liquid yeasts can not be dried? I assumed it was just less cost effective, aren't most yeasts in the world airbourne? Do all the strains we find in liquid yeast live in liquid in the wild? David?

Super happy this thread got bumped. So I have been reading Yeast by White and Jamil and most yeast we use are no longer wild. Through years of repitching we have domesticated the yeast for optimal beer instead of optimal survivability. This is why the majority of liquid yeasts are not dried. I am not saying it can't be done, just that it would be extremely difficult.

 

[Leadgolem]

Sorry I haven't had anything solid to contribute. I've been to busy to build the drying chamber, it's still on my list but will likely be a few more months before I'll be able to get to it.

 

[Denny]

here's the commercial process for drying yeast....

http://www.ftb.com.hr/44/44-407.pdf

 

[Leadgolem]

An interesting flow chart, and an interesting read. Though I don't see any information there on how the actual drying is accomplished without killing the yeast cells, and/or introducing additional species of wild yeast. As always, the devil is in the details.

 

[joewhit517]

I wonder if "Silica Gel" packs would work? Silica Gel would eliminate the need to expose the yeast to heat or ventilation.
They would have to be heated to dry them and sterilize them before each use.
How much moisture does a pound of silica gel absorb?

I hope you solve the problem. Good Luck!

 

[Syke]

Necrotime!

Circumstances have brewed the perfect storm. I'm moving cross country and doing extended travel, so my fridged collection of yeast is going into unchilled storage. I'll leave some in mason jars, and I'll attempt to dry some. Nothing to lose!

Drying process was to put some yeast slurry from a starter on aluminum foil and cover with an upside-down glass bowl with a little space at the bottom for gentle airflow. Risk of infections should be minimal.

First batch (WLP090) has finished drying, and I just added it to some starter wort on a stirplate. We'll see shortly if any yeast survived the process.

 

[day_trippr]

Genuinely interested in the outcome...

 

[user 246304]

Believe it or not, years ago when my wife and I won a trip to England and dinner with the late, wonderful Mr. Jackson, I committed a bit of industrial subterfuge. Brewery tour from a well-known metropolitan brewery with a very rich brew that starts with the letter ESB, their excess yeasts from skimming on the way to Marmite (a slow and painful death for all concerned - yeast and ourselves), my wife nudged me to scoop some and I used a business card to do so. Back at the hotel I used a plastic knife to smear it across several other cards, and dry under the lamp.

Came back to our shores, plated up and gave it a shot. It was successful and very good, though nothing like the brew from there. Lost it along with all my slants when I gave up brewing.

Am I a bad person?

 

[Syke]

 

[alexanderjwatts]

Video on this topic

 

[NeverDie]

I was thinking I'd try to dry my own yeast. Why? Just because.

Anyone try this before?

1) Dehydrator. 2) 5% humidity. 3) Vacuum sealer (or evacuate sealed envelope with CO2).

I have a microscope, so I need to get a hemocytometer and I can count cells and figure viability.

My first attempt failed, but my second attempt succeeded using a more careful method:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...memade-dried-kveik.666872/page-2#post-8613802

Did you ever make any progress?

 

[passedpawn]

My first attempt failed, but my second attempt succeeded using a more careful method:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...memade-dried-kveik.666872/page-2#post-8613802

Did you ever make any progress?

No. After I got the right tools to test viability, I did a bunch of other stuff, always intending to get back to drying. Then I lost interest. Maybe one day I'll revisit.

I'm going to check out your link now.

 

[chef1978]

So why don't you do some research and present us with evidence to the contrary? You've received several pretty well reasoned answers and all you say is "if you tell me it can't be done, I'll do it". That doesn't make much sense to me. Tell us why you think it can be done.

Research are there to be question and challenge, I think ,instead theorizing, I will give a shot and see what's happen.the problem with homebrewing nowadays is that we learned from people that learned from commercial guys ,Boil 60 min,chill fast ,mash in cooler ...all this stuff is being question and debunked now.Its simple,if you want to brew beer that test and looks like commercial one ,go ahead,if you want
to brew something spectacular and special,break all the rules and do it what nobody had the balls to do it before.This is how real breakthroughs happen.

 

[passedpawn]

Research are there to be question and challenge, I think ,instead theorizing, I will give a shot and see what's happen.the problem with homebrewing nowadays is that we learned from people that learned from commercial guys ,Boil 60 min,chill fast ,mash in cooler ...all this stuff is being question and debunked now.Its simple,if you want to brew beer that test and looks like commercial one ,go ahead,if you want
to brew something spectacular and special,break all the rules and do it what nobody had the balls to do it before.This is how real breakthroughs happen.

Don't expect a response from Denny. He did not like this forum and it's unlikely he will return.

Man this is an old thread (2009). Wonder if the original poster is still alive.