Harvesting Dry Yeast?

[ProfessorBrew]

Has anyone ever tried harvesting from a batch fermented with dry yeast? I just ordered ingredients for my first all-grain batch, and in the summer heat I didn't want to mess with liquid yeast via the mail. But I've been interested in harvesting and washing my own yeast. It is worth it to try a "dry run" (pardon the pun) with this batch?

Thanks!

 

[phoenixs4r]

Yes you can. In fact tomorrow will be my first attempt at washing safale 05

 

[dslater]

I've done it. As far as I know there's no reason not to. As I understand it, conventional wisdom states that dry yeast is so cheap it's not worth harvesting. (The same is said for making a starter with dry yeast). OTH when has a home brewer ever listened to conventional wisdom???

 

[djt17]

I harvest US-05 all the time. I feel that the 2nd & 3rd gen make the best beer.

 

[onthekeg]

Its not dry yeast after you pitch it. After 3 generations, S04, provided you aren't contaminated at all, it becomes quite the formidable yeast. I prefer that of the yeast choices if I am using a dry yeast.

 

[ProfessorBrew]

I'm brewing this batch with Nottingham, per Northern Brewer's recommendation.

 

[onthekeg]

I'm brewing this batch with Nottingham, per Northern Brewer's recommendation.

Notty gets better for many generations as well.

 

[tjpfeister]

Yeah, I dunno why everyone always looks at me strange when I say that I wash my S-05... The damn packets are like $5 now, and I currently have 10g of a Fixed Gear clone that is on its downward fermentation slope.... after only 23 hours! I don't even bother with "starters" anymore. Washed yeast cakes do the trick for most average gravity stuff.... (My average gravity is around 1.065, btw.) Anywho, I can split a washed cake two or three ways, and each split gets used three or four generations. Basically, I make a year's worth of beer with $5 worth of yeast and don't waste my time and money on starters anymore... Lolcats! Why wouldn't you harvest/wash the stuff?

 

[cyclonite]

Yeah, I dunno why everyone always looks at me strange when I say that I wash my S-05... The damn packets are like $5 now, and I currently have 10g of a Fixed Gear clone that is on its downward fermentation slope.... after only 23 hours! I don't even bother with "starters" anymore. Washed yeast cakes do the trick for most average gravity stuff.... (My average gravity is around 1.065, btw.) Anywho, I can split a washed cake two or three ways, and each split gets used three or four generations. Basically, I make a year's worth of beer with $5 worth of yeast and don't waste my time and money on starters anymore... Lolcats! Why wouldn't you harvest/wash the stuff?

Agreed, I harvest every yeast I use, and usually have something going with US-05 so I just repitch slurry. If I need a yeast I have washed but not in active fermentation, I just siphon off enough wort from my current batch for a starter, dilute it, and pitch the washed yeast into the starter for the next brew session. Makes yeast essentially free after the first purchase of a strain. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I've purchased yeast in over a year

 

[kh54s10]

I am going to brew a Saison using Safale T-58. When it is done I am going to wash, take some to freeze and reuse the washed yeast. I will make 4 vials to freeze.

Now I have to decide what to brew for the second batch.

 

[tjpfeister]

When it is done I am going to wash, take some to freeze and reuse the washed yeast. I will make 4 vials to freeze.

Slants are one of the few things I have not tried yet, and would be great for my annual yeasts, like trappist. I have no intention of hijacking this thread, but if you wanted to PM me your methodology, I would love to read it.

 

[Polboy]

my 2nd generation notty is on the stir plate right now, it feels like a waste to trash those yeast when i can reused them in few weeks

 

[BetterSense]

So when you people talk about repitching slurry, do you mean that you time your brewing so that you are bottling/kegging a batch on the same day that you brew, so that you immediately re-pitch the slurry? Or do you store the slurry?

I'm interested in saving big enough batches of slurry that I can just re-pitch them without making a starter. But I'm not sure how much I need to save to be able to do this, or how long I can keep it in the fridge.

 

[ResumeMan]

Yes, you can re-use slurry w/o making starters, but the viability starts degrading fairly quickly. Go to mrmalty.com and click on the slurry tab, and use that to figure out what will work for you and when.

 

[iijakii]

Read the sticky up there on yeast washing, it's a good thread with pictures on how to wash with mason jars and to refridgerate enough cake.

 

[BetterSense]

Yes, I've read the yeast watching thread. I get that I can save the yeast, but I don't want to make starters from the yeast I save. I just want to be able to directly pitch the yeast that I store.

I actually don't want to wash the yeast at all because it's too much work. I guess I need to time my brewing so I have fresh slurry available, but bottling and brewing on the same day makes for a long brew-day.

 

[Polboy]

you can bottle a day before, make sure yeast are covered by liquid

 

[ResumeMan]

Yes, I've read the yeast watching thread. I get that I can save the yeast, but I don't want to make starters from the yeast I save. I just want to be able to directly pitch the yeast that I store.

I actually don't want to wash the yeast at all because it's too much work. I guess I need to time my brewing so I have fresh slurry available, but bottling and brewing on the same day makes for a long brew-day.

Like I said, Jamil has a whole calculator set up to figure out how much recovered yeast you need to re-pitch, based on the gravity of the beer and how long it's been since you harvested it. That should have all the info you need.

 

[djt17]

I harvest dry yeast all the time. Use Mr. Malty to figure how much slurry to use, I have just pitched this amount without a starter many times. I usually brew within 2 weeks of harvest.

 

[Yooper]

I save S05 all the time- the price has gone way up over the last couple of years!

I use Jamil's pitching calculator, and often don't need a starter if I'm using it in a couple of weeks.

I keep only a few strains on hand in mason jars- Denny's Favorite 50; WLP001; and S05- because I use them the most. I have had very good results with saving/rinsing/reusing yeast.

 

[cyclonite]

So when you people talk about repitching slurry, do you mean that you time your brewing so that you are bottling/kegging a batch on the same day that you brew, so that you immediately re-pitch the slurry? Or do you store the slurry?

I'm interested in saving big enough batches of slurry that I can just re-pitch them without making a starter. But I'm not sure how much I need to save to be able to do this, or how long I can keep it in the fridge.

I time my batches and plan to brew either the same day that I bottle/keg or the day after. I usually have 3-4yeast strains going at the same time, so that I can rotate batches based on style and type of yeast I want to use (usually a clean American, a British, and a Belgian and/or Weizen). If I am storing yeast for any length of time, then I wash it and store in capped bottles with sterilized water, and make a starter when I want to bring that strain back into the fold.

I have kept slurry up to 5 days (in the fridge) before repitching, and it was fine (4 hours lag).

I'm BIAB partigyling a RIS and Hoppy Mild Brown today both getting pitched with US-05 slurry from my Pale Ale that I secondaried on July 4th, so it's been in the fridge a few days. The yeast from the Hoppy Mild will go on to become an IPA in four weeks, whereas the RIS yeast will be EOL

 

[msa8967]

I have found that washing my dry yeast (US 05 and Notty) results is a stronger strain for the next 2 generations. I know that many people will say what is the point of washing these and wasting time but brewing our own beer takes time and the ability to do more of this own my own (like raising hops) is very cool.

I have also taken small amounts of 2 different washed yeast and then combined them for a blend. Recently I have been using some washed Cream Ale yeast with US-05 for my blond ales.

 

[midfielder5]

I save S05 all the time- the price has gone way up over the last couple of years!

totally. I just washed a batch of new US05 that I used to ferment a blonde beer I made for SWMBO... and now I have enough to make some Pliny beer for me

 

[jholen]

Good to know I can repitch US-05 just like any other yeasts. Definitely going to go this route.. in my experience with liquid yeast I found re pitching worked great!

 

[TimpanogosSlim]

I really admire the cheap bastardry represented in this thread.

I know some of you will swear that you don't have an LHBS and don't want to order dry yeast online in this heat wave, but you and i both know deep down that it's about stretching that $4 as far as it will go!

 

[cyclonite]

I really admire the cheap bastardry represented in this thread.

I know some of you will swear that you don't have an LHBS and don't want to order dry yeast online in this heat wave, but you and i both know deep down that it's about stretching that $4 as far as it will go!

Damn straight!

 

[iijakii]

I really admire the cheap bastardry represented in this thread.

I know some of you will swear that you don't have an LHBS and don't want to order dry yeast online in this heat wave, but you and i both know deep down that it's about stretching that $4 as far as it will go!

Man when you make some sessionables, $5 yeast can be a damn third of the cost.

 

[phoenixs4r]

10 bucks if you make ten gallons.

 

[tjpfeister]

Man when you make some sessionables, $5 yeast can be a damn third of the cost.

Multiply that by 3 batches per month average and I take insult at the word "cheap." I prefer "sensible," like the guy who grows an herb garden every spring rather than pay the grocery store premium for something like basil. (Not to mention the cost of DME for stepping each dry satchet up to imperial levels.)

 

[BWN]

I really admire the cheap bastardry represented in this thread.

I know some of you will swear that you don't have an LHBS and don't want to order dry yeast online in this heat wave, but you and i both know deep down that it's about stretching that $4 as far as it will go!

$4 is $4 and multiply that by 3 or 4 batches and I have saved $12 or $16.

 

[KISS Brew]

I really admire the cheap bastardry represented in this thread.

I know some of you will swear that you don't have an LHBS and don't want to order dry yeast online in this heat wave, but you and i both know deep down that it's about stretching that $4 as far as it will go!

I prefer "frugal bastardry".

 

[pwortiz]

I've only washed US05 to date but will do Notty soon; have a starter going of the 05 right now too. Seeing comments on here about those strains improving in 2nd and 3rd are nice to read. Any comments on after that generation? The main washing thread says not more than 5th gen but does anyone go beyond with these (or any other) strains?

 

[Jaysus]

I harvest US-05 all the time. I feel that the 2nd & 3rd gen make the best beer.

I recently won a Best in Show using 2nd gen US-05

 

[demuzik]

I prefer "frugal bastardry".

As do I - I think the days of dry yeast = cheap yeast are just about gone. At my HBS its about $1 maybe $2 less than most liquid yeasts... so I say, harvest away.

...but okay, I admit... I harvested Notty back when it was like $2 bucks a shot... still just nice to multiply the heck out of your $2 'investment'

 

[msa8967]

Another question to consider....when using mr malty or yeastcalc what should we use for the production date for the washed yeast? A few days after the yeast is pitched, the day the beer reaches its FG or the date the yeast is washed? I know this might be off topic but I didn't want to start a new thread in case users of just dry yeast want to consider washing and reusing.

 

[KISS Brew]

...but okay, I admit... I harvested Notty back when it was like $2 bucks a shot... still just nice to multiply the heck out of your $2 'investment'

I've definitely harvested T-58 a few times, and it only runs $2 a pack.

I haven't yet started harvesting Red Star Montrachet ($0.65) that I only use in Apfelwein, but maybe I should start...

 

[travis123]

When draining the fermenter I take a pint of sludge from the bottom & pour it into a clean Plastic 3 pint water bottle. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice & a teaspoon of sugar. leave at room temperature for a day. Give the bottle a squeeze, it should have gassed up & pressurised the bottle. This shows the yeast has taken.

Travis.

(I got the Lemon juice & sugar tip from the Home Distillers site where Yeast Harvest is common)

 

[yetanothersteve]

Saflager W-34/70- Wiehenstephan Lager Yeast has been $6.95 for a while but that is expensive to use for just one five gallon batch.
I go three batches off one sachet and often find the 2nd and 3rd to be the best performers.
Nottingham and US-05 as well just because I'm cheap. I also keep a spreadsheet on the gallons I have produced since brew 1 and the money I have spent on hardware (kettles, fermenters) and software (grain, hops, yeast, etc.) and I love to see that price per gallon drop a little for brew days using "free" yeast.

 

[el_caro]

Being ever frugal in these times of Fiscal Cliffs and the like I would like to store some US 05 from a pack I have not yet opened.
I plan to use the pack for a brew this weekend but have another 2 brews next week that will also need US 05. I was wondering about the logic of rehydrating the pack of yeast then chucking part of the rehydrated yeast into a starter. I could save the starter by rinsing and storing. I would not have to wait a couple of weeks to harvest the yeast cake from this weekends brew and I would still have a 'first generation' yeast.
Does this sound plausible and could I keep repeating the process with the harvested yeast?

 

[tektonjp]

Being ever frugal in these times of Fiscal Cliffs and the like I would like to store some US 05 from a pack I have not yet opened.
I plan to use the pack for a brew this weekend but have another 2 brews next week that will also need US 05. I was wondering about the logic of rehydrating the pack of yeast then chucking it into a starter. I could save about 0.5L of the starter by rinsing and storing. I would not have to wait a couple of weeks to harvest the yeast cake from this weekends brew and I would still have a 'first generation' yeast.
Does this sound plausible and could I keep repeating the process with the harvested yeast?

Don't make a starter. 05 is a great top cropping yeast. When the krausen gets going, just skim off 3-4 tablespoons of cream/foam from the top and store that in a small jar with a little pure water. Pitch that jar of yeast into your next batch. It should catch fire just fine.