Harvesting Sweetwater IPA.

[Kingfish]

I have been wanting to harvest yeast from this beer since I first saw the bits floating in the bottom of a bottle several years ago.

I made 500ml of 1.020 wort using extra light dme. It was the first time working with dme and I have to say it takes some getting used to...Very messy stuff.

Was also my first time using StarSan. I had always used Iodafor(sp). I like StarSan MUCH better.

I carefully emptied the cold bottles into my big mug but saved the last 1/5 or so and then flamed the bottle lips with my butane torch and poured the remaining into the wort. Put some sanitized foil over the top and gave a good shake. I have no clue when or if I will see any signs of activity. If I don't, I will pitch this all into 1000ml of 1.030 wort after 5 days. If I do, I will cold crash 2 days after activity ends.

Wish me luck.

 

[kpr121]

Good luck! I always pick up a 12 pack or two of 420 and/or IPA when we go on vacation in October (HHI), but I've honestly never realized the yeast in the bottles. Im very interested in how this turns out, because I will definitely try this if it works for you! That IPA is awesome. You planning a clone if the yeast takes off? Got a recipe?

 

[Kingfish]

I have not decided what I am going to do with it. I have mostly lost my taste for IPAs lately. Will probably do an amber.

I expect this to be a very fast fermenting yeast so I will use it to make something when the pipeline is low....Which right now is nonexistent. If it works out I will freeze several vials.

 

[badlee]

Good luck with this

 

[Backporchbrewery]

Pretty sure they just use WLP001. My brother interviewed for a brewer position there and got a kind of behind the scenes tour.

 

[bottlenose]

Just keep in mind that many breweries ferment with one yeast and bottle with another.

 

[badlee]

But either way, it's a feather in your brewing cap if you pull it off.
I am looking to do the same thing for a wit with yeast from Vedett extra white,but that's just because I can't get the yeast over here. OH, and I'm a cheap skate, oh and to prove to some lads over here that it can be done.

 

[Kingfish]

Pretty sure they just use WLP001.

Not the point at all. I would not expect them to use some rare designer yeast. Being able to propagate a healthy population of yeasties and use then is the goal.

 

[Kingfish]

Just keep in mind that many breweries ferment with one yeast and bottle with another.

Sweetwater IPA is unpasteurized and unfiltered. The yeast in the bottle is indeed the yeast used to ferment.

 

[Piratwolf]

Just keep in mind that many breweries ferment with one yeast and bottle with another.

I see this repeated here & there on HBT. It is probably true as stated. However, I've listened to interviews with dozens (over 50, at a guess) and only ONE has stated this as his practice. It doesn't make much economic sense. Not trying to be a jerk--just sorta thinking aloud & sharing FWIW.
/OT

 

[Kingfish]

So far so good. Woke up this morning and have a significant growth.

 

[Kingfish]

Coming along better than I hoped. Have a very nice yeast layer at the bottom. Will try to get a pic in the morning.

 

[badlee]

sweet

 

[pannell77]

sweet

water....

 

[Kingfish]

Could not get a good picture this morning but I did take a smell...It smells awesome. Just like a hydrometer sample of a real beer. Tonight I am going to boil up 1000ml of 1.030 wort and pitch this whole 500ml into it. Will give that a few days then cold crash, decant and do a 1000ml 1.040 and then do as many 1500ml 1.040 "starters" as needed to get a pitchable population.

 

[Kingfish]

Actually, I think I have changed my mind. I think I will go ahead and crash today and see what I have. Then 500ml of 1.030 tonight. I think I need to do this in much smaller steps than I had initially planned.

 

[Kingfish]

Everything is going great. The cold crash 4 days ago did not produce a cake so I just tossed in my 500ml of 1.030. I have a great population going. Nice creamy layer settling on the bottom. When I swirl it, I get a lot of CO2 coming out of solution. It is in the fridge right now and will decant tonight and pitch into 1000ml of 1.040. It looks like I have about half as much as is in a vial of commercial yeast.

I have yet to have any krausen or a really active fermentation at all yet but I guess that is to be expected...All I know is my population is growing. I need a stir plate.

 

[Kingfish]

Crappy picture but you get the idea.

 

[Kingfish]

Another step complete. Looking good. I think I will do a 1500ml of 1.040 this evening and that will be my last step. Plan on brewing an amber this weekend.

 

[badlee]

Great job there. I hope the brew goes well.

 

[Kingfish]

Decanted tonight and pitched into 1500ml of 1.040. I am very pleased with this experiment so far. The last starter went from 1.040 to 1.010 and that is without a stir plate, just occasionally swirling. Going to let this ferment, crash for 2 days, decant and pitch into the amber this weekend. I plan to collect the yeast, wash it and freeze in glycerin.

 

[dedhedjed]

Nicely done!
I'm one of the brewers at SweetWater... We use Wyeast 1968 in IPA.

 

[Kingfish]

Here are the steps...
500ml 1.020
500ml 1.030
Crash for a day or so and decant - 1000ml 1.040
Crash for a day or so and decant - 1500ml 1.040
Crash for a day or so and decant - Pitch

 

[Kingfish]

Nicely done!
I'm one of the brewers at SweetWater... We use Wyeast 1968 in IPA.

Awesome. Even better than the WLP001 some people said it was.

 

[dedhedjed]

It'll be interesting to see how the yeast behaves in a full fermentation. Yeast that managed to make it into a bottle I would expect to have very low flocculation characteristics, since we cold crash the fermentors and centrifuge the beer to remove yeast during transfer to the bright tanks where it is force carbonated and later packaged from. I'm impressed you managed to culture a viable colony of yeast at all post centrifuge... And I bet our lab guys will be interested as well. I'll pass this on to them for sure. Keep us posted... and keep drinking SweetWater!

 

[Kingfish]

Oh my god!!!!

I never expected this. Last night at about 8:00 I pitched the cake into the starter in my one gallon plastic "carboy", gave it a good shake and set it on the counter. I did not touch it until I got home today about 3:00. I meant to swirl it before work but ran out and forgot about it.

I would say I have a healthy population eh?

The krausen is indeed all the way to the top.

 

[Kingfish]

And I bet our lab guys will be interested as well. I'll pass this on to them for sure.

If you want a sample of my little friends, I will be home most of the weekend (live in Cumming now).

 

[Kingfish]

Yeast that managed to make it into a bottle I would expect to have very low flocculation characteristics...

Does not seem to be the case in this last starter.

 

[Kingfish]

From 1.040 to 1.014 (hydrometer is a little off) in 24 hours....Probably took much less than that.

Smells great and tastes ok.

 

[Kingfish]

I transferred to a mason jar to make it easier to pitch...Might should have waited a while. It is in the fridge now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upRQHp-BHO4&feature=youtube_gdata_player