Harvesting Yeast From A Bottle

[MMJfan]

Hello. Just to start off, I've never made a starter but I am planning on starting to do so. I have brewed about 15 beers and I've always just pitched straight from the Wyeast smack pack with no issues so far. I just started making AG doing BIAB and I feel like it's time to step my game up and start to make starters. I am going to be brewing a clone of Bells Oberon and I have 5 bottles of Oberon in my fridge that I was going to harvest the yeast to make a starter using Bells yeast.

I currently have no DME with which to make a starter, so my first question is, should I wait to harvest the yeast from my Oberons until I get DME to make a starter? Or can I just collect the dregs from the bottles into a mason jar and store it in my fridge until I get some DME and am ready to make a starter?

Also, how long could I store the starter in my fridge after it was done and ready to pitch?

Cheers!

 

[tnsen]

I am curious as to this method....my preferance would be Bells Winter White...I was hoping somebody else could chime in here about harvasting yeast from bottles...anybody?..

 

[barhoc11]

congrats on wanting to make starters, I think you will agree that your beer's ferment out quicker and you get higher attenuation.

You can keep the yeast that is left in the bottle covered with sanitized foil and keep them cold in your fridge. I wouldn't add more risk of contamination by putting everything into the mason jar just to sit when you can keep them in the bottles until your ready to make your starter. I just did this for a two hearted clone in which I used the Oarsmen Ale yeast since it has a low ABV and the yeast sediment sat in the bottles for about a week before I made my starter.

In the future, I would try harvesting the yeast from a Bell's beer with a lower abv so that you get more tolerant yeast but I think you will be fine with oberon, using yeast from two hearted would be a bit much.

 

[Calder]

If I had nothing else, I think I would store it under beer, and sealed. In fridge.

Starter will keep fine for a week or two in the fridge. After that I would add some more fermentables to get it going again and make new cells to replace the ones that died during the couple of week break. Depending on he size of the starter, it may be good for a month for straight pitching.

 

[Brewitt]

Yep, I've done this a number of times. As Calder and Barhoc11 say: Just pour your beer (enjoy it) and immediately cover it with foil or saran. Sanitized is better in case someone had their grimy fingers on it but usually these things fresh off the roll are just fine (use the surface on that roll against the bottle). Leave it refrigerated until you are ready with some cooled wort and then swirl the bottle and pitch. Best to start with a small amount of wort (maybe half a cup), grow it up and then add that to ten times the amount (a quart) and then up from there if you like. Reduces the chance of contamination. I generally cold crash it overnight after it is up to maximum density and pour off most of the wort before pitching. Keep in mind that you can also save some of it in a sanitized bottle to step up for another brew in the next month or so or you can harvest and wash it from your fermentation. You can even freeze it (see my recent article on the subject in the articles section if your interested in going that far). I save some of my favorite harvested yeast that way in pitchable sized portions.