Help me understand my washed yeast layers

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Toy4Rick

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Hey gang,

Please help understand why my yeast look like it has 4 layers? What am I doing wrong?

Top = Beer/water
Next = Yeast
Below that = Trub
Bottom = More yeast?

This is the same jar just different exposure

I have never seen only 3 layers in my 3 washings so far, it always looks like this so I don't pour off anything

Thanks in advance
Toy4Rick

IMG_5289_small_1.jpg
IMG_5291_small_1.jpg
 
Agree. It looks like alot of pellet hops also in the mix. I would shake up the mixure again but also add more sterile water, enough for 2 jars. The more water the less stress on the yeast cells.
 
I think I'd shake that up and try to decant again for a cleaner sample. It'll be hard to avoid pitching all of that over material into your wort or starter.
 
That's interesting! It looks like you have a hop layer too. Did the beer have a lot of hops?

I agree looks like hops.
OP: how long between when you added the water to wash the yeast and when you decant of the yeast into the mason jar?
 
I think you didn't wait long enough for the layers to stratify before pouring into the mason jars. I would dump all the jars into a big jar and wash again.
 
Here are your layers:
-Beer/water
-Trub

Wash it and you will get rid of A LOT of trub and have more defined layers.
 
If I had to guess I'd say something like:

Top = Beer/water
Next = Yeast
Below that = hop material/trub
Bottom = grain material/trub


There are a couple of steps you could take to prevent this:
1. during the washing steps, let the mixtures settle even longer before decanting (I think default is 15-20 minutes, might double that). This will allow the heavier material to settle out.
2. Next time you brew, use a filter/strainer/screen to remove the cold break/hop/grain material after cooling the wort while transferring from the kettle to the fermenter.
 
Hey gang, great input

This Hef recipe I steeped the grains for 10 minutes before LME was added, I did a LME late addition which lead me to add the 1 oz of hops with 15 minutes to go in the 60 minute boil (I don't like hoppy beer)

Did not strain from the pot

I added about 2 cups of boiled water to the yeast cake in the fermenter, swirled and poured it into this jar, straight into the fridge for 30 minutes, no separation, waited another 30 minutes, nothing, the next morning it looked like this.

I'll try to wash it again and see what happens

Any other thoughts?
Toy4Rick
 
...I added about 2 cups of boiled water to the yeast cake in the fermenter, swirled and poured it into this jar, straight into the fridge for 30 minutes, no separation, waited another 30 minutes, nothing, the next morning it looked like this...

More water, the few times when I have washed yeast I used about 2 litres of water (4x 500 ml jars) and the collected the washings in the 4 jars. And wait longer before going from fermenter to first jar.
What I would do is:
Pour washing water into fermenter and swirl to mix up the yeast cake,
Leave to settle for 10-15 minutes,
pour off liquid into 2 of the jars,
leave thes to settle anoth 5-10 minutes,
pour these into the last 2 jars and cap and put in the fridge.
 
Hey gang,

So I added 2 more quarts of water and moved it to a 1 gal jug, after 20 minutes I had 2 very different layers, light cream on top and very dark on the bottom. I decanted off the top layer into 2 - 1 Qt mason jars and this morning I again have 2 layers but they look much better. :rockin:

IMG_5293_small.jpg


That's what I get for listening to the LHBS

Thanks again
Toy4Rick
 
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