Holy Moley Yeast is Expensive!!

[Dr Malt]

Pbowler:

The yeast from the first brew is collected from the primary fermentation. In my process, I do a primary fermentation in the typical palstic bucket and after about 4-6 days I transfer through a siphon into a glass carboy for secondary fermentation. The yeast and trub in the bucket is collected into the sanitary container I store in the frig until i use it again. To separate the trub from the yeast, I add the sterile water, mix well and most of the large trub pieces settle in the 1-2 minutes befroe pouring off the active yeast. The active yeast will remain in the liguid as they have not flocculated and settled.

Dr Malt

 

[Dr Malt]

I collect the yeast from the primary fermentor not the secondary fermentor. It is the slug in the bottom of my plastic bucket. I do a primary fermentation for 4-6 days then transfer through a siphon to a glass carboy. The slug is transf erred to a sanitary container and stored in the frig until my next brew. I wash the yeast with sterile water and to swirling and sitting for 1-2 minutes allows most of the trub and flocculated yeast to settle out. Note that I pour off the liguid containing the active yeast and use it as a starter culture that I grow on fresh sterile wort I prepared from dry malt extract. I allow this starter to go over night and use it the next day when I brew.

Dr Malt

 

[Dr Malt]

Sorry for the double post. I use dry malt extract to make my wort. It is boiled for 15 minutes or so and then cooled before use. I do not recommend making it and storing it. Make when you need it.

Yes, the trub and flocculated yeast is discarded.

Dr Malt

 

[pbowler]

awesome thanks!!

I assume that there is enough edible (bacterially speaking) sugar in the the DME then to get them started?

 

[goat]

I just racked an English bitter and I made a Honey ale. I noticed I was out of yeast so I pitched the the new wort into the Bitter fermenter and it started in an hour. Has anyone ever pitched another batch into a fermentor that was just racked? How many times can you do this?

 

[alemonkey]

I'm planning on pitching a Hop Rod Rye clone onto a cream ale cake today.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Pbowler:

Your financial analysis of the cost of making a batch of homebrew seems correct. I would suggest, as someone else has here, that you collect your new yeast from your first brew and use it again for about 3-4 times. That way you spread the cost of the smack pack over more batches of beer and your cost goes to $2.00 per batch or less. I collect the yeast and trub out of my primary fermentor(bucket) after each brew and store it in a frig until I need it. I collect it in a sanitized plastic container with a screw top lid. I store it in the frig with the lid on loosely for CO2 escape. When it comes time to use it, I add about a cup or so of sterile water (water boiled in a covered pan on the stove for 15 minutes and then cooled), swirl, let sit for about 2 minutes or so and pour the liguid off the settled trub into my sanitized jar I use to prepare a yeast starter. I then add sterile wort to the yeast and add an air lock and let sit for a day or so until I brew. You will find that reused yeast from such a starter begins fermenting in fresh wort much quicker than the original smack pack. This is because you are adding a much larger amount of yeast to the volume of wort, or in brewing terms, you have increased your pitching rate. I only use my yeast 3-4 times because 2 things begin happening when you reuse yeast. One is they change slowly by adapting to the environment or the beers they have been in as well as mutate (genetic adaptation). Second, along with your yeast, there are some bacteria along for the ride as we do not work under sterile conditions as home brewers. Thus, it is best if you buy new yeast after about 4 bactches to start fresh. I usually only want about 4 batches of a given style of beer and want to change yeast anyways.

One other comment, if you look at the time, effort and cost of producing and supplying liquid pure strain yeast, the $7.00 is actually a very fair price. If you decide to propagate your own yeast, you will need a large pressure cooker to sterilize things, test tubes, dry malt extract, agar, other lab glassware, etc, not counting your time. You will have to buy a lot of yeast to equal the cost of propagating your own. Price it out and see.

Just my 2 cents.


Dr Malt

So, if I understand your post correctly, you are collecting your yeast and storing it, and washing it as you use it, rather than washing it all right away, is that right? Sounds simple enough. I've been washing mine right out of primary, but your method seems as if it takes up a lot less fridge space. Of course, since I use glass for primary, I don't know howI'd get the yeast out of primary without washing
right away..........hmmmmmmm......

 

[goat]

Hey Dr.,
I did not wash anything, I just pitched the wort in the already, yeast filled white bucket? Any comments??

 

[Teedocious]

goat-

If you time your brewing correctly you can throw wort on your primary cake a bunch of times. (Take care not to expose the yeast slurry to anything.) You could probably go 4-5 times easily without tasting any difference in the world. Then again, if you accumulate a ton of trub & assorted nastiness, ditch the yeast. If you wash it you can go longer.

 

[Beer Snob]

I'm sure this is a no brainer of a thought.... but this all is nice and dandy if your brewing the same style. My style tends to vary quiet a lot... wheat one brew... stout the next.... but I certainly like the freezing thought though....

 

[TheJadedDog]

For my next batches I take a sanitary spoon & take a couple scoops of slurry from my mason jars - make a starter with those scoops & pitch into new batch.

Just wondering if you could be more precise about how much yeast you are taking to make your starters (as this seems like the best method I have researched so far). Are we talking 2 big tablespoons? 2 small ones? more than 2?

Just curious as I really want to try this.

Also, where do you guys get your mason jars?

 

[Teedocious]

Just wondering if you could be more precise about how much yeast you are taking to make your starters (as this seems like the best method I have researched so far). Are we talking 2 big tablespoons? 2 small ones? more than 2?

Just curious as I really want to try this.

Also, where do you guys get your mason jars?

1. I'd say a 2 big tablespoons is about right. - The amount really isn't as important as you might think, because you are going to make a 1L (minimum - better for 2L) starter.

2. I had a tough time finding mason jars at first - target & walmart & grocery stores had nothing. Finally found a good selection at ACE hardware. (I'm guessing any of those hardware stores that aren't big box might carry them - OSH, ACE, etc. - especially if they have a "home" section with pots & pans, etc.) I have a couple cases (12 jars each) of pint jars. I use them for canning wort & for keeping yeast.

If I remember right, a case of 12 pint jars was $9-10.