Is this video a good example of harvesting yeast from a commercial brew?

[jetmac]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t2-cUMIa5c"]Yeast harvest from commercial brew[/ame]

 

[pabloj13]

Yeah that's one of the ones I watched before I did it. Just be sure to use lower gravity wort for the first few steps (~1.020). You will get less replication, but it is less stressful to the yeast. I just harvested Bell's yeast. Poured the dregs from a couple bottles into 20mL of 1.020 wort waited a few days for the little mini krausen to rise and fall (swirling every chance I got). Stepped it up to 250mL of 1.020 wort in a mason jar with the same procedure. Then stepped up to 1L on my stir plate.

 

[jetmac]

Thanks for the confirmation. Bell's is exactly what I was looking to harvest.

 

[pabloj13]

Thanks for the confirmation. Bell's is exactly what I was looking to harvest.

Be sure to use the amber or pale ale (read: Not Two Hearted). Although people have harvested TH successfully, the yeast are stressed from the high alcohol and hops. I actually looked through the 6 packs at the store to find the one with the most recent production date. The 20mL starter was up and running in no time.

 

[MuchoGusto]

Do you realize how much work and time it would take to produce enough pitchable yeast for a 5 gallon batch starting from one bottle?

 

[jetmac]

Do you realize how much work and time it would take to produce enough pitchable yeast for a 5 gallon batch starting from one bottle?

Time yes. Work, I don't think so. Home brewing is a hobby of mine. I'll probably harvest from 3 bottles.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Thanks for the confirmation. Bell's is exactly what I was looking to harvest.

i'm fermenting an IPA using harvested Bell's yeast. i used 4 bottles, into 250ml of low grav wort and slowly stepped it to pitching size. it's fermenting like crazy. good luck!

 

[pabloj13]

Do you realize how much work and time it would take to produce enough pitchable yeast for a 5 gallon batch starting from one bottle?

It took me 12 days.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

It took me 12 days.

yeah, it was about that long using 4 bottles. well worth the effort so far. :rockin:

 

[pabloj13]

yeah, it was about that long using 4 bottles. well worth the effort so far. :rockin:

Heck yeah. Especially since I was just doing it on the side while making other brews!

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Heck yeah. Especially since I was just doing it on the side while making other brews!

exactly. it's actually pretty sweet to watch the yeasties grow from some grey dregs to a fresh light colored cake. it's even sweeter to see how active my IPA is in primary. 4+ inch of active krausen and a lot of swirling in the carboy. i feel like a proud father watching by baby yeasties handling their calling in life so well!

 

[pabloj13]

exactly. it's actually pretty sweet to watch the yeasties grow from some grey dregs to a fresh light colored cake. it's even sweeter to see how active my IPA is in primary. 4+ inch of active krausen and a lot of swirling in the carboy. i feel like a proud father watching by baby yeasties handling their calling in life so well!

I agree. And while harvesting this Bell's yeast my LHBS got a shipment of Centennial pellets which I was able to snag before they sold out. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.

 

[jetmac]

exactly. it's actually pretty sweet to watch the yeasties grow from some grey dregs to a fresh light colored cake. it's even sweeter to see how active my IPA is in primary. 4+ inch of active krausen and a lot of swirling in the carboy. i feel like a proud father watching by baby yeasties handling their calling in life so well!

This is good to hear. But I guess I'll have to put off brew day until the first week in Feb if I start today

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I'm not too big on his sanitized items handling skills. Why on earth put the lid on the dirty counter and then flip it around? There's a lot of open air time in this procedure shown.

Just sayin'.

MC

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I agree. And while harvesting this Bell's yeast my LHBS got a shipment of Centennial pellets which I was able to snag before they sold out. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.

thus the 2 hearted clone in your future brews, i'm guessing! :rocking: NB's dead ringer kit is a spot on clone, FWIW. there's also some great two hearted recipes here and in mags, i like the BYO recipe.
i'm using my bell's yeast in jamil's IPA recipe in BCS. lots of simcoe, amarillo and centennial. should be good and hoppy. :rockin:

 

[djevans3]

I'm getting ready to do the 2HA clone recipe and do the bottle harvesting of yeast from the Bell's Amber Ale. I'm building my stir plate and getting ready to do the harvest. I'm also understanding step up the low gravity wort in terms of volume, but is there a direct correlation between wort volume and yeast cell count when doing this? I'm just trying to understand how you know when there is enough yeast to pitch to a 5 gallon batch. It seems much more calculated when starting with a liquid vial and making a starter than harvesting.

 

[pabloj13]

I just eyeballed it based on the half inch or so of yeast after cold crashing. If you wanted you could wash the slurry and put it in a mason jar so you have an idea of how many ml you have. Then just go off Mr Malty.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I'm getting ready to do the 2HA clone recipe and do the bottle harvesting of yeast from the Bell's Amber Ale. I'm building my stir plate and getting ready to do the harvest. I'm also understanding step up the low gravity wort in terms of volume, but is there a direct correlation between wort volume and yeast cell count when doing this? I'm just trying to understand how you know when there is enough yeast to pitch to a 5 gallon batch. It seems much more calculated when starting with a liquid vial and making a starter than harvesting.

start out small and low gravity, like 250ml of 1.02 wort, when it's done, decant and pitch into 500ml of the same gravity. then 500ml of 1.04 wort, then pitch that slurry into your brewing starter.

 

[djevans3]

Thanks, I can follow that!

 

[bwomp313]

what if I took the dregs from like 4 bombers and pitched them into a 1 quart starter?(1.030-1.040ish)

 

[kh54s10]

what if I took the dregs from like 4 bombers and pitched them into a 1 quart starter?(1.030-1.040ish)

With small amounts of older yeast you want to step up starting with small starters of low gravity wort.

Here is a good site on stepping starters:

 

[jetmac]

I'm not too big on his sanitized items handling skills. Why on earth put the lid on the dirty counter and then flip it around? There's a lot of open air time in this procedure shown.

Just sayin'.

MC

I agree but, many times, amateur videographers/homebrewers will make simple mistakes on film that they would not normally make if focusing on the brewing part rather than the filming part. If that makes sense