I plan on washing/harvesting/reusing yeast in future batches to save a few bucks. Looks like Safale US-05 is used for a ton of brews out there. However, I know liquid yeast is supposedly "better" and if I'm doing this to save some cash, shouldn't I start with a batch with WYeast 1056 instead? My concern is that since there are so many different strains of liquid yeast, if I harvested 1056 and then used it in a future kit that called for a different liquid yeast, would I be endangering the future batches? Seems like Safale US-05 is more "universal" so am I better off washing/reusing that than I am liquid yeasts?
Matching yeast strains for future batches
- Thread starter eadavis80
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jekeane
Well-Known Member
Your yeast defines your beer in many ways. 05 / 1056 / 001 are all good american common ale / IPA yeasts that are from a similar strain saving any of those is a good idea. Space and how often you will brew are going to determine what is the best way for you to save your yeast.
(this post got long... Summary: 05 is just as good as 1056, Save everything you will use again. A diy stir plate will help you with saving yeast.)
I personally was using a different yeast every brew for awhile so I would just save a little bit of my starter for each yeast.
Recently I have brewed the same beer 3 times in a row so for that I saved the whole yeast cake without rinsing it, in two mason jars.
This is the method I use for yeasts that I wont reuse the whole cake, which is most right now.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/yeast-harvesting-novel-approach.html
I brew once a month and there are certainly opportunities to leave my previous months beer in primary until my next brew day and just rack on top of the previous yeast cake.
It will take you awhile to get to the point where you have a yeast collection. I often see people use 05/001/1056 on beers that really should get a more beer specific yeast. They will get a decent beer but not the beer that they were supposed to. Saving money is great. Saving yeast is great. Using yeast you got not what the beer want is not so great. I have a good homebrew store near me so I am a bit spoiled with yeast selection. I know all of this is a little different if you have to order yeast online.
(this post got long... Summary: 05 is just as good as 1056, Save everything you will use again. A diy stir plate will help you with saving yeast.)
I personally was using a different yeast every brew for awhile so I would just save a little bit of my starter for each yeast.
Recently I have brewed the same beer 3 times in a row so for that I saved the whole yeast cake without rinsing it, in two mason jars.
This is the method I use for yeasts that I wont reuse the whole cake, which is most right now.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/yeast-harvesting-novel-approach.html
I brew once a month and there are certainly opportunities to leave my previous months beer in primary until my next brew day and just rack on top of the previous yeast cake.
It will take you awhile to get to the point where you have a yeast collection. I often see people use 05/001/1056 on beers that really should get a more beer specific yeast. They will get a decent beer but not the beer that they were supposed to. Saving money is great. Saving yeast is great. Using yeast you got not what the beer want is not so great. I have a good homebrew store near me so I am a bit spoiled with yeast selection. I know all of this is a little different if you have to order yeast online.
So if you're a monthly brewer (about the same as me give or take) you literally let a yeast cake sit in a primary for a couple of weeks and when you brew the same beer you just pour the cooled wort on that cake that was sitting for a couple of weeks? Is there a risk of infection just letting all that yeast cake stuff sit around?
jekeane
Well-Known Member
If I pitch onto a previous yeast cake I rack off that cake on brew day. Some people rack off a few days before without any problem as well. Your also doing similar style beers or going from low hops or srm to higher hops or srm.
I have used 029 Kolsch for a few brews lately Brewed a kolsch that sat in primary for a month racked that beer to a keg while brewing a raspberry wheat. I racked the wheat directly onto the former kolsch cake. I only leave the raspberry wheat in primary for 7-10 days so after that was racked onto fruit in a secondary I swirled the cake with a little of the beer that was left and put it in two largeish mason jars. On Sunday I used that unwashed yeast about 5 weeks later for another batch of raspberry wheat. Fermentation is still going strong and it looks just as clean as the first time I pitched the 029.
I have used 029 Kolsch for a few brews lately Brewed a kolsch that sat in primary for a month racked that beer to a keg while brewing a raspberry wheat. I racked the wheat directly onto the former kolsch cake. I only leave the raspberry wheat in primary for 7-10 days so after that was racked onto fruit in a secondary I swirled the cake with a little of the beer that was left and put it in two largeish mason jars. On Sunday I used that unwashed yeast about 5 weeks later for another batch of raspberry wheat. Fermentation is still going strong and it looks just as clean as the first time I pitched the 029.
Probably not much of an infection risk at all- but there are several reasons why you usually wouldn't want to pitch unto a whole yeast cake. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/why-not-pitch-your-yeast-cake-166221/ is a great thread with different points of view.
I've found that using a yeast pitching calculator for slurry, like mrmalty.com works great. I can usually get 5-6 5 gallon batches out of one yeast cake- saving me a lot of money! I could get more if I then saved the next generation of yeast cakes, but I don't have a ton of room in my yeast fridge and usually only save about 6 varieties of yeast.
"Yeast fridge" - must be nice. I have one fridge and my groceries go in there. Maybe one day I'll have a "yeast fridge" but for now, I'll just be happy to toss a few mason jars in there along with the milk, pop and beer...
