New yeast obsession...

[Robotcrab]

After a long career of dry rip open an. Sprinkling, I have some how become a yeast preserving, jar sanitizing, rubber glove wearing yeast fanatic over night... Started when I wanted some us-05 for my " Goldings Gay Thyme" pale ale (only other Aussies will understand the pun) , but had run out, except for the trub in the fermenter I had just bottled to make room for it, so some quick googling and I was yeast washing, then within 24hrs I had various glass jars marked and labeled at various stages, the ale was bubbling away with a quick starter I made from the washed trub , and I've got half a dozen commercial beer bottles lined up, that I'm trying to hijack the yeast from... This might even be more fun then making up new fermenters and filters? I'm hooked!


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[Hello]

I think it's facinating as well. I just haven't done it. Good luck with this and the new obsession within an obsession.

 

[badlee]

Mate,the amount of jars I have taking up space in the non-beer fridge is unreal!
Every time I rnjoy a beer that is bottle conditioned,I harvest and grow.

 

[skw]

Start slanting. That's how you get your yeast bank in a small fridge footprint.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

Also consider freezing. I used to keep mason jars full of yeast so I could direct pitch, but as you know, it can quickly take over the fridge. I freeze yeast with 10% glycerin in 1 dram vials. They hold about 10 billion cells each.

 

[Robotcrab]

Slow down chaps, let's see if I can actually get the basics right first.


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[BobBailey]

I've done something quite similar since retiring a few months ago. I had stopped just sprinkling and moved to re-hydrating several years ago. After recently reading the Yeast book by Chris White & Jamil Zainasheff I began reading everything I could find about yeast. After a month of research I went out and bought a stir plate, 2 liter flask and all the minor goodies needed to make starters.

I make a starter large enough for a proper pitch plus another 100 billion cells. I sterilize and refill the vial and pitch the rest. It's so much faster and cleaner than harvesting yeast, which I have done in the past.

Fermentations have been so much faster than before. I always thought I was pitching enough healthy yeast, but it seems that I was not. The beers have also dropped clear much faster than before. I have brewed 3 batches using liquid yeast and starters and the first will be on tap in about a week. I just know there will be a significant improvement over most past brews.

Over the past few years I have improved every step in my process from moving to all grain, doing full boils, temperature control to building water from RO. I feel sure that pitching the proper amount of healthy yeast will make the biggest difference of all. I really believe that yeast health is what was lacking.

Chris & Jamil did a great job on the Yeast book, as did John Palmer and Colin Kaminski on the Water book. I just started reading Stan Heironymus' Hops book and have a hard time putting it down as well.
Fir any level brewer I highly recommend this series of 4 great books. I will be reading the last of the series. "Malt" as soon as I finish Hops.

I'm sure that your making a proper starter with the yeast you harvest will do much better than just pitching as is. I may try that as well.

Happy brewing,

Bob

 

[Robotcrab]

Think I'm going to get myself a stir plate, some real scientist looking glass things, find a source for liquid yeast (very limited to what I can get down here) and... Probably another fridge. I like the idea of splitting starters, makes sense, but I also like the washing, I hate throwing perfectly good stuff away, to think of all those poor little yeasties I've killed over the years...


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[sablesurfer]

I hate throwing perfectly good stuff away, to think of all those poor little yeasties I've killed over the years...

Well, if you just poured them down the drain, it's more like you were just setting them free....

 

[BobBailey]

Think I'm going to get myself a stir plate, some real scientist looking glass things, find a source for liquid yeast (very limited to what I can get down here) and... Probably another fridge. I like the idea of splitting starters, makes sense, but I also like the washing, I hate throwing perfectly good stuff away, to think of all those poor little yeasties I've killed over the years...


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Once you get the equipment to grow healthy yeast you can start harvesting from bottles of craft beers as well. I would assume there are plenty of bottle conditioned beers down there to choose from. In any event, we will both enjoy the new obsessions.

Bob

 

[Robotcrab]

To see an inch of kruetzen on a gallon batch that I pitches with what was the dregs of a single bottle a little over a week ago, absolutely awesome!!!! Fed it up too 300ml then pitched it about three hours ago, HB is awesome...


She doesn't seem to understand, I really, really, like beer...