Newb question about yest washing

[displacedtexan]

I would like to re-use some of my liquid yeast from a clone of Anchor steam in my primary fermentor as we speak...

It seems as if most people swirl their carboy with 'clean' water then then pour into another container and let it sit about 10-20 minutes then pour off the top part (hopefully suspended yeast) into yet another container. At this point do you seal and put in the fridge, or do you create a starter and repeat the process to make a more concentrated yeast slurry?

Thanks!!

 

[iamjonsharp]

Read the section under yeast ranching:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-8.html

You want as little sediment left as possible. Then you want to refrigerate it until you wish to use it again, and then prepare the starter. If you are making a similar beer right after you rack the first beer out of primary, you can add the wort for the new beer directly onto the yeast cake (trub).

 

[Philip1993]

It seems as if most people swirl their carboy with 'clean' water then then pour into another container

Just remember that even if you siphon down to just the cake itself, you need a WHOLE lot less water added than you thing. About 1/2 - 1 cup should be plenty.

Something new I'm trying is a very low fuss method of harvesting. From my last primary, I siphoned down to just the cake, added 1/2 cup water, swirled, bottled, and refrigerated. After 2 weeks, there was a very nice 1/4" layer of sediment sitting quietly under 12oz of beer. When it's time to make a starter I'll warm it to room temp, decant, and pitch. Yes, I know that throws back trub and all, but we're only talking about ~1-2 tbsp after decanting.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Just remember that even if you siphon down to just the cake itself, you need a WHOLE lot less water added than you thing. About 1/2 - 1 cup should be plenty.

Something new I'm trying is a very low fuss method of harvesting. From my last primary, I siphoned down to just the cake, added 1/2 cup water, swirled, bottled, and refrigerated. After 2 weeks, there was a very nice 1/4" layer of sediment sitting quietly under 12oz of beer. When it's time to make a starter I'll warm it to room temp, decant, and pitch. Yes, I know that throws back trub and all, but we're only talking about ~1-2 tbsp after decanting.

That's not nearly enough water to wash your yeast with.

Adding 1/2 gal of water allows you to shake out any captured yeast in the trub.

After a good couple of minute shake there is a lot of seperation.

Let sit for 3 minutes and you'll see the trub fall out. transfer the water to a second container and wait another 5 minutes. repeat process another 2 times and you should be ready to place the jug in the fridge overnight.

Come morning you can pour off most of the liquid and seperate the remaining yeast into vials, baby food jags, tubes, whatever, for future starters.

It's that simple.

Washing also dilutes the beer on top on the yeast and effectively stops the fermentation process which bottling the cake does not do. Without thinning out the yeast cake it's still fermenting which leads to off-gassing and pressure build-up in the storage container...which must be "burped" periodically.

 

[Philip1993]

That's not nearly enough water to wash your yeast with.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. For washing, I add 1/2 cup to liquefy the yeast slurry, pour that into my wash vessel, and the top off with water. That way, you don't end up with more slurry than container (done that).

The "new" method also uses 1/2 cup, but that's just an experiment. Thanks for the heads up about burping it.

 

[BierMuncher]

My rule of thumb is:

1) Fill one of these apple juice jugs (thank you Edwort) half way with water.
2) Pour onto yeast cake and swirl the crap out of it to loosen from bottom of pale.
3) Pour mixture back into apple juice jar. Will usually fill to about 3/4 full (if not, add more water) and set aside for 5 minutes.
4) Gently pour mixture into another empty apple juice jar of same size, leaving behind the last 1-2 Oz’s which will contain sediment.
5) Add enough fresh water to again bring it up to 3/4 full and repeat process 2 or three times.
6) If I’m doing another brew within a week, it sits on the shelf until I pitch it to new wort.
7) If it’s going to be longer, chill over night, pour off excess liquid and harvest sludge into beer bottles and cap.

 

[bull]

in the pictures right there where is the yeast located in the bottom portion or in the upper portion of the apple juice bottles ?i mean is the yeast in the upper liquid?

 

[homebrewer_99]

My rule of thumb is...

The only hole in your theory BM is you have more "Rules of Thumb" than you have thumbs...

 

[Mustangj]

Dose this method work for cider also?

 

[BierMuncher]

Dose this method work for cider also?

Yes. I’ve harvested cider yeast, specifically to keep it away form the other beer yeasts. A cider yeasat cake is also (almost) entirely yeast. There are no hops, no grain particulates and no break trub to deal with.

You can actually just pour off the yeast cake and store. One rinse maybe…to get rid of the juice…but that’s it.

The only hole in your theory BM is you have more "Rules of Thumb" than you have thumbs...

Have you seen my keggle. I am ALL thumbs.

 

[Philip1993]

Yes. I’ve harvested cider yeast, specifically to keep it away form the other beer yeasts. A cider yeasat cake is also (almost) entirely yeast. There are no hops, no grain particulates and no break trub to deal with.

You can actually just pour off the yeast cake and store. One rinse maybe…to get rid of the juice…but that’s it.

This brings up an interesting idea. For those that decant the liquor off a starter, why not use cider instead for wort for making starters. Particularly starters where you double up just for the purpose of harvesting a few vials.