Question about harvesting yeast from my primary fermentation vessel

[jeremybwilson]

I just racked my Belgian IPA into my secondary fermenter. This being only my 2nd batch of home brew I'm curious if now is the correct time to attempt to harvest the activated yeast from the primary fermenter for potential later use?

I didn't want to flush all the yeast/sediment/krausen down the drain without at least asking the question.

Is this something that is typically done? By newbies such as myself or rather by the much more experienced? Does cultivating this yeast, a dry Danstar Belle Saison, ultimately serve any real beneficial purpose?

I do plan on brewing a lot of Belgian Golden Ales and maybe some Dubbels or Trippels later on down the line, otherwise I'm feeling like maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

 

[sputnam]

i myself save and repitch yeast, with the following guidelines....OG wasn't over 1.06 and it will be used in less than 3 months. I have small plastic jars (4 oz maybe) that I use. I just make sure they are clean and sterile, and fill them not quite to the top with the slurry. I store them in my kegerator (fridge would be fine). I have not yet done a starter for anything I have repitched and had 100% success rate. I also have repitched up to 5 times (that's a ton of savings) I do recommend mr malty yeast pitch calculator though

 

[unionrdr]

I & some others have done articles on yeast washing to show/explain how it's done. check'em out in the "articles" in the red strip at the top of the page.

 

[freisste]

In the future (especially on high gravity brews that likely require a starter anyway), just make your starter larger than necessary and keep the extra in a sanitized mason jar until you need it (and then make another starter). Probably not very helpful at the moment.

But +1 to what was previously said.

 

[phug]

Here's a thought. I was looking at my blowoff tube this morning, and noticed that mine has a low point in a loop that appears to have collected a fair bit of creamy yeastiness. Could this be my super poor man's burton uniony type thing? Just pour that yeast into the next batch and or store? I imagine it's fairly clean and healthy.


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[jeremybwilson]

In the future (especially on high gravity brews that likely require a starter anyway), just make your starter larger than necessary and keep the extra in a sanitized mason jar until you need it (and then make another starter). Probably not very helpful at the moment.

But +1 to what was previously said.

I went ahead and poured off some of the sediment/slurry into about an 8oz mason jar this morning. I will figure out what to do with it later.

In the meantime, does the lid need to stay tight on this or do I need to allow it some air? I don't want this thing to blow open in my refrigerator and give my wife cause to end my home brewing career just as it is getting starting.

 

[unionrdr]

Tighten the lid. Gotta keep airborne nasties out!

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

unionrdr's got it. The less headspace the better for what you're doing.

If fermentation was done in your vessel, it's done in the jar. Don't add any new food sources (sugar) and the yeast will just be hanging out until you brew up some more tasty wort. No explosion to worry about

 

[normonster]

I'd say don't even bother trying to mess with the yeast. I have a book called "Yeast" and I can tell you that in many many words, they essentially say that harvesting yeast is a PITA! The stuff is cheap anyway (dry Safale Ale yeast is awesome stuff) and it isn't worth messing up a brew, especially in the beginning.

Just my opinion, but if you do it, you should get some good reading material on the subject first (which will make you not do it).

Cheers.

 

[Yooper]

I'd say don't even bother trying to mess with the yeast. I have a book called "Yeast" and I can tell you that in many many words, they essentially say that harvesting yeast is a PITA! The stuff is cheap anyway (dry Safale Ale yeast is awesome stuff) and it isn't worth messing up a brew, especially in the beginning.

Just my opinion, but if you do it, you should get some good reading material on the subject first (which will make you not do it).

Cheers.

I've never heard that harvesting yeast was not worth it- can you provide a link or references to read?

I always save yeast, as it's not that cheap- often $7 a pack which adds a lot to the cost of a brew! I've been doing it for about 8 years, and never had an issue and wondering why it would be an issue if pro breweries do it also.

 

[normonster]

unionrdr's got it. The less headspace the better for what you're doing.

If fermentation was done in your vessel, it's done in the jar. Don't add any new food sources (sugar) and the yeast will just be hanging out until you brew up some more tasty wort. No explosion to worry about

Not exactly the advice given by White and Zainasheff....the quality will degrade, the harvesting method makes a huge difference, and so do nutrients and temp control. Yeast don't just hangout forever man.

 

[frankjones]

I harvest safbrew 06. And safale 05. And safale 04 $9 on yeast. I have six batches bottled and enough yeast in jars to do eight more batches. Stopping at 3rd generation. Bit I have read you can even go five or six.

 

[freisste]

Not exactly the advice given by White and Zainasheff....the quality will degrade, the harvesting method makes a huge difference, and so do nutrients and temp control. Yeast don't just hangout forever man.

You're absolutely right...but I think he was seconding the advice of closing the lid tightly, not suggesting that harvested yeast had indefinite shelf life (which is equally true of "new" yeast from Wyeast/White Labs).

 

[normonster]

You're absolutely right...but I think he was seconding the advice of closing the lid tightly, not suggesting that harvested yeast had indefinite shelf life (which is equally true of "new" yeast from Wyeast/White Labs).

Fair enough, but you can almost predict his next issue posts. My beer stopped fermenting after 24 hours and came out with a weird sweet flavor or the yeast in my beer will not settle or there are some strange earthy flavors in my most recent batch.

IMO, yeast harvesting is something to be done only when a person has the right equipment, a very clean environment and some good experience with the yeast in question....especially when a guy is only in two batches. Might as well give those first few batches the best chance possible. Not to argue though.....it's all good....well, unless it comes out bad. :cross:

 

[rodwha]

I quit "washing" yeast and began creating a larger starter so as to keep a portion. By doing this I don't have the hassle or the mess to clean, and there's so much less risk of mutations I'd think, though I certainly cannot prove that.

I usually buy a 2 lb bag of DME for $8.75, and so an 1/8 lb of DME for the additional starter size has a cost of $0.55.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Not exactly the advice given by White and Zainasheff....the quality will degrade, the harvesting method makes a huge difference, and so do nutrients and temp control. Yeast don't just hangout forever man.

You're absolutely right...but I think he was seconding the advice of closing the lid tightly, not suggesting that harvested yeast had indefinite shelf life (which is equally true of "new" yeast from Wyeast/White Labs).

Yep, just speaking to the lid question. Yeast in the fridge, away from light no more than a few generations, used no more than a few months after harvesting.
Nutrients is a good point to add though.

 

[masskrug]

I've never really "washed" my yeast. I give the yeast cake a gentle swirl and then pour some into a jar that has been rinsed with Starsan. That goes into the fridge until the next brew day. The longest I have saved a sample was three weeks. I warm the sample to room temperature on brew day before pitching. I've never had an issue.

 

[AnOldUR]

The quote below is from the book referenced earlier. Personally, I've put Mason lids on tight and never had a jar explode, but the risk is there and should not be discounted. Especially if you're just scooping or dumping from the primary. There are residual sugars, so if any wild bugs were inadvertently introduced there will be fermentation. My preference is to use foil and a rubber band. It easy, sanitary and gives CO2 a way to escape if it just happens to build up.

From YEAST by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff (copyright 2010):

Many homebrewers use glass Mason jars or gallon jugs for storing yeast. They are cheap, easy to sanitize, and viewing the slurry in them is far easier than thru plastic. However, the big drawback to glass is that it is so easy to break; under pressure, it can be downright dangerous, If you use any vessel with a screw-on lid, leave the lid loose.

edit to say: With most of the ale yeast strains that I use, I find they pruduce better beer after a few generations.

quart Mason jar of clean yeast w/ foil . . .

 

[unionrdr]

I was indeed seconding the tightening of the jar lids. Especially when stored in the fridge with other things, as they might pic up some funk from other foods in there with it. And if the beer the yeast came from fully fermented out & settled, I don't see why they'd suddenly start fermenting again & blow up? Especially when sanitized water was used to wash it? I think those quotes might be another antiquated line of thought?