Question about re-pitching washed yeast.

[Stand]

Yesterday I bottled a Blonde Ale and washed the yeast. The guide I read was pretty good and the yeast looked great, but the person that made the post re-pitched the same day he washed the yeast.

I I put the washed yeast in the fridge because I didn't want to brew the same day I bottled.

Anyway, I took the yeast out of the fridge 3 hours before I pitched it and let it sit on the counter. I pitched a full mason jar into 8 gallons of 1.068OG stout today, and then started wondering if there was anything else I was supposed to do after a period of refrigeration like that. I figured it was like a giant white labs vial, but maybe someone can tell me if I missed something.

Did I do alright? Any advice for next time?

Thanks!

 

[Warped04]

Hey,

What I do before I pitch washed yeast is build a starter. It helps wake the yeasties up and give them a little bump to get them hungry again.

But I'm sure your yeasties will get going and start fermenting soon.

Wally

 

[BradleyBrew]

I've only washed and pitched the same day... glad to hear you did NOT pitch on your yeast cake! 24 hours is not enough time to make your yeast go dormant or anything. I'm sure they will fire up!

 

[Surly]

You will be fine. Prior to pitching I do decant the beer from the top of my starter. I also use Mr. Malty to tell me how many ML's I need for the slurry based on the gravity of the beer I am making.

 

[badhabit]

I don't wash yeast if I am pitching the same day. I pull 1 Cup for 5 gal batch from the middle of the cake as much as possible and add it directly, no starter, to my new wort. I consistantly have active fermentation within 6 hours and have not had any problem with off flavor or wild yeast type blow off from the bottle as long as I keep the yeast at or under 4 generation. I use the remaining cake to wash. I do not pitch directly onto cake. When using washed yeast I always make a starter. It works for me.

 

[LVBen]

You will be fine. Prior to pitching I do decant the beer from the top of my starter. I also use Mr. Malty to tell me how many ML's I need for the slurry based on the gravity of the beer I am making.

+1 for using Mr. Malty. It also helps adjust for the viability of the yeast based on the date. I would use the date that the fermentation took place, as opposed to the date that the yeast was harvested.

On a side note, I prefer to top-crop instead of re-using slurry. You get healthier yeast and it is denser in the # of yeast cells.

 

[Monstar]

You're fine brah. I use washed yeast almost exclusively, and I only make a starter if its over a month old. If its not a month old, I just take it out the morning of brew day to let it warm up.

 

[tesilential]

I pitched washed yeast that was 4-5 months old and had excellent results.(1275)

I also pitched more than half of the cake of 1968 from a 1.06 porter into a 1.084 RIS last week. It was down to 1.022 after 36 hours! Completely done in 1.5 days. Insane. This is a poor attenuating and fast flocculating yeast and it still kicked ass. The cake was pitched the same say the porter was kegged.

I only make starters for lagers now.