Quick yeast washing question.

[JoeSpartaNJ]

I have read up on washing yeast and plan on doing it for the first time.

My question is, can I rack beer off tonight and wash the yeast tomorrow?

Can I reseal the fermentor and start the washing tomorrow as I do not have any mason jars handy and would need to pick up tomorrow.


Thanks,

Joe

 

[jtratcliff]

yup... leave a little bit of beer on top and it should be good.

I pour from my fermenter into a couple of 1 gallon glass wine jugs,
let that settle then pour into whatever old small jars I have available.

I don't think I use a single mason jar

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

Cool.

Thanks!

 

[jtratcliff]

Here it is from the horse's mouth Chris White from White Labs

Yeast under beer is fairly stable, and most brewers agree that the best place to store yeast is under beer.

from http://www.probrewer.com/resources/library/bp-healthyyeast.php

 

[eastoak]

you could just jar up the yeast right out of the fermentor, why wash it? when you wash it you'll wash lots of live yeast out with whatever else you are trying to wash out. the water you are washing it with, is it contaminant free? if you have a clean yeast cake keep it that way and jar it up without messing with it anymore.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

The reason for washing is this last batch was dry hopped and the is a lot of hop residue in and on the cake.

I am going to make another IPA with the yeast I am washing, but will be making other styles that the hops in the slurry make make an impact on the flavor.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

I left some beer on top of the cake last night. Can just scoop the slurry and put into sanitized jars for future use? I was thinking of dividing the cake into 4 jars.

 

[eastoak]

The reason for washing is this last batch was dry hopped and the is a lot of hop residue in and on the cake.

I am going to make another IPA with the yeast I am washing, but will be making other styles that the hops in the slurry make make an impact on the flavor.

it's probably better to just use new yeast for a less hoppy style then reuse that yeast for those styles in the future.

 

[eastoak]

I left some beer on top of the cake last night. Can just scoop the slurry and put into sanitized jars for future use? I was thinking of dividing the cake into 4 jars.

yes you can.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

Ok. I am going to keep the slurry and use for "like" hoppy type beers and use a different strain for more malt forward types.

Will I need a starter to use a slurry (not washed?)

Thanks for the guidance.

 

[eastoak]

Ok. I am going to keep the slurry and use for "like" hoppy type beers and use a different strain for more malt forward types.

Will I need a starter to use a slurry (not washed?)

Thanks for the guidance.

depends on how much slurry you have. with a 1.050-60 i find 1/4 to 1/2 cup works great. if it's fresh you don't need a starter.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

depends on how much slurry you have. with a 1.050-60 i find 1/4 to 1/2 cup works great. if it's fresh you don't need a starter.

OG of original batch was 1.063. New batch will be max OG of 1.070. I will probably get a 1/4 to 1/2 pint per jar. Or maybe just save 2 jars and put half the cake in each.

I plan to brew in the next 2 weeks.

 

[unionrdr]

The whole purpose of washing yeast is to get the heavier trub to settle downward,leaving the yeast still in suspension & you just pour it off into jars. Cleaner yeast that way. Another reason to strain wort into the fermenter & use hop socks for drty hopping. Easier to wash the yeast outta the trub & hop residue that way. I posted an article on yeast washing with pics you can look at.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

The whole purpose of washing yeast is to get the heavier trub to settle downward,leaving the yeast still in suspension & you just pour it off into jars. Cleaner yeast that way. Another reason to strain wort into the fermenter & use hop socks for drty hopping. Easier to wash the yeast outta the trub & hop residue that way. I posted an article on yeast washing with pics you can look at.

Do you have a link? Could not find in search.

 

[eastoak]

The whole purpose of washing yeast is to get the heavier trub to settle downward,leaving the yeast still in suspension & you just pour it off into jars. Cleaner yeast that way. Another reason to strain wort into the fermenter & use hop socks for drty hopping. Easier to wash the yeast outta the trub & hop residue that way. I posted an article on yeast washing with pics you can look at.

i guess it depends on what each person's trub consists of. the bottom of my fermentors contains yeast, proteins and other break material (no layer of hops). none of that really matters to the next batch of beer so i don't bother washing it out. the idea of a clean (infection free) yeast cake going straight into the next beer appeals to me more than introducing water and other vessels into the process.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

So, my wife had other plans and decided to give birth. The yeast has been sitting in the sealed fermenter with a layer of beer on it since Wednesday night. Is it still ok to collect the slurry or wash? Or should chuck the yeast cake and try this again on the next batch?

 

[eastoak]

So, my wife had other plans and decided to give birth. The yeast has been sitting in the sealed fermenter with a layer of beer on it since Wednesday night. Is it still ok to collect the slurry or wash? Or should chuck the yeast cake and try this again on the next batch?

that yeast is fine, older yeast has worked fine for many of us. keep everything clean and you'll be fine.

 

[82cabby]

So, my wife had other plans and decided to give birth. The yeast has been sitting in the sealed fermenter with a layer of beer on it since Wednesday night. Is it still ok to collect the slurry or wash? Or should chuck the yeast cake and try this again on the next batch?

So I'm in the middle of washing yeast for the first time and laughed when I saw this post. I read it to my wife and she laughed and said 'NO it's not alright! Go change a diaper damn it!". I pointed out that dealing with newborns virtually REQUIRES having good beer on hand.....

Congrats man!

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

So I'm in the middle of washing yeast for the first time and laughed when I saw this post. I read it to my wife and she laughed and said 'NO it's not alright! Go change a diaper damn it!". I pointed out that dealing with newborns virtually REQUIRES having good beer on hand..... Congrats man!

Thanks. Going to try to wash either tomorrow or Tuesday. I forgot how short the windows of opportunity are with a newborn.

 

[EarlyAmateurZymurgist]

i guess it depends on what each person's trub consists of. the bottom of my fermentors contains yeast, proteins and other break material (no layer of hops). none of that really matters to the next batch of beer so i don't bother washing it out. the idea of a clean (infection free) yeast cake going straight into the next beer appeals to me more than introducing water and other vessels into the process.

+1000

You are one of the few amateur brewers on this site that has managed to grasp basic microbiology. There is absolutely no upside to rinsing yeast with with boiled tap water and storing it under boiled tap water. The practice is not supported by basic science. Boiled water is not sterile, as 212F/100C moist heat does not kill spores. Secondly, replacing the green beer with boiled tap water removes the low oxygen, low pH, ethanol force field that is protecting the culture from infection while simultaneously risking contamination.

The best way to separate a yeast crop from break and hops is by decanting the clear liquid fraction (a.k.a. the supernatant) just before pitching it into a new batch, replacing the decanted supernatant with cool fresh wort, swirling the contents into suspension, and waiting for the heaviest fraction to settle before pitching the liquid fraction into one's fermentation vessel. The viable yeast cells will naturally remain in suspension.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

+1000 You are one of the few amateur brewers on this site that has managed to grasp basic microbiology. There is absolutely no upside to rinsing yeast with with boiled tap water and storing it under boiled tap water. The practice is not supported by basic science. Boiled water is not sterile, as 212F/100C moist heat does not kill spores. Secondly, replacing the green beer with boiled tap water removes the low oxygen, low pH, ethanol force field that is protecting the culture from infection while simultaneously risking contamination. The best way to separate a yeast crop from break and hops is by decanting the clear liquid fraction (a.k.a. the supernatant) just before pitching it into a new batch, replacing the decanted supernatant with cool fresh wort, swirling the contents into suspension, and waiting for the heaviest fraction to settle before pitching the liquid fraction into one's fermentation vessel. The viable yeast cells will naturally remain in suspension.

So would it be best to add slurry to wort or wort to slurry?

 

[BrewinBromanite]

So I'm in the middle of washing yeast for the first time and laughed when I saw this post. I read it to my wife and she laughed and said 'NO it's not alright! Go change a diaper damn it!". I pointed out that dealing with newborns virtually REQUIRES having good beer on hand.....

Congrats man!

My wife was nice enough last year to go into labor around 5 am - just after a late evening of bottling 10 gal of brew. That was a close call!! Lol. Needless to say, that was the last brew session I had for quite some time. Just getting back into it a bit more. And yes, having some home-brew on hand to drink during those first couple months was quite helpful!!

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

Ok, so things really have not gone according to plan and I still have not been able to collect the slurry.

So as of right now, I am at 7 days from racking original IPA to the keg with the yeast cake still sealed in the fermenter undisturbed since racking. It is looking like I will not be able to collect the slurry until Saturday (day 10.). Will it still be ok to collect the slurry this late?

And I plan on using slurry and not washing. I also an on using the slurry a week from Saturday, brewing another IPA.

 

[EarlyAmateurZymurgist]

So would it be best to add slurry to wort or wort to slurry?

Either way will work, but adding fresh wort to slurry is easier to perform.

 

[EarlyAmateurZymurgist]

So as of right now, I am at 7 days from racking original IPA to the keg with the yeast cake still sealed in the fermenter undisturbed since racking. It is looking like I will not be able to collect the slurry until Saturday (day 10.). Will it still be ok to collect the slurry this late?

And I plan on using slurry and not washing. I also an on using the slurry a week from Saturday, brewing another IPA.

You should not have a problem with the culture, but you want place the slurry in cold storage as sound as possible. The important thing to remember about reusing yeast is that you should only crop proven yeast.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

You should not have a problem with the culture, but you want place the slurry in cold storage as sound as possible. The important thing to remember about reusing yeast is that you should only crop proven yeast.

Ok. Thanks. This yeast performed excellent the first time, so hopefully it will do it again.

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

I got almost 4 pints of straight slurry. Going to put in the refrigerator now and I will use one of these next Saturday in my all centennial IPA. Thanks everyone. Pic of the results.

 

[kiblerjd]

I'm going to hop on the bandwagon here instead of starting a new thread. This is the second time this had happened to me. I washed some yeast yesterday and didn't use a ton of water and it seems like the yeast settled out below the trub. Not really sure why this would happen. I may just pitch the whole jug into my next batch. Having a hard time with this one. Washed yesterday tossed it in the fridge and I'm brewing this Friday.

 

[eastoak]

I'm going to hop on the bandwagon here instead of starting a new thread. This is the second time this had happened to me. I washed some yeast yesterday and didn't use a ton of water and it seems like the yeast settled out below the trub. Not really sure why this would happen. I may just pitch the whole jug into my next batch. Having a hard time with this one. Washed yesterday tossed it in the fridge and I'm brewing this Friday.

there is yeast throughout that jar, i never worry about the layers, mix it up and pitch some into your wort. if that is a quart jar i wouldn't pitch the entire jar into anything but a high gravity beer, really high. it does not take much yeast slurry to ferment an average gravity beer 1.050-1.060, i did this just this morning.

 

[kiblerjd]

its actually a 2 quart jar but it hasnt completely settled out yet.