Re Using Yeast...

[aviator24]

So I totally new to the harvesting of yeast to re use on another batch another day. My question is with so many different strains/kinds of yeast, wouldn't I need to harvest as many to be re used?
I have just gotten back into brewing after many years. I have brewed 4 extract kits I have bought. I believe each one used a different strain of yeast as they were all different styles. Is the idea to harvest and have many different strains handy for use here?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

So I totally new to the harvesting of yeast to re use on another batch another day. My question is with so many different strains/kinds of yeast, wouldn't I need to harvest as many to be re used?
I have just gotten back into brewing after many years. I have brewed 4 extract kits I have bought. I believe each one used a different strain of yeast as they were all different styles. Is the idea to harvest and have many different strains handy for use here?

Yes.

Or to learn a specific strain to the degree that you can anticipate the character based on fermentation temps and pitch rate.

 

[kadozen]

It depends. I usually stick to more versatile strains so right now as far as a yeast bank is concerned , I have some S-05 and some Wyeast 1318. I can do all the styles I feel like with those 2, but If i was going to say do a belgian, I'd probably get an appropriate yeast. Most likely won't do one for awhile, so it's pretty far removed from my list of worries, but you get the point.

What are your favorite styles to brew and drink? we might be able to help you narrow down possible strains to have on hand.

 

[LBF]

At first I wanted to save every yeast I used, but now I really just harvest yeast that I'm going to use in the near future. I'm too lazy to go through the trouble of maintaining a yeast bank using starters, it's easier to buy a new package. Any time I buy yeast now, I try to use the same cake to pitch at least a few batches of beer before moving on to something else. I did learn the hard way that you have to pay attention to what you're doing though. I brewed an Irish Red ale and used White Labs Irish Ale yeast, then pitched an American Amber on the cake and discovered that although the AA tasted good, the Irish Ale yeast made it taste more like the red than the crisp amber that it should have been.

 

[signpost]

At one point, I was saving several different strains of yeast and the jars of yeast were taking over my fridge. From each batch, I'd save 2 jars of yeast. Then I'd brew with one jar, and save two more. I realized that I didn't need to keep saving it after every batch I brewed. So, then I would brew a batch, save two jars of yeast and then not save any more until I was using the 2nd jar of that yeast.

These days, I haven't been brewing as often and I've been doing a lot of sours, so I end up having to re-yeast them. Because of that, I haven't been able to wash yeast to save, and I've been keeping some dry yeast (either BRY-97 or T58) on hand to use for bottling.

Anyway, to more directly answer your question: You can just plan on doing a string of batches in a row that make sense with the same strain of yeast, or you can maintain a bunch of different strains in your fridge. Either way, you'll end up doing starters each time you brew. It's just a matter of how much fridge space you have or if you are OK with losing some viability as it sits in the fridge while you brew other styles.

On that topic, I've used yeast that sat in my fridge for up to a year. Did a good sized starter and had no problems at all. Some people get squeamish about viability after only a couple months, though. So, that's just a matter of how risk averse you are.

 

[Pie_Man]

My question is with so many different strains/kinds of yeast, wouldn't I need to harvest as many to be re used?

Not necessarily. Most yeast strains are more versatile than you would think, or than their name implies. Many commercial breweries use one or two strains in all their beers. Outside of beers with prominent yeast derived flavors, like Hefes and many Belgian beers, you could use something like Cal Ale yeast (WLP001) or a Kolsch yeast (WLP029) in many different styles. If you play around with fermentation temps and pitching rates, you might find that the yeast strains can behave differently and produce the desired outcome you are looking for. This will probably take some trail and error on your part, but you will be get to learn the yeast's behavior pretty well after a few batches and styles.

Me personally, if I know I can reuse a yeast strain quickly (within about two weeks), I try to reuse it. If not, I just buy a fresh vial and make a starter.

 

[Sailingeric]

My reuse system which has not failed me yet is when I empty out my fermenter I will pour some of the slurry into a glass jar- jelly or small spaghetti sauce jars work good. I label and put in keezer and when it is time to make new beer I just pour off the excess liquid and then dump in the wort. I have had success with yeast that is 3 or 4 months old, often time getting sign of fermentation with a few hours.