Reusing Safale 05 yeast

[southfieldbrewer]

Just ordered two kits From Northern Brewer. A porter and a IPA. Both kits call for Safale 05 dry yeast. Can I recycle the yeast from one style of beer to the other. And if so which way so I go IPA to porter or porter to IPA? Or can I even recycle a dry yeast?

 

[ny101]

I have done it with no ill effect that I could notice.

There are a few threads around here that go into way more detail than I can give you on how to wash yeast, so check those out. That will help if you want to change between styles.

In reality though I don't think you'll notice a couple ounces in a few gallons though.

 

[bzwyatt]

Some of the flavor will get from one to the other. I'd reuse the IPA, cause porter has a little hop flavor, but IPA doesn't have any chocolate/roast flavor. But it is probably not enough flavor to notice anyway. And yes, any yeast that has fermented a beer can do it again, whether it is dry or smack pack or vial.

 

[Pastorken]

You can definitely reuse your yeast. Usually you would want to go from lighter to darker beers to cover any left over flavors. I would do the IPA first too, but I might cut back some on the hops for the second beer or they could transfer and you end up with a dark IPA, which might not be too bad!

 

[jmendez29]

Some of the flavor will get from one to the other. I'd reuse the IPA, cause porter has a little hop flavor, but IPA doesn't have any chocolate/roast flavor. But it is probably not enough flavor to notice anyway. And yes, any yeast that has fermented a beer can do it again, whether it is dry or smack pack or vial.

I disagree with this. This is an old myth that has been proven wrong many times. If properly washed, then the yeast will transmit essentially no flavor. And properly washing yeast is really easy. And unless you simply drop the IPA on top of the porter yeast cake, you probably won't get any porter flavor carrying over anyway.

I use almost exclusively US-05 for my beer. I wash my yeast and keep track of how many generations it has been from the original packet. I don't know what beer the yeast has come from and I make a large variety of beer. I have never gotten a hint of porter or stout in any of my blondes or cream ales.

I say go for it. The order really doesn't matter if you use it properly. Learn how to wash yeast and reuse it. Build a stir plate, it's worth it and it really isn't that hard. US-05 is relatively inexpensive, but when you start using say, a Belgian or a lager yeast, and you have to buy two $7 vials, all of a sudden these skills and equipment will pay off VERY quickly when you can reuse yeast or build up your yeast count with just one vial. Or even harvesting yeast from a bottle conditioned commercial beer. Good luck.

 

[bzwyatt]

You disagree that it is probably not enough to notice?

Doesn't sound like it... in fact you said 'essentially', which is essentially a synonym for 'probably', in this context. In fact, we said essentially the same thing, but you used a lot more words to do it.

Forums are cool for some things, but some people always start out a response with a way to disagree with somebody. It is lame.

 

[ja09]

Not to sound like a dick, but I value my time way too much to wash a $3 or 4 packet of yeast. Why not just get 2 packets?

 

[ja09]

Not to sound like a dick, but I value my time way too much to wash a $3 or 4 packet of yeast. Why not just get 2 packets?

Ok... might have sounded like a dick, but I personally feel there is too much work involved to save such little money. If you're looking for a challenge or to learn a new technique then go for it! If properly done, it'll work great. Just don't use the whole yeast cake because you'll be majorly overpitching.

 

[southfieldbrewer]

Thanks for all the positive responses. That being said , I asked a question and wanted an answer. I did not ask for opinions on how to spend my money or time. If $3-$4 is no big deal then ja90 I will send you a self addressed stamped envelope and you can put three or four bucks in it and mail it back to me.

 

[ja09]

Thanks for all the positive responses. That being said , I asked a question and wanted an answer. I did not ask for opinions on how to spend my money or time. If $3-$4 is no big deal then ja90 I will send you a self addressed stamped envelope and you can put three or four bucks in it and mail it back to me.

Ok, now you're being the dick. Forums are funny

 

[bethebrew]

I found it easier to be lazy when buying the US-05 at $2.40 a pack with a discount. Bought a bunch. That just ran out, and I got a little sticker shock at the $4 a pack price.

Anyway, time to start washing the US-05. I have four 5 gallon batches fermenting with it, two old, and two new.

 

[tinytowers]

He's got a good point, though -- just buy another pack! No risk of contamination and you know you're pitching the right amount.

 

[solbes]

I wash yeast all the time. Once you learn the process, it takes you about 8 minutes of actually doing something to get 2 jars of yeast from one batch. I'll take my $8 for 8 minutes any day of the week, and twice on Wednesday. Add another $6 if you are washing liquid yeast.

 

[ja09]

Yeaaaa, sorry to start a debate. I might just be a little lazier than others on this forum. The main reasons I gave up on washing are because of extra work, extra space in my already crammed fridges, plus I probably don't brew enough to benefit greatly from washing. If I were brewing 30+ gallons a month I would give it another chance.

 

[solbes]

I will give you the point about eating up fridge space. My wife complained about the 6 or 7 Mason jars in the fridge. So I switched to freezing yeast, but had some issues with that, so back to washing yeast. And she has either forgotten about it or accepts it now.

 

[iowabrew]

why not just pitch a cup or so of slurry? no need to wash and it works like a charm

 

[ja09]

And she has either forgotten about it or accepts it now.

I love this quote! I feel the exact same way about a lot of our household disagreements. I've learned just not to bring it up if she doesn't... I think she does the same

 

[bethebrew]

why not just pitch a cup or so of slurry? no need to wash and it works like a charm

Too simple and effective. Will never be "good enough" for some people who think more steps are a good thing. Rehydrators, for example. Don't have enough to do at the end of a busy brew day, gotta take that extra step that adds water and risk of contamination, because someone told them following instructions wasn't "good enough". Some guy did a study, and now it's written on the stone tablets of brewing records that 50% of yeast magically die being put into what they want to ferment.

 

[Bamsdealer]

I'd do the porter first if the ipa is more than say 7% abv. I wouldn't worry about washing the yeast if you go from an ipa to a porter, but might consider it if u do the porter first. A third of the slurry should be plenty of yeast to ferment another beer.

 

[wilserbrewer]

why not just pitch a cup or so of slurry? no need to wash and it works like a charm

Yes agreed!!!

This really isn't that difficult. Save a few cups of slurry in a sanitized jar and pitch it. Maybe save two samples of slurry from the lighter beer.

I've brewed many beers from one packet, I also find I get quicker fermentation starts from a slurry and overall excellent results. Saving and pitching a slurry is likely easier than re hydrating the dry yeast...and it's free. Try it, works great IMHO!

 

[jmendez29]

You disagree that it is probably not enough to notice?

Doesn't sound like it... in fact you said 'essentially', which is essentially a synonym for 'probably', in this context. In fact, we said essentially the same thing, but you used a lot more words to do it.

Forums are cool for some things, but some people always start out a response with a way to disagree with somebody. It is lame.

Relax, Francis.

If you happen to be someone with a hypersensitive palate, then yeah, you'll probably notice. If you have your recipe perfected to where you can repeat it multiple times and the flavor NEVER changes, then dump a LOT of porter yeast on top of an IPA without washing it, then yeah, you'll probably notice.

And no, we didn't say the same thing. You said the flavor WILL transfer, which is an absolute, and incorrect.

What I can tell you from my experiences of washing yeast is that IF it has an impact on flavor, it is so insignificant that I can't notice. So yeah, essentially. Or probably. Whatever way makes you happy.

 

[m3n00b]

I just took 1 cup of hoppy yeast slurry from my heady clone and dumped it into my breakfast stout. Essentially no work and it was free. I don't taste any off flavors. I don't know or care how many cells I pitched all I know is the stout is good! Will bottle Friday. For lighter flavor/color beers I would be much more careful.

 

[ja09]

I don't know or care how many cells I pitched all I know is the stout is good!

But isn't this a bad practice to be sharing? I think most agree that ferm temp control, proper oxygenation, and accurate cell counts are key to making the best beer possible. If you skip any of those processes, your beer won't turn out as well as it could have. At least this is my understanding from experience and the crazy amount of research I've done since I started brewing.

 

[m3n00b]

But isn't this a bad practice to be sharing? I think most agree that ferm temp control, proper oxygenation, and accurate cell counts are key to making the best beer possible. If you skip any of those processes, your beer won't turn out as well as it could have. At least this is my understanding from experience and the crazy amount of research I've done since I started brewing.

Yes I agree.