b_mckendry
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Anybody have any experience reusing yeast?
What are the benefits?
How do you store it?
What are the benefits?
How do you store it?
Reusing Yeast
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subwyking
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I've repitched onto a cake before and had good success, I've also washed the yeast slurry and had good success. There is a ton of info out there on the topic. Try doing a Google search for "yeast washing" you'll come up with a plethora of info.
The yeast that I washed, I divided into three jars. The first I used after about a month in storage in the fridge, woken back up with a starter of course. The second jar I used about 8 months later, again after waking up with a starter, and the batch was just as good as the original. Never used the third jar, threw it out when I moved across country. If you wash, take your time, and SANITIZE SANITIZE SANITIZE!
The yeast that I washed, I divided into three jars. The first I used after about a month in storage in the fridge, woken back up with a starter of course. The second jar I used about 8 months later, again after waking up with a starter, and the batch was just as good as the original. Never used the third jar, threw it out when I moved across country. If you wash, take your time, and SANITIZE SANITIZE SANITIZE!
McGlothan
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You should watch "yeast washing" on billybrew.com. It answers a lot of questions about reusing yeast, which I have personally done many times and have been successful. The video on his website gives step by step instructions on how to do it. You can also grow your own yeast colonies out of bottle conditioned beer that you buy at the store. My favorite so far has been Pacman yeast from Rogue. Playing around with yeast can be a very fun side project to brewing. It also takes very little time to do it. Good sanitation is a MUST when reusing yeast. Cheers
BBL_Brewer
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If you want to store it for long periods of time you can freeze it.
Agreed with above.
Pitching onto a cake it safest, washing demands meticulous sanitation processes. Otherwise you could ruin a complete batch if you don't have a completely clean yeast.
Pitching onto a cake it safest, washing demands meticulous sanitation processes. Otherwise you could ruin a complete batch if you don't have a completely clean yeast.
Brulosopher
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b_mckendry
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"Yeast Washing" was the phrase I was looking for. I am looking forward to giving it a shot once I know what I am doing. I don't want to ruin a recipe, so I want to be 100 percent sure.
I will check out billybrew.com
Thanks for all of the info! Cheers.
I will check out billybrew.com
Thanks for all of the info! Cheers.
Check the yeast and fermenting section... lots of info there.
There are basically two ways to gather yeast... make a starter (out of fresh yeast), step it up a couple times to multiply the cell count, split that, keep some for later, and use some now. This way is always fresh (no trub).
Or
Gather yeast off the cake, wash it, step it up, and pitch. This way you are always dealing with trub, and never really know how much live, viable yeast you have.
As for storing... that's a different subject.
There are basically two ways to gather yeast... make a starter (out of fresh yeast), step it up a couple times to multiply the cell count, split that, keep some for later, and use some now. This way is always fresh (no trub).
Or
Gather yeast off the cake, wash it, step it up, and pitch. This way you are always dealing with trub, and never really know how much live, viable yeast you have.
As for storing... that's a different subject.
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