Saving Trub/Yeast, Wash Later

[ameliabrewery]

I kegged a Black IPA about 3 weeks ago, awesome by the way. I was going to attempt to wash my yeast for the first time but ran out of time. I poured the trub/yeast from the fermenter into a sterile jar, sealed and placed in fridge. Can I attempt to wash this yeast now after 3+ weeks?

 

[Mugsfull]

. Can I attempt to wash this yeast now after 3+ weeks?

I did this with a jar of trub after about 2 mos. Some might recommend against it, but if you sanitized well you should be fine. Here's what I did.

filled a 1 qt container with the yeast cake. After two months it was two layers. Beer on top, trub on the bottom. I carefully poured out the beer on top and kept the bottom stuff.

I boiled a half quart of water and cooled it to 70. I poured that on my yeast and gave the jar a real good shake. After about 20 minutes the layers separate again. This time the heavy trub and dead yeast settle to the bottom and the good yeast is in suspension in the milky white layer on top. I carefully poured and kept the top layer. I discarded the bottom layer.

From here I made a yeast starter and pitched my washed yeast. In 12 or 24 hours you should see a high krausen form and it should look and smell as you expect.

 

[pinback]

i've done this by leaving the trub/yeast in the fermenter after siphoning off to a keg. left it in there for about 2 weeks before washing. pitched a yeast slurry on a batch about a week after washing, and all went just as planned. its really all about sanitation. of course, the more the yeast comes in contact with, the more risk there is.