Smackpak - Save some yeast for later?

[guppergoo]

I have some belgian abbey II yeast from wyeast that i just got in the mail from Norther Brewer. It is going to be used in their Lefse Blond extract kit. I know that this yeast strain that I am going to brew with throughout the whole summer using various recipe tweaks and iterations. So the question is...

How would be the most reliable / best method for maintaining this yeast from batch to batch?

Pour the second wort batch onto the first, and so on?

Take some yeast from this virgin smackpak and somehow save it in the fridge?

Wash each yeast cake between batches?

I am still a new brewer (5 batches so far) and and ready to step up to yeast starters and washing etc. Just looking for a point in the right direction. My instincts say to take some yeast from the smackpak and save it somehow - but I am not sure what the consensus is among more seasoned brewers.

 

[EdWort]

An easy way would be to build a huge starter then use half for your batch of beer, and split the other half and let it finish out, the bottle and refrigerate.

I can get several batches out of a smack pack or vial this way. Other folks do slants, wash yeast, and a bunch of other stuff, but I try to keep it simple and this has worked for
me for several years now. I've used yeast up to 1 year old without issue.

 

[ultravista]

I just bought Pacman for this Sunday's brew. It's too late to build a starter do decant and save so I'll probably do it on the post-fermentation side.

Ed, have you also saved (washed) yeast post-fermentation? Any issues or difference pre or post?

 

[EdWort]

Nope, never washed. Seemed like a lot of work, but I have always saved a portion of the starter and built up from there, the bottled it. When I need a new batch, I build another starter from the yeast saved in a bottle.

 

[surferdrew]

Nope, never washed. Seemed like a lot of work, but I have always saved a portion of the starter and built up from there, the bottled it. When I need a new batch, I build another starter from the yeast saved in a bottle.

Ed, when you say "bottle," do you mean a capped beer bottle, a mason jar, or....?

I usually save mine in mason jars...never considered anything else but beer bottles would take up less room in fridge if that was the case....hmmm.

 

[EdWort]

Beer bottles are all I use.

 

[surferdrew]

Beer bottles are all I use.[
Niiiiiice...I'll definitely give this a go. And you cap them, right? Do you fill to level of a typical beer?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I wash all the time...check out the sticky. Simple, efficient, economical, and practical. I always plan a first brew that is lightly hopped and low gravity as hop oils & resins coat the yeast cells and alcohol stresses them. Then I wash the cake and end up with 6-8 small mason jars with enough yeastie beasties each to pitch into a starter.

I am planning to do more of an edwort style save this go round though as I finally got a 2L flask :rockin:

I figured I would wash the split part of the unused yeast, but if ed says he has never had a problem bottling the yeast with the starter beer, that's good enough for me

 

[ajf]

I'd make a starter and use that to make a single brew.
When that brew is ready for bottling/kegging, bottle or keg it, and then harvest and wash the yeast. That will give you enough yeast for several more brews, and each of those brews gives you enough yeast for several more brews etc.
Using this method, I buy 1 vial of commonly used yeast about every 6 months (brewing every other week).
After about 3 generations, I don't bother to keep the yeast any longer. I used to, but found that the yeast behaved differently after many generations, and I never had a problem with 3 generations.

-a.

 

[EdWort]

Beer bottles are all I use.[
Niiiiiice...I'll definitely give this a go. And you cap them, right? Do you fill to level of a typical beer?

See my pic above in this thread. Those are 22 oz Corona bottles.

 

[EdWort]

I'd make a starter and use that to make a single brew.
When that brew is ready for bottling/kegging, bottle or keg it, and then harvest and wash the yeast. That will give you enough yeast for several more brews, and each of those brews gives you enough yeast for several more brews etc.
Using this method, I buy 1 vial of commonly used yeast about every 6 months (brewing every other week).
After about 3 generations, I don't bother to keep the yeast any longer. I used to, but found that the yeast behaved differently after many generations, and I never had a problem with 3 generations.

-a.

I do the same, but with starters. I get a big starter going and make 15 gallons with the 1st generation, and then bottle enough of the 1st generation to make 3 more 15 gallon batches. 60 gallons of beer from one vial (less than $0.60 per batch for yeast).

 

[ajf]

I do the same, but with starters. I get a big starter going and make 15 gallons with the 1st generation, and then bottle enough of the 1st generation to make 3 more 15 gallon batches. 60 gallons of beer from one vial (less than $0.60 per batch for yeast).

I should have said that I make a new starter for each batch if the harvested yeast is more than one week old.

-a