Top cropping versus washing yeast

[Pivzavod]

I am looking to start top cropping my yeast. I think it is much faster process than dealing with washing yeast. I am wondering how come it is not as popular with home brewers. Here is what I plan to do, correct me if I am wrong in any shape, way or form.

1) On days 1-3 of active fermantation I will siphon some top cropping yeast from my carboy using SS racking cane with hose going into 1000ml flask. I plan on collecting 1-3 times for 5-10 mins each (is that enough?)

2) I will add 1/4 cup of LDME & 500 ml of water, boil it and give that to yeasties to eat on a stir plate. I am adding less DME and water since there is less yeast to grow from.

3) Once I am done with one batch, I will repeat the next day

4) Now I have 1-3 batches of harvested yeast which I can use for 1-3 next batches of beer

What do you think?

 

[MalFet]

Sounds good to me. I've never found it faster than washing, but if you do all the better. I preferred top cropping to washing back before I started cold-storing my samples fresh.

I'm not sure I'd call the standard racking cane into a flask siphoning, since it's not really gravity so much as CO2 that is slowly driving the slurry into your flask, but assuming that's just a terminological difference and that you're not actually creating a siphon, I'd say all is good.

Quantity is tricky, and I wouldn't think of it so much in terms of time as in terms of volume.

 

[Pivzavod]

I'll try it soon. Yes it will be co2 thats pushing krausen, not slurry up the racking cane and upto my collecting container. It will be hard to measure quantity, at least initially. Krausen will be coming in as foam and will fill up the container quick. Adding water and waiting for yeast to settle down will tell me how much I've collected.

 

[SickTransitMundus]

You could also top crop by drilling a blow-off tube into a flask with an airlock. Kinda like this:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h_aUeFV9U2k/S62JZYz26hI/AAAAAAAAAVw/9kJUoQYonjw/s1600/photo(2).jpg

Just set it up and collect when the krausen falls. Less chance for contamination and less work, no?

 

[DannPM]

I just run my blow off tube to a sanitized growler that is foiled up well and voila, top cropping made easy.

 

[Pivzavod]

I'm going to do the same as in here:

http://www.aleiens.com/video/top-cropping-yeast-from-a