O-Ale-Yeah
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- Jan 3, 2019
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I haven't washed yeast or created a starter yet but I think i'm getting close to attempting it. I've read 2 dozen blogs, and watched 3 dozen videos, and typed up some directions for myself. can you take a peek at them and see if I got it right?
Yeast harvesting
o Boil 3,000 ml of water for 15 minutes to sterilize
o If harvesting from low hopped, unfiltered, lower than 6% ABV, bottle conditioned beer cans or bottles:
o Chill 2 or 3 beers & let sit undisturbed so yeast will settle.
o Sanitize the bottles, pop the tops & pour slowly leaving the last 3 ounces for your yeast harvest.
§ If storing and not creating a starter now for a beer being brewed in a few days:
· Pour in sterile water, swirl container for 5 seconds, pour into sanitized container, allow to settle for ~40 min in refrigerator, decant clear liquid, add more sterile water, decant again, top off with sanitized water, store at 34°F for up to 6 months in darkness or go straight to making a starter.
o If harvesting from fermenter:
o Boil water for 15 minutes, cool to 70°F, add to fermenter, swish to loosen all sediment, & let settle for 60 minutes.
o Pour into glass container & allow to settle for an hour or 2.
o Decant top clear liquid, pour into pint mason jars or other container being careful to pour yeast & leave trub, add sterile water, swish, & allow to settle for 1 hour.
§ Go straight to making a starter if brewing in next 2 days or repeat above process is storing yeast for up to 6 months.
§ If storing, repeat washing process 1 to 3 times until you have a mostly clean looking top water & clean looking white-yellow yeast with no dark trub as bottom layer.
· Store at 34°F for up to 6 months.
o Tips
o Healthy yeast is lighter color, off white & putty-like.
o Build starter to 250 billion cells or 120 ml of yeast for 5.5 gal >1.06 OG brew or to 350 billion if storing 100 billion for a future beer.
o You can re-harvest & rebrew with harvested yeast for 5 to 10 generations.
o Washed yeast loses 15 to 5% viability per month depending on the initial strength & your harvesting process.
o Yeast that has been dehydrated doesn’t react well to harvesting.
o Online yeast pitch calculators can be used to determine your pitch rate specific to your type, volume, ABV, & temp of your wort. Downloaded calculators are also available. Search for homebrew_dad_yeast_calculator_v1.1
Making a starter
o Use a yeast pitch rate calculator to estimate your needed cell count.
o When settled, 2 billion cells are in each milliliter of yeast. Follow yeast washing steps to wash yeast & allow to settle to estimate cell count.
o Set yeast out to allow it to come to room temperature.
o Mix 2000 ml of water with 200 g of pale DME, 10:1, & boil for 15 minutes.
o Chill covered wort in ice bath to reach 72°F (ideal starter temp).
o Pour wort into yeast container to loosen all yeast, if needed.
o Or pour wort & yeast into larger, sanitized glass container.
o Cover with sanitized aluminum foil or with a foam bung into glass container & aerate.
o Stir as much as possible over the next 1 to 2 days by picking up container & giving it a circular swish movement or set flask on stir plate.
o Example: Build starter to 250 billion cells or 120 ml of yeast for a 5.5 gal, 1.065 beer.
o After approximately 36 hours or when yeast have settled out, you may add newly boiled & cooled wort to container to build yeast to needed count.
o Repeat step-ups every 36 hours if needing a high yeast count for a large batch of beer or beer with OG > 1.06, or for lager.
o Build cell count 100 billion over what is needed if wanting to wash & save 100 aside for next brew.
o If you’ve hit your target cell count you can store wort for up to 3 days (not desirable), or decant 80% of the liquid after the yeast have settled, then swirl into suspension & pitch into new beer batch or skip decanting & pitch the whole thing into your new brew.
o Always taste the starter, looking for sour or undesirable flavors to determine if the starter went bad.
Tips
o If storing starter for a few days before making beer, store under 3.5 inches of ~3.2% ABV/1.035 OG, low or no hop wort.
o Dry yeast is 'one & done' only harvest, wash, & start yeast that has never been dehydrated.
Yeast harvesting
o Boil 3,000 ml of water for 15 minutes to sterilize
o If harvesting from low hopped, unfiltered, lower than 6% ABV, bottle conditioned beer cans or bottles:
o Chill 2 or 3 beers & let sit undisturbed so yeast will settle.
o Sanitize the bottles, pop the tops & pour slowly leaving the last 3 ounces for your yeast harvest.
§ If storing and not creating a starter now for a beer being brewed in a few days:
· Pour in sterile water, swirl container for 5 seconds, pour into sanitized container, allow to settle for ~40 min in refrigerator, decant clear liquid, add more sterile water, decant again, top off with sanitized water, store at 34°F for up to 6 months in darkness or go straight to making a starter.
o If harvesting from fermenter:
o Boil water for 15 minutes, cool to 70°F, add to fermenter, swish to loosen all sediment, & let settle for 60 minutes.
o Pour into glass container & allow to settle for an hour or 2.
o Decant top clear liquid, pour into pint mason jars or other container being careful to pour yeast & leave trub, add sterile water, swish, & allow to settle for 1 hour.
§ Go straight to making a starter if brewing in next 2 days or repeat above process is storing yeast for up to 6 months.
§ If storing, repeat washing process 1 to 3 times until you have a mostly clean looking top water & clean looking white-yellow yeast with no dark trub as bottom layer.
· Store at 34°F for up to 6 months.
o Tips
o Healthy yeast is lighter color, off white & putty-like.
o Build starter to 250 billion cells or 120 ml of yeast for 5.5 gal >1.06 OG brew or to 350 billion if storing 100 billion for a future beer.
o You can re-harvest & rebrew with harvested yeast for 5 to 10 generations.
o Washed yeast loses 15 to 5% viability per month depending on the initial strength & your harvesting process.
o Yeast that has been dehydrated doesn’t react well to harvesting.
o Online yeast pitch calculators can be used to determine your pitch rate specific to your type, volume, ABV, & temp of your wort. Downloaded calculators are also available. Search for homebrew_dad_yeast_calculator_v1.1
Making a starter
o Use a yeast pitch rate calculator to estimate your needed cell count.
o When settled, 2 billion cells are in each milliliter of yeast. Follow yeast washing steps to wash yeast & allow to settle to estimate cell count.
o Set yeast out to allow it to come to room temperature.
o Mix 2000 ml of water with 200 g of pale DME, 10:1, & boil for 15 minutes.
o Chill covered wort in ice bath to reach 72°F (ideal starter temp).
o Pour wort into yeast container to loosen all yeast, if needed.
o Or pour wort & yeast into larger, sanitized glass container.
o Cover with sanitized aluminum foil or with a foam bung into glass container & aerate.
o Stir as much as possible over the next 1 to 2 days by picking up container & giving it a circular swish movement or set flask on stir plate.
o Example: Build starter to 250 billion cells or 120 ml of yeast for a 5.5 gal, 1.065 beer.
o After approximately 36 hours or when yeast have settled out, you may add newly boiled & cooled wort to container to build yeast to needed count.
o Repeat step-ups every 36 hours if needing a high yeast count for a large batch of beer or beer with OG > 1.06, or for lager.
o Build cell count 100 billion over what is needed if wanting to wash & save 100 aside for next brew.
o If you’ve hit your target cell count you can store wort for up to 3 days (not desirable), or decant 80% of the liquid after the yeast have settled, then swirl into suspension & pitch into new beer batch or skip decanting & pitch the whole thing into your new brew.
o Always taste the starter, looking for sour or undesirable flavors to determine if the starter went bad.
Tips
o If storing starter for a few days before making beer, store under 3.5 inches of ~3.2% ABV/1.035 OG, low or no hop wort.
o Dry yeast is 'one & done' only harvest, wash, & start yeast that has never been dehydrated.
Thanks again.
