Used first washed yeast!

[likwidbliss]

I am becoming a frugal person. With the cost of everything going up, I decided to wash yeast. I made a Hocus Pocus clone a month ago using Windsor yeast. I washed the yeast as per the directions posted on this site. Saved and used it yesterday to inoculate a batch of Oatmeal Stout. The airlock is bubbling and sounds like my Harley "Potato-potato-potato". :rockin:

For the individuals that use washed yeast how many time can I expect to wash the yeast before it has degraded?

 

[cheezydemon3]

Well, from the long and tedious "don't pitch on your yeast cake" thread, I have learned that,, not only do I not need to wash yeast, it can be re-used forever.

As long as you are using the right portion and washing, it will go forever.

 

[Pappers_]

My thoughts are a little different than Cheezy's. When I harvest and wash yeast, I end up with four Ball jars of yeast. Because we are harvesting and washing, not culturing, the yeast, there is concern about the yeast changing over generations. Apparently, five generations is considered a safe number.

This is a lot of uses. So, there is the orignal use. Then four uses in the second generation. Then 16 uses in the third generation. Then 64 uses in the fourth generation. For me, who brews once or twice a month, this is plenty of uses.

I always make a starter - in part to check the health of the washed yeast.