warning: saving lager yeast

[balto charlie]

Hey folks: A month ago I saved the trub from a Vienna lager. I have since used the yeast in a Boh Pils and this last wknd in a Marzen. Well when I pulled out the qt. jar of yeast from the kegerator I noticed how the lid had swelled. My kegerator has a tempof 45-50F. Obviously the yeast wasn't quite finished. I should have saved in our regular fridge which is much colder. I should have also not screwed on the lid so tighly. I did not tighten the lid for the first week of storage but eventually did tighten it.
The yeast was fine but I was careful to open the mason jar. Covered it with a blanket before opening it. Lessoned learned. Lager yeast must either be saved at lower temps and/or be washed.

 

[david_42]

Excellent point. 45-50F is nominal for a lager yeast, even the 38F of a normal fridge might not be low enough.

 

[HotbreakHotel]

I always store yeast in a mason jar with the ring a little loose, then I put the whole thing in a sanitized zip-lock with an inch or so unzipped. I just re-sanitize the bag now and then. I find that even ale yeast will build up some pressure, though not as much as lager yeast.

 

[Andreas]

Coincidentally, I did the opposite, and it actually worked great: put a Boh-Pils (fermenting with Saflager) in secondary and tossed the wort for a Vienna Lager directly onto the trub. Everything here has been kept at 48-50 degrees (my cellar temp in winter). The Vienna lager is definitely the best lager of four that I brewed this winter. I guess it's because I used the yeast right away instead of saving it?
-Andy

 

[TimBrewz]

I keep mine in bottles with stopper and airlock in my garage fridge (38 f)...they do great and no pressure build up. I had had the same issues with mason jars in the past, this seems to do the trick.

 

[babalu87]

Just dont snug down the lids all the way
My serving fridge is at 35 and its still trying to ferment whats left of the sugars in beers they are stored with

 

[zippyslug31]

So what's the problem with following through with a round of "washing" to extract out any remaining fermentables, then storing them in the fridge in a CAPPED bottle?
I did this my last round, but have not used these bottle yet.

The yeast shouldn't be dead and the bottle should be ok with the slight amount of pressue that might build. Having it in a capped bottle seems to be no different than White Labs sealed test tubes.

I'm a yeast washing noob though, so feel free to set me straight.

 

[babalu87]

So what's the problem with following through with a round of "washing" to extract out any remaining fermentables, then storing them in the fridge in a CAPPED bottle?
I did this my last round, but have not used these bottle yet.

The yeast shouldn't be dead and the bottle should be ok with the slight amount of pressue that might build. Having it in a capped bottle seems to be no different than White Labs sealed test tubes.

I'm a yeast washing noob though, so feel free to set me straight.

Lazy :rockin:

 

[zippyslug31]

Lazy :rockin:

K....... I'm stumped.

I'm lazy?

The other brewers are lazy?

The yeast? I know they are slackers, but really?

 

[homebrewer_99]

That's one reason for washing. The added water waters it down so any residual fermentation is minimal.

 

[balto charlie]

K....... I'm stumped.

I'm lazy?

The other brewers are lazy?

The yeast? I know they are slackers, but really?

I don't wash my yeast, I'm lazy. The yeast; however are seldom lazy.

 

[Rudeboy]

That's one reason for washing. The added water waters it down so any residual fermentation is minimal.

Ya and if you follow Yuri's directions the water is deoxygenated (unoxygenated, nonoxygenated, postoxygenated) so should further retard any fermentation too.

That said I keep mine for two months in the fridge and there is a little pop when I open some of them. No shattered mason jars yet.

Rudeboy