wash and reuse yeast immediately?

[ersheff]

Hello.
I know there's a lot of info about washing and reusing yeast, but I still had some questions about what the best method would be if I want to reuse the yeast right away.
I'm currently brewing little (1-2 gallon) batches. Because of the small volume, I want to minimize the amount of trub carried over. This is why I'm leaning away from simply pouring the new wort right on top of the old yeast cake.
Most of the washing instructions I've seen will show the slurry separate into 3 layers- liquid, white yeast layer, and brown trub on the bottom. However, my understanding is that the trub will also settle before the yeast does.
So, can I use some sterile water to wash the yeast a few times and simply pitch only the liquid layer from my harvest jar (after most trub has settled but before yeast has settled) into my new wort?
Thanks.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

Hello.
I know there's a lot of info about washing and reusing yeast, but I still had some questions about what the best method would be if I want to reuse the yeast right away.
I'm currently brewing little (1-2 gallon) batches. Because of the small volume, I want to minimize the amount of trub carried over. This is why I'm leaning away from simply pouring the new wort right on top of the old yeast cake.
Most of the washing instructions I've seen will show the slurry separate into 3 layers- liquid, white yeast layer, and brown trub on the bottom. However, my understanding is that the trub will also settle before the yeast does.
So, can I use some sterile water to wash the yeast a few times and simply pitch only the liquid layer from my harvest jar (after most trub has settled but before yeast has settled) into my new wort?
Thanks.

yes that is how you do it. Add sterile water and swirl it around really well...wait about 20 minutes and carefully pour off the liquid into a smaller container....wait ten minutes or so and then pour off the liquid again into smaller final storage containers and cap em nd put em in the fridge. These can be used to make starters. The yeast will settle out to the bottom and you can decant the clear liquid.......for immediate reuse, I would just take about a quarter of the yeast cake and pitch it into the new beer. if you REALLY want to wash it, just do the initial wash and pour off the liquid and use that.

 

[sillyburt]

what I usually do is use 4 half pint mason jars (jars A) and one large jar apples sauce jar (jar B) full of sanitized (boiled) water.

pour all water jars in carboy, wait 10-20 minutes.
pour from carboy to jar B, wait 10-20 min.
pour from Jar B to Jars A,
then repour from carboy into Jar B.

I use one jar A for any starter
If I am going to brew that day or maybe next week I will just use entire Jar B. depending on style & time frame I will chill and decant if needed.

been working fine for me, perhaps it's under pitching when using only JarB without starter ??

I've also jsut used sterile water in carboy, then poured out about 3/4 of yeast cake and used same carboy over....much like steve has said but using same carboy again