Wash IPA yeast??

[Hopcalypse]

Should I wash the yeast from my recent IPA batch as long as I use it for another IPA or APA? The OG of the batch was 1.056.

 

[Natdavis777]

I dont see it being much of an issue, especially since you plan to use it on the same style in the future and the OG was under 1.060.

 

[JonM]

I've direct pitched IPA slurry into a decidedly non-hoppy stout and never noticed a thing. You'll be fine washing it and using it in any style you want.

 

[Hopcalypse]

Thanks for advice!

 

[daksin]

[Edit]

Sorry! Fell victim to some conventional pro-brewer wisdom. Seems like you're fine re-pitching dry-hopped yeast but you might want to harvest extra and wash to avoid carrying over hop flavor.

 

[schematix]

I repitched lager yeast from an IPL into an american premium (75% 2-row, 25% rice, 12 IBU). In that beer you could taste the IPL hops if you knew what the IPL tasted like. But that was damn near drinking carbonated water.

For same hoppy style i'd say pitch it.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Only re-use that yeast if you haven't dry hopped yet. There can be sanitation issues with re-pitching yeast from dry-hopped beers.

Any science to back that up? I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I have some yeast I washed from a IPA I dry hopped in primary before harvesting the yeast. I would like to use it on my next IPA

 

[AnOldUR]

Only re-use that yeast if you haven't dry hopped yet. There can be sanitation issues with re-pitching yeast from dry-hopped beers.

Any science to back that up?

Curious to see that myself. My first thought would be just the opposite. I thought that hops had natural antibacterial properties.

I've read that it really doesn't make a lot of difference, but I don't like to see hop matter in a slurry that I repitch.

 

[flars]

I would expect a sanitation problem, from dry hopping, would show up in the bottled beer. I wouldn't use the harvested yeast if an infection was showing in the bottles.

 

[Hopcalypse]

I usually do not secondary my beer, however, I will probably err on the side of caution here and secondary my beer to dry hop. I guess I could even dry hop in the keg, however, I do not have a good way to get the hops out afterwards.

 

[m00ps]

Personally, I'd reccomend harvesting your yeast from the other end of the brewing process. I save 100ml of so of each of my starters to save for later. This has several advantages. It gets you yeast that is healthier from not undergoing a full fermentation. The yeast isnt exposed to hop compounds and is cleaner than washed yeast. Also, the yeast is less likely to change from its original form since putting it into 1.040 starter wort doesnt stress it out too much. I have 20 or so yeasts in my fridge using this method, some fo which are on their 7 or 8th generation without any issue

 

[hanuswalrus]

+1 to m00ps. I think making bigger starters and saving a portion is the way to go.

And I've never heard of any negative effects of using harvested yeast from a dry hopped beer. I'd like to hear more on that.

 

[daksin]

A bit more research than I originally did shows that it's more of an issue for shelf-life when we're talking about the pros, but there are certainly real professionals harvesting yeast after dry-hop. I think we can call this myth busted! Sorry guys- editing my original post.