washing yeast help

[Flykilbosa]

Glad it worked....you probably could have gotten more out of all that was in there, but work on it next time. Now you have to get a starter going tomorrow so you can brew this weekend and put that yeast to work!

 

[CliffMongoloid]

I wish i could brew this weekend, easter weekend is busy for me , I'm planning on doing a brew next weekend tho

 

[Flykilbosa]

I just pulled this out of the carboy last night...I washed it and you can still see there is a bit of trub. I've never had a negative impact using a harvest like this on the next beer. I will decant it then make a starter with it all while drinking a homebrew.

 

[HBCBrewmaster]

Why is it necessary to wash it?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Why is it necessary to wash it?

There are many reasons but a few are removing trub--dead yeast cells , hot and cold break, hop debris, etc. so you have a nice clean pitch. Some elements in the trub can cause off flavors (such as contributing to sulfur production according to Gordon Strong) and unwashed yeast can carry over flavors from the previous brew. It is recommended to use unwashed yeast quickly like within a week-while I have successfully used washed yeast that is a year old. Washing also makes it easier to split into several small containers so I can make one vial or smack stretch farther.

 

[HBCBrewmaster]

There are many reasons but a few are removing trub--dead yeast cells , hot and cold break, hop debris, etc. so you have a nice clean pitch. Some elements in the trub can cause off flavors (such as contributing to sulfur production according to Gordon Strong) and unwashed yeast can carry over flavors from the previous brew. It is recommended to use unwashed yeast quickly like within a week-while I have successfully used washed yeast that is a year old. Washing also makes it easier to split into several small containers so I can make one vial or smack stretch farther.

That all makes sense I guess. Thanks for clearing that up.

I usually just dump 1/4 of my yeast slurry straight from the bucket into a sanitized mason jar and throw it into the fridge for a future brew. I make a starter from this to wake it up. My airlocks are usually bubbling in 6 to 12 hours. I get 5 or 6 brews and never had a problem with off flavors. I used to just re pitch onto the same yeast cake but after about 5 or 6 times I got some serious off flavors. My hbs told me that it was because the same exact yeast was mutating after so many fermentations. So I figure by only using a quarter of it each time it has a chance to replicate new and hence younger generations. Im just having a hard time believing that such a small ammount of trube and cold break and hop particulate could affect flavor that much when diluting it with 5 gallons of fresh beer. But then again, I use hop bags and my boilermaker and hop blocker are very effective at keeping the cold break out of my fermenter. After 5 or 6 cycles I start with a fresh culture just to be safe. Because I brew on a 20 gallon set up I save a ton of money on yeast this way.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

And ^^^that^^^ makes sense too! I don't brew as often as I'd like and I usually switch up styles and strains, so I need to be able to save yeast for longer than you. And by splitting each generation into several smaller containers which I then build up, I minimize the chance of mutation and maximize each purchase.

 

[HBCBrewmaster]

Hey if anyone is interrested, I would highly recommend pierre rajot "first steps in yeast culture." With a small investment in twist on cap testubes an inoculating loop and a large pressure cooker you can save pure yeast samples in pure sugar water for years and years. Its a great way to expand the brewing hoby.

 

[CliffMongoloid]

Hey if anyone is interrested, I would highly recommend pierre rajot "first steps in yeast culture." With a small investment in twist on cap testubes an inoculating loop and a large pressure cooker you can save pure yeast samples in pure sugar water for years and years. Its a great way to expand the brewing hoby.

That seems excessive

 

[HBCBrewmaster]

That seems excessive

Perhaps for some or most. But I will save 6 vials of a yeast this way each time I buy a new yeast ensuring that I never need to repurchase that strain. I have now archived 5 strains and will archive 3 more. I enjoy doing it as an extension of my hobby. The next thing will be plating in auger so I can isolate the strains used in the bottle conditioned belgians which often use multiple strains. But I think this is the topic of an entirely new thread.

 

[CliffMongoloid]

Perhaps for some or most. But I will save 6 vials of a yeast this way each time I buy a new yeast ensuring that I never need to repurchase that strain. I have now archived 5 strains and will archive 3 more. I enjoy doing it as an extension of my hobby. The next thing will be plating in auger so I can isolate the strains used in the bottle conditioned belgians which often use multiple strains. But I think this is the topic of an entirely new thread.

U my friend know a lot more about this than me

 

[HBCBrewmaster]

Well I didn't know anything about it till I read "First Setps In Yeast Culture." It is a very easy read with lots of pictures.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

For me this will be a natural extension of the hobby. I have washed for years but I have limited space, so it is always a struggle to find room for the Mason jars. I have started using small Nalgene bottles to save dregs and to condense washed strains...kinda get funny looks from the folks at REI and Mountain Chalet when I buy them out!