washing yeast

[jrodie]

I watched a few youtube videos on washing yeast, and I have a basic plan. Any comments on it would be appreciated.

1. Pour about a half gallon of freshly boiled water on to yeast cake right after transferring beer from primary(maybe the secondary would be better, to get less trub and more pure yeast).

2. Swirl around the water and trub and pour into a bottling bucket.

3. From the bottling bucket spigot fill a one gallon jug with the water trub mixture.

4. Wait about an hour for the mixture in the jug to separate out and pour the top light brown part into jars (I'll use old spaghetti sauce jars). I'm wondering if you can wait too long on this step, because the yeast would eventually fall to the bottom with the trub?

5. Put the jars in the fridge, where the yeast will fall to the bottom, clearish liquid should be left in the rest of the jar.

6. Decant the liquid and make a starter out of the yeast before pitching to wort.

Is that about right?

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I simply swirl the yeast pack around to losin it up.Pour into a sterilized mason jar and throw in the fridge.I also don't wash the slurry like in the youtube videos.Works like a champ,never had an issue.I was going to do it the way you mention until a came across a thread here that does it this way.Simple simple and Ive yet to have a problem.Usually get fermentation (bubbles) within 6 hours. Divide the total amount of yeast slurry by 3 and use one jar for each of the following batches.Thats what I do and it seems to be the general rule of thumb.

 

[eadavis80]

I have been doing it with your six steps for about half a year now. Works fine. Was running out of fridge room, so now I"m storing a bunch of yeast at my buddy's who has a spare fridge filled with mason jars

 

[PoppinCaps]

I second just pouring it from the bucket. Next brew comes around, just pour 200ml or so into a starter and you're all set.

One thing is you mentioned taking it from the secondary instead. Many will say this is a low floccing population of yeast and you may be changing the phenotype of the next pitch. I agree, and would suggest just sticking with the primary and ignoring the trubby goodness in the slurry.

 

[flars]

Simplified method that really works.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/simple-yeast-storage-procedure-519995/

 

[Lbm]

Second the primary. May depend on how long you primary, but I generally don't get much of anything (trub, yeast) in secondary.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Simplified method that really works.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/simple-yeast-storage-procedure-519995/

Exactly what I do

 

[DurtyChemist]

Exactly what I do

I'm the third one here who does this and I haven't had a problem. I use the quart mason jars and I have a Octoberfest wyeast from 5 months ago in two jars that I'm wondering if I need to keep until lager season comes back around. I don't like having a bunch of yeast on hand that I won't use for 9 months. I also don't know why people will store so much yeast it takes over their fridge and their buddy's fridge when they probably aren't brewing enough batches to justify all that yeast. Store what you need and don't go crazy until you find out how much you use.

 

[PoppinCaps]

Once my jar:fridge space ratio got out of hand I started freezing 15ml of thick slurry mixed with 24% glycerol in conical tubes. Turns out this amount is great to inoculate a 1.5L starter, ready to go in 48 hours. Cuts down on possible mutations as well.

 

[flars]

I'm the third one here who does this and I haven't had a problem. I use the quart mason jars and I have a Octoberfest wyeast from 5 months ago in two jars that I'm wondering if I need to keep until lager season comes back around. I don't like having a bunch of yeast on hand that I won't use for 9 months. I also don't know why people will store so much yeast it takes over their fridge and their buddy's fridge when they probably aren't brewing enough batches to justify all that yeast. Store what you need and don't go crazy until you find out how much you use.

Storing a lot of yeast can have benefits. Last year my Wife told me my yeast was taking up to much room in the frig. She bought me a new frig to have in my brew room. Now I have room for cases of bottles besides the yeast.

 

[JustLooking]

One thing is you mentioned taking it from the secondary instead. Many will say this is a low floccing population of yeast and you may be changing the phenotype of the next pitch. I agree, and would suggest just sticking with the primary and ignoring the trubby goodness in the slurry.

Well the opposite can be said of taking it from the primary. You're harvesting the more flocculant yeast and will eventually get beer that doesn't attenuate as well.

 

[PoppinCaps]

Well the opposite can be said of taking it from the primary. You're harvesting the more flocculant yeast and will eventually get beer that doesn't attenuate as well.

Very true. I like doing long primaries until they are clear so the harvest includes the whole population. But certainly if one follows the 1-2-3 week dogma and just harvest from the trub of the primary after a week, you'd begin to see that high floccing subset dominate.

 

[jrodie]

Thanks everyone!

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

This question may sound dumb but im curious the liquid thats on top of the washed yeast in bottom does that get pitched with it?
If not how do you pitch the yeast in bottom without getting the liquid in or it dont matter?
Sorry thanks.

 

[flars]

This question may sound dumb but im curious the liquid thats on top of the washed yeast in bottom does that get pitched with it?
If not how do you pitch the yeast in bottom without getting the liquid in or it dont matter?
Sorry thanks.

The harvested yeast will compact in the bottom of the container after a few days to a week, depends on the yeast, in the refrigerator. The beer or water on top of the yeast can be poured off. Leave just enough to swirl the yeast into because the yeast can become a fairly solid cake.