Why harvest yeast cakes?

[BierMuncher]

So could one wash their yeast cake...then dilute it to 1 gal to bottle say 10 beer bottles of yeast?

They would be diluted but you could pour off the water on top then step up a starter right?

10 bottles may be thinning the batch a little too much. Depends on the flocculation rate. I'd say that any five gallon batch would safely produce 5 vials of yeast.

PS - I never use a starter with my harvested yeast because there is so much to begin with. Not saying that's the right thing to do.

 

[homebrewer_99]

...I never use a starter with my harvested yeast because there is so much to begin with. Not saying that's the right thing to do...

Nothing wrong with that. It's already proved that it is good yeast.

 

[Wrey]

Two noobie questions. What does it mean to use a started for yeast. (On my first batch we just tossed in the dry yeast and stirred.

Also, what is flocculation?

 

[CBBaron]

Two noobie questions. What does it mean to use a started for yeast. (On my first batch we just tossed in the dry yeast and stirred.

Also, what is flocculation?

A question I can answer.
mrmalty.com is a good reference for yeast questions.
Basically a starter is a mini brew to allow the yeast to reproduce and get ready for fermenting your main batch. It is made by boiling 1/2 cup DME in 1quart or liter of water (to do larger starters just scale the amounts). Allow the mini wort to cool, agitate well to aerate and then pitch your vial or pack of liquid yeast. Leave sit for 12-48 hours then pitch the starter into your just brewed wort. This ensures enough yeast for the fermentation and reduces the lag time. It is usually unnecessary to make a starter for dry yeast as dry yeast packs contain a much larger cell count and if you do need more than one packet of yeast it is easier and often cheaper to just pitch a second packet.

Flocculation is how rapidly the yeast settle out of the beer. A highly flocculating yeast will quickly form a dense layer on the bottom of the carboy leaving a clear beer. A low flocculating yeast will leave your beer cloudy for much longer and will be more easily mixed into the beer when you move it. Most wheat beer yeast are low flocculating giving the beer the characteristic cloudy look and yeasty flavor.

Craig

 

[Beerrific]

To add to the above, it is actually bad to use a starter with dry yeast. They have been "frozen" in a metabolic state that is ready to ferment your beer, not reproduce as they would in a starter.

 

[98EXL]

use liquid, then it gives you an excuse for building a stirplate

 

[Rhoobarb]

How do you thaw out the yeast? Let it sit at 70 degrees? Can Glycerin be bought at an LHBS?

Thanks!

It can also be found at most any drugstore/pharmacy.

 

[Buford]

Can you use distilled water for washing yeast, and if so, is there any benefit to doing so?

 

[Alamo_Beer]

I've read a few things about washing with distilled water...basicly the yeast have a longer shelf life if they are stored under distilled water...

 

[annpatterson]

It is good idea.

 

[slym2none]

Curious - is there a thread with a list of the common terms used in brewing? A brewing dictionary, so to speak?

 

[Ski12568]

Curious - is there a thread with a list of the common terms used in brewing? A brewing dictionary, so to speak?

Hope this helps

http://www.howtobrew.com/glossary.html

 

[slym2none]

Cool, I didn't know if one existed, and "dictionary" was the wrong search term, obviously.

Thanks!