Yeast cultivation, getting started

[jcdillin]

Hey everyone

Well after listening to the podcast about yeast culturing, i've decided that it's the next step now that I feel like I have a good handle on brewing. Not to mention it's interesting as hell.

Now I saw the posts on here about just putting the yeast into jars and storing it in the fridge that way, but the SWMBO will be none too pleased with jars of yeast stacked in the fridge. So my thinking is to go with the petri dish route since they don't take barely any room at all.

The main question is would this kit work, since the podcast called for mixing malt extract and agar for a yeast growing medium.

Thanks!

 

[WortMonger]

I think it would work, however, an easier route is yeast banking I think. Click here and read about it. Just another option for you if you buy and don't like the petri dishes.

 

[jcdillin]

wow, that's a pretty cool method as well. I'm going to have to do some more thinking then.


Thanks

 

[WortMonger]

No problem, just wanted to show you something else to think on. I am going this route for myself. There have been people who have frozen the yeast for a year to have it come back strong after a starter.

 

[jcdillin]

yeah on the podcast they had mentioned that they lived on the petri dish for a year and they were able to revive some after more than a year.

I think I might go this route though at least less equipment and I already have a pressure cooker. Have you found a good source for autoclaveable test tubes?

 

[WortMonger]

Not test tubes, but those little 65 mL autoclave-able top jars seem awesome. I would have to check for links, but I found them searching before. I think some of the threads dealing with yeast ranching/banking/freezing have a couple of links in them that I followed. I am wanting to go another route from what has been mentioned before and use hypodermic syringes and store that way. They seem cheap enough and are autoclave-able. I had a "friend" who used to grow mushrooms and he used the syringes in much the same way with liquid mycelium from spore cultures. I still think jars work best for larger volume storage of soon to be used yeast, but for storage I want simplicity and lessening of infection. I figure a mason jar with a hole drilled in the lid and high temperature silicone plugging the hole would work great to get a syringe/needle in and out of.

 

[jcdillin]

now thats a good idea, I think after I go a couple rounds just to get the technique down I will be trying that route as well.

thanks for all the info, let me know how it turns out if you try

 

[WortMonger]

LOL, that is what I am doing right now is learning it before I go buy all the crap I would need. I did find cheap 60mL syringes at Tractor Supply and Orchelins. Don't know what stores in your area would stock them, but they are fairly cheap for a box. I will definitely post when I do.

 

[jcdillin]

yeah I wish I had those down here, my wife works as a physicians assistant so she might be able to get autoclaveable stuff fairly easy.

hey what do you think of something like this, would pretty much last forever. Or at the least keep the plastic waste down.

 

[WortMonger]

Glass scares me, not to mention the thought of what those have been in, lol. The syringes are autoclave-able so I don't see any waste since you can continually reuse them. These ones that my friend got were huge, and we used them a couple of times each, now they are still storing mycelium.

 

[jcdillin]

heh heh, true

 

[WortMonger]

I mean, think about if they came in and said for Gonorrhea serum only, lol. Prick stickers!!! ewwwww

 

[jcdillin]

rofl, ok i'm gonna find some autoclaveable vials then

 

[Deofol]

I'm doing something very similar but using sterile water storage.

Sterile Distilled Water Yeast Storage

You can find autoclavable vials here pretty cheap (along with everything else lab wise).

http://www.cynmar.com/SearchByKeyword.aspx?word=autoclavable

 

[jcdillin]

have you stored them this way or are you just starting out? Sounds interesting, may be worth a shot as well.

Thanks for the link!

 

[Deofol]

I'm just starting out now, but so far so good. I read other have had good results. I'll be logging my experiences with it in my blog. So only time will tell.

 

[WortMonger]

I will have been reading your thread Deoful and that is some pretty cool stuff. Very interesting.

 

[eddie]

If you're looking for lab equipment (test tubes, vials, plates etc...) check out this place:

VWR LabShop - laboratory equipment and supplies for scientific professions

 

[jcdillin]

I'm just starting out now, but so far so good. I read other have had good results. I'll be logging my experiences with it in my blog. So only time will tell.

love the blog, very informative post.

Thanks!

 

[jcdillin]

If you're looking for lab equipment (test tubes, vials, plates etc...) check out this place:

VWR LabShop - laboratory equipment and supplies for scientific professions

Thanks! Looks pretty good on the prices.