Yeast Harvest Video

[enohcs]

My latest iPhone creation. My first try at hearvesting yeast. Everything I learned about harvesting and washing yeast came from this forum. No excuse not to buy a HB Talk membership now, I figure this should save me $6 to $12 per brew.

 

[rmullins]

Very nice job

 

[jbrookeiv]

Nice video!

 

[calebawilson]

Awesome video. What was that crazy looking fliptop bottle in your fridge?

 

[Wakadaka]

Nice video. You did a much better job for your first time than I did for mine. I only had 2 mason jars to fill, and I used way to much water, so I let it settle and decanted like 5 times. I ended up with way less yeast than you.

 

[enohcs]

Awesome video. What was that crazy looking fliptop bottle in your fridge?

That's a growler full of Baying Hound's "Multigrain Summer Ale." I think they used barley, wheat, rye, and something else. It's pretty good.

 

[dancness]

I noticed that you shook the large mason jars after you poured the washed yeast into them. I was under the impression that you don't want to introduce oxygen to the yeast prior to storage. Wouldn't shaking the jars introduce unwanted oxygen?

 

[calebawilson]

The yeast and trub are POURED into the jars this introduces oxygen. Oxygen is no big deal when your dealing with yeast only when you are dealing with fermented beer.

 

[enohcs]

I noticed that you shook the large mason jars after you poured the washed yeast into them. I was under the impression that you don't want to introduce oxygen to the yeast prior to storage. Wouldn't shaking the jars introduce unwanted oxygen?

The jar is sealed and any oxygen in the head space in minimal. The shaking is going to get the yeast clumps broken up and a good layering when everything settles.

 

[enohcs]

Update. Three days later the jars have settled nicely.

 

[Grantman1]

I have yet to harvest yeast, or make a starter for that matter, but have considered both.

I know you technically aren't supposed to, but would you be able to take one of the small jars and harvested yeast and pitch that directly into wort?

 

[enohcs]

I have yet to harvest yeast, or make a starter for that matter, but have considered both.

I know you technically aren't supposed to, but would you be able to take one of the small jars and harvested yeast and pitch that directly into wort?

I don't see how it would be any different than pitching a vial of white labs yeast. I would just decant most of the liquid of the top before mixing up the yeast and pitching.

 

[wreals]

I have yet to harvest yeast, or make a starter for that matter, but have considered both.

I know you technically aren't supposed to, but would you be able to take one of the small jars and harvested yeast and pitch that directly into wort?

You could but there is no guarantee that the yeast is viable. You want to do a good starter to confirm the yeast is viable and to wake it up.

 

[hiphops]

Why pour the washed yeast into four separate mason jars rather than one? Maybe I'm just lazy, but isn't it easier to deal with one jar rather than four, or is this done for redundancy purposes?

 

[dancness]

1 jar becomes 1 starter

So by splitting up the yeast into 4 seperate jars he's getting 4 starters out of it instead of only 1.

 

[enohcs]

Why pour the washed yeast into four separate mason jars rather than one? Maybe I'm just lazy, but isn't it easier to deal with one jar rather than four, or is this done for redundancy purposes?

And I can share with friends. Anyone in Montgomery county MD want a jar of California ale yeast?

 

[enohcs]

Update. I used a jar of the harvested yeast. Threw it in a starter on Thursday, pitched the starter at 5pm last night, and this morning at 6am the fermentor was going wild. Had a couple inches of krausen, the airlock was going at about 3 bubbles per second. Fermentation began a hell of a lot faster with harvested yeast and a starter than with my usual 2 vials of wlp001. And I saved $13.
I made a video of making the starter. Once I get it prettied up I'll post it.

 

[enohcs]

Here's the starter I made with the yeast I harvested
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/yeast-starter-video-249831/

 

[DrawTap88]

Very good video.

 

[barhoc11]

Great video, it has made me want to do this but I have a question.

In order to avoid having to buy multiple sizes of mason jars, could I just pour three of the 8 ounce jars worth of water into the carboy, swirl to mix up into a solution and then pour the yeast from the carboy into the 8 ounce jars?

I know I might get some of the dead yeast cells because I am not letting those settle out in a larger mason jar but, does this really matter?

Thanks again!

 

[CidahMastah]

Just thought I would chime in - I have been washing my yeast for a long time and used yeast up to a year old. While I would recc that you should use a starter for the 6mo + yeasts, I have never had a problem reviving yeast that old. Furthermore, I hardly ever use a starter for yeasts less than 6months old. I do have a spreadsheet I create where I can weigh the yeast and estimate count based on viability.

i.e. I direct pitch a qty of yeast in grams the majority of the time without a starter. That is one of the reasons I wash yeast, so I don't need to make a starter to build up the yeast!

If you screw up and under pitch you can always add more yeast. I have found that I have a pretty good knack for eyeballing what I need for a given gravity. So you can develop that over time as well unless you are doing something that requires more precision (belgian quad, etc.)

I use a slightly different yeast washing process though:
For a 11G batch - half the water used for a 5gallon batch

I add in 6quarts of water and let sit for 20 minutes x three times, pouring off the top and leaving trub behind 3 times. So:
1. demijohn (20minutes)
2. tall plastic container; (20 minutes)
3. Second tall plastic container (20minutes)
4. then into 4 1quart jars.

Usually one decanted qt jar is enough to do an 11g batch of brew, give or take based on S.G. viability, etc.