PolishStout
Well-Known Member
I picked up a 6-pack of Bell's 25th Anniversary Ale and I'm interesting in harvesting the yeast from a couple of these guys just for fun and experimentation.
It says directly on the 6-pack to decant the beer off the yeast, which I've never seen before. It is an American strong ale though at around 8%, so I'm guessing it's a different yeast strain that they use for bottling. Oddly though, it is one of the lowest flocculating yeasts I have ever seen in a bottle. The bottles have been in the fridge over a week and the yeast has barely settled on the bottom, and some is stuck in suspension just above the bottom.
Anyway! my question is this. I don't have any DME or other such goodness, and I have a bottle of juice which I don't know if it has unwanted preservatives or not (there's no sorbates, at least). Would I be able to just mix up some sugar water and use that as a starter for the yeast?
It says directly on the 6-pack to decant the beer off the yeast, which I've never seen before. It is an American strong ale though at around 8%, so I'm guessing it's a different yeast strain that they use for bottling. Oddly though, it is one of the lowest flocculating yeasts I have ever seen in a bottle. The bottles have been in the fridge over a week and the yeast has barely settled on the bottom, and some is stuck in suspension just above the bottom.
Anyway! my question is this. I don't have any DME or other such goodness, and I have a bottle of juice which I don't know if it has unwanted preservatives or not (there's no sorbates, at least). Would I be able to just mix up some sugar water and use that as a starter for the yeast?