Yeast Washing - Excess Trub

[Chris7687]

Hey guys,
So I did some yeast washing and wanted to get some input and advice from my washing experience. I do BIAB, so the beer that goes into my carboy isn't always the clearest. The grain dust and other sediment isn't filtered through the grain bed (as in traditional AG) before boil, so a lot of this excess junk ends up going into my primary carboy. It all settles out in the end, but it is kind of a pain when yeast washing... So besides using a secondary vessel to capture the yeast that hasn't fallen out in primary, does anyone have any tips?

The picture below shows my washed yeast. The white line is the yeast I collected, the darker mass is just trub and junk! Was hoping to make a starter with this stuff without having to put too much junk in the starter with it! Open to any and all suggestions!

 

[WoodlandBrew]

I would use it all.

The dark portion contains just about as much viable yeast as the light colored portion. My blog has two detailed experiments showing this:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/12/yeast-washing-exposed.html
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2013/01/yeast-washing-revisited.html

My book (which will be published next month) ties the information together better than the blog.

 

[Chris7687]

Very interesting articles. Thanks for your advice and research.

 

[reed1911]

I agree. Based on my own use (no real research though) I simply do a sanitized collection and store it. I have not noticed any difference between doing a separation of trub/dead/live yeast vs using the whole collection, other than the time and potential for infection by exposure.

 

[temple240]

My "washed" yeast always looks that way. I would love to have a beautifully uniform collection of perfect looking yeast but my method works best for me.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

Honestly just do like I do and use a sanitized turkey baster to suck the healthiest yeast cells in the upper creamy white layer out and leave all the other gunk behind.

I've learned how to do this properly and have managed to store yeast for 6 months, actually last year I made it up to generation 5 and brewed all year with a single bottle of ECY-10 yeast I had bought in January. It's a great feeling knowing I have plenty of healthy yeast on hand to use whenever I need it and it's a lot more reliable than ordering liquid yeast and having it shipped in extreme weather conditions.

After a few generations of washing and repitching you'll end up with your own house strain of yeast as they become acclimated to your brewing environment. I make a 2 liter yeast starter from each bottle of washed yeast to pitch into the next batch of beer but my beer has never tasted better and I've saved a ton of money by not having to buy new liquid yeast everytime I brew a batch of beer.

 

[Chris7687]

ScrewyBrewer - Very nice idea. I have a bunch of White Lab vials I have been using. I'll have to get a turkey baster now!