Yeast Washing Illustrated

[meluvbeer]

Just did this today. Thanks for this great write up...

 

[ThickHead]

I am prepping my containers now to wash tomorrow. Should I be concerned about the water I use? In other words, is it best to use bottled water for this or am I obsessing?

 

[Revvy]

I am prepping my containers now to wash tomorrow. Should I be concerned about the water I use? In other words, is it best to use bottled water for this or am I obsessing?

I usually use the water I boiled all my glass jars in. I just keep everything sealed up in the pot, jars and water until yeast washing day.

 

[ThickHead]

I usually use the water I boiled all my glass jars in. I just keep everything sealed up in the pot, jars and water until yeast washing day.

I intend to use the water that I boil my containers in as well to limit the oxygen content. I am just wondering if I am obsessing if I use bottled water to boil the containers and fill them with that water.

 

[Revvy]

I intend to use the water that I boil my containers in as well to limit the oxygen content. I am just wondering if I am obsessing if I use bottled water to boil the containers and fill them with that water.

Oh before the boil...I thought instead of...

Yeah I think you are being too much of a worry wort by going that step. But it's up to you...too much sanitzation is NEVER a bad thing.

 

[ThickHead]

Oh before the boil...I thought instead of...

Yeah I think you are being too much of a worry wort by going that step. But it's up to you...too much sanitzation is NEVER a bad thing.

Thanks for the sanity check.

 

[Revvy]

Thanks for the sanity check.

Yeah, there's a fine line between obsession and insanity.

 

[ThickHead]

Success! Thanks Bernie!

 

[Bernie Brewer]

You're welcome. Be sure to fill the mason jars all the way up. You don't want any headspace.

 

[ThickHead]

You're welcome. Be sure to fill the mason jars all the way up. You don't want any headspace.

Eeeeek! I must have missed that part. What do you suggest I do to fill the headspace at this time? Bottled water?

 

[Bernie Brewer]

You have four jars. Combine them into three and call it a victory.

 

[ThickHead]

You have four jars. Combine them into three and call it a victory.

10-4...thanks again!

 

[Rick500]

A couple of my jars have maybe an eighth of an inch of air... I wonder if I should pop them into the FoodSaver canister and get the air out.

 

[RCannin]

I tried searching for my question, sorry if I missed the answer!
At the final stage, when I'm ready to make my starter, do I discard the liquid and pitch the trub/stuff at the bottom of the mason jar into the flask? Or is it the other way around, pour only the liquid into the starter flask and discard the trub/stuff at the bottom? Thanks a million.

 

[Rick500]

The sediment is the yeast.

I make a starter with it when I'm ready to use it.

 

[BubbysPapi]

Thanks Bernie.

I followed your steps to what I hope is a successful first washing. Irish Ale yeast from White Labs.

I also have a small headspace in each jar, from the brim to the bottom of neck about 3/4 inch. I'm thinking: a)Let it go. b)bottled water. c) cooled boiled water. d) the combining of jars I read about earlier. Recommendations anyone?


Thanks, Papi

 

[Julohan]

Do I need to make a starter with this method? Or can I just pitch the yeast in right away to the cooled wort? How many ounces would I need to not make a starter?

 

[NotALamer]

It's pretty much always better to make a starter, I don't understand why everyone is so reluctant, other than the cost of the DME. Whether or not you need one depends on how much yeast you end up with in the bottom of the jar, not the volume of liquid. It also depends on how long you keep it in the fridge before using it. The pitching rate calculator says you lose about 5% viability per week.

 

[Pappers_]

Thanks Bernie!

 

[WortMonger]

Yep, check the pitching rate calculator if you are ever in dought. It is an awesome piece of software!

 

[daveotero]

Awesome write up! Worked great with WLP300. You just saved me at least $35

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz332/daveotero/IMAG0660.jpg
http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/zz332/daveotero/IMAG0659.jpg

 

[pdbreen]

Yet another "thank you" for the excellent writeup - exactly what I was looking for!

I had two primaries ready for transfer. For the first, I re-used the yeast cake with a new brew (also from instruction/advice on the forums). For the second, I'm washing the yeast using the steps here - only I'll be using the Suntea jar for the second decantation and 8oz jars for storage.

 

[thekingofspain]

I did a yeast wash with two bottling buckets instead of a big jar. I think it might have worked better than the big jar because the heaver yeast concentrations seem to be at the spigot level for at least my slurry. Since I was already bottling at the time, I already needed the sanitizer so there was no extra cost. Used four 12 oz jars that each filled 1/4 of the way with yeast and no signs of trub.

 

[kappclark]

I have had great sucess with this yeast washing technique..

 

[HalfPint]

I think this is the best yeast washing instructional I've ever seen. Good job. I've done research over the years and have been doing it just like this for a long time. I wish I would've had this to tell me what to do a long time ago.


Here's a bit of my 2 cents,

I just put the washed slurry into a 2 liter bottle. I let it sit in the fridge for a day or so then decant the top liquid. After that, I just pour into my starter from that 2 liter every time I want to use it (I know it risks contaminating the whole batch, but it's never happened to me!) I initally did this b/c I didn't have any mason jars and my cheap a$$ has been doing it ever since.

 

[thekingofspain]

All in favor of renaming HalfPint to 2 Liter say I.

Very good idea too.

 

[Blackhawkbrew]

I just started to boil my jars for my first yeast washing attempt. I had a, probably silly, question, I ferment in a bucket and don't use a carboy. Is there any difference in the gathering of the yeast between the two?

 

[HalfPint]

I just started to boil my jars for my first yeast washing attempt. I had a, probably silly, question, I ferment in a bucket and don't use a carboy. Is there any difference in the gathering of the yeast between the two?

Nope, I typically do it from a bucket and just drain it out of my bottling spigot.

 

[Blackhawkbrew]

HalfPint,
So do you transfer the slurry from your fermentation bucket to a bottling bucket and then into jars, like thekingofspain described a few posts back?

 

[HalfPint]

HalfPint,
So do you transfer the slurry from your fermentation bucket to a bottling bucket and then into jars, like thekingofspain described a few posts back?

No. I have one plastic bucket (Ale Pale) since I don't really use them any more, but It's also my bottling bucket. I put the spigot on it a while back. It doesn't leak, so I occasionally ferment in it when all my other carboys are being used.

This is how I do it.

1) Fill 2 liter up with cold water.
2) Pour that water into a pot and boil for 10 minutes. (Last 3 mins of boil put a lid on it.)
3) Let cool in water bath (with lid on) till it's about 70-80* F.
4) Pour that cooled boiled water into your bucket, carboy, better bottle, or whatever you use and swish around to get the yeast and trub into suspension.
5) If you don't have a spigot (I obviously don't in my carboys,) just pour all that liquid into a 2 liter via a sanitized funnel (if no spigot on fermenter) and leave in the refridgerator for about an 30 mins to an hour. Look at the diagram on this site http://http://hbd.org/carboy/yeast_washing.htm. You want the suspended yeast.
6) Take 2 liter out of the fridge and decant top liquid (suspended yeast) into another two liter and discard trub on bottom of first bottle.
7) Put into fridge for up to a couple of months.

Note,
At this point, it's the exact same as pitching from a tube of yeast. I typically put about 3 turkey basters worth (3 fl oz?) of washed yeast into a starter or directly into your wort.

This isn't rocket science. Use the same sanitation techniques you use when you're making beer and you shouldn't have any problems.