Yeast Washing Illustrated

[Bru]

Matt - I washed 1968 using this method and it worked fine.

 

[arturo7]

Finally made it all the way through this thread. Thanks, Bernie!

2 things:

1) I'm gleaning that if you don't use the yeast 3-4 days after washing it is best to make a starter?

2) Right now I have a pale with Notty yeast in the fermenter. Unfortunately, this batch fermented high, up to 75 deg. Will the washed yeast from this batch be any different than washed yeast from a batch that was fermented at 65 deg?

thanks

 

[tomonners]

Sorry guys another noob question.... well 2..

Im using a live yeast liberated from my local brewery Thwaites.. when its fermenting is the big thick 2" of cake on the top of the brew the yeast? (sorry if im being dumb, it just looks like it) and if so cant i just scoop some out during the fermentation, wash it and store it as per this thread?

Cheers.

 

[DanPoch]

when its fermenting is the big thick 2" of cake on the top of the brew the yeast? (sorry if im being dumb, it just looks like it) and if so cant i just scoop some out during the fermentation, wash it and store it as per this thread?

Yes, and yes. the krausen (sp?) on the top is filled with good active yeast and you can harvest it.

 

[marcelo]

I did the whash, but sometimes my yeast smells like bad eggs or maionese.
and when i whant a clean yeast with not too much work i just save the yeast in secondary, its have no sediment and is pure yeast.

 

[DanPoch]

True the yeast in the secondary has no sediment, but it's also the slower performing yeast. The really active guys have all gone to sleep in the primary, and in theory those will make for a faster startup next time. However using a starter to kick the butts of the yeast from secondary may make them faster. I've never tried it from the secondary, so I can't say for sure.

 

[nicadrick]

About 10 hours ago I created a 1.040 starter. After cooling to 68 degrees F I added the washed yeast from an 8oz jar that I had put away in the fridge about two months ago. The 8oz jar had about a 1/4" layer of yeast at the bottom. I decanted most of the liquid from the 8oz jar, gave the yeast with the remaining liquid a good shake and then added the contents to my 1.040 starter through a sanitized funnel.

The starter has been whirling away on my stir plate for 10 hours now. How do I know that my starter is alive and my yeast is viable and growing?

Will I see a color change?

I don't expect to see kraesen since I am using a stir plate, right?

Will I see a change in the cloudiness of the starter as it whirls on the stir plate?

Please advise. Thanks in advance!

 

[Gfei]

The starter will get cloudy as the yeast multiply. You may also still see some foam around the edges and in the middle of the vortex.

 

[nicadrick]

The starter will get cloudy as the yeast multiply. You may also still see some foam around the edges and in the middle of the vortex.

Thanks Chris. It is now Saturday morning (starter stirring for 10+ hours), a day before my planned Sunday morning brew. How long until I see a change in the appearance of the starter? I have until midday today to get to the LHBS in case this doesn't get going? This may just be a case of RDWHAHB!.

Thanks for the advise.

 

[Gfei]

I think my last one took about 24 hours to show signs of life.

 

[Bdogg]

I have done this twice now, here are my results:

For each of these shown I have 2 others (ie, harvested 3 jars from each cake). I have not used any yet.

I guess my question is, is a starter even required if you have this much? I was reading that yeast pitching rate calculator and it seems like I have enough in each jar that it might not be necessary. Of course there is the issue of viability, and it's not as if making a starter is difficult... whaddya think?

 

[nicadrick]

Bdogg,

Of the yeast you see visible in the jars, you cannot know which are still viable. Creating a starter a couple of days before brew day accomplishes 2 things for you. 1) It will let the dormant and health cell that you wash from previous brews MULTIPLY, this will create lots of hungry yeast for your upcoming brew. If nothing happens in 24-36 hours you will also know that your "washed" yeast is not too happy and you should buys some fresh. 2)If the cell are happy and multiply, you will eliminate a day of lag time on you ferment.

I just did this for a brew yesterday. Starter from washed yeast on Friday evening, stir plate for a couple of days, by pitching time on Sunday, the starter was full of fresh healthy, hungry yeasties.

4-6 hours after pitching, my brew wash bubbling away in a vigorous ferment. I will definitely continue to do starters!

 

[user 44002]

I'm sure this has been answered a million times in this thread, but even with search i just can't find it.

When I'm going to pitch a pint sized mason jar of washed yeast, I pour off all the wort-type stuff on top, and then mix up the trub and yeast and use that?

Also, can someone give me instructions for a starter if I do this?

 

[Pappers_]

Hi Ship. Here's a link that tells you all the basics about starters, including how to do one: http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.htm

After you wash the yeast and store it in your fridge, you'll see some amber colored water on top - pour off most of that, and then mix up the yeast in the remaining little bit of water and pour it into a starter.

FYI, there is no/little trub, that is the point of the washing. You've "cleaned" the yeast of the trub.

 

[jdspaceman]

Just getting into the home brewing. ?. do you have to use the washed yeast for the same type of beer the next time around? (aside from the type of strain it is) or can you use it for different recipes?

 

[scottlindner]

Just getting into the home brewing. ?. do you have to use the washed yeast for the same type of beer the next time around? (aside from the type of strain it is) or can you use it for different recipes?

Totally different recipes. Consider it a fresh vial of the original that you bought from the LHBS.

Scott

 

[jdspaceman]

So I could use it for a different recipe, as long as that recipe calls for that strain of yeast? the other "recipe" has been washed off.

At that point, is there a strain of yeast that is more widely used? just curious

 

[scottlindner]

So I could use it for a different recipe, as long as that recipe calls for that strain of yeast? the other "recipe" has been washed off.

At that point, is there a strain of yeast that is more widely used? just curious

Yes, you understand correctly. However, the viability of the yeast you wash may not be as high as the original vial you purchased. Most suggest using a starter to get the yeasties partying again and to multiply to a number that is appropriate to your brew. I'm sure if you haven't stored it too long that you could pitch it straight into your next brew without a starter and you'd have a fine brew, but don't take that as advice from me. I haven't washed yeast or made starters. I use another similar (lazier?) technique.

As for the most common strains, that really depends on what you like. I personally am a huge fan of WLP001/Wyeast 1056.

Cheers,
Scott

 

[StarCityBrewMaster]

Simple question here: I have made starters from scratch and I seem to understand the yeast washing process and want to try it asap.

What is the process of making a starter from the washed yeast? Thanks!

 

[hopvine]

Simple question here: I have made starters from scratch and I seem to understand the yeast washing process and want to try it asap.

What is the process of making a starter from the washed yeast? Thanks!

You simply pour off most of the liquid resting on top of the yeast, shake it up to get the yeast unstuck, and then pour that into your starter as you would a White Labs vial or Wyeast smack pack.

 

[Spaceball1]

I read the first 35 pages of this but didn't see anything regarding a couple of questions I had..

First off.. Just to be clear, I pour the sterilized & cooled water directly on to my trub/cake at the bottom of my primary, right? Using a pic from the OP..

Pour the water from the jars into the carboy

So immediately prior to this picture, I've racked my beer over into my bottling container and at the bottom of the carboy in this picture, there would be a good 1.5"-2" cake of yeast/trub, right?

Next question..

I use a bucket (not a carboy) as my primary, so I won't be able to see the initial separation prior to the first pour. So I take it that I just wait 20 minutes or so and then just pour to the large glass container. Without being able to see the initial bottom layer of crap, I'm guessing that it would be ok if I just stopped short of pouring the whole thing? Maybe stop at roughly 1/2" short? And then maybe I could settle out the remaining stuff twice (in a 2nd large glass container) to compensate?

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I read the first 35 pages of this but didn't see anything regarding a couple of questions I had..

First off.. Just to be clear, I pour the sterilized & cooled water directly on to my trub/cake at the bottom of my primary, right? Using a pic from the OP..

Yes.

So immediately prior to this picture, I've racked my beer over into my bottling container and at the bottom of the carboy in this picture, there would be a good 1.5"-2" cake of yeast/trub, right?

Yes.

I use a bucket (not a carboy) as my primary, so I won't be able to see the initial separation prior to the first pour. So I take it that I just wait 20 minutes or so and then just pour to the large glass container. Without being able to see the initial bottom layer of crap, I'm guessing that it would be ok if I just stopped short of pouring the whole thing? Maybe stop at roughly 1/2" short? And then maybe I could settle out the remaining stuff twice (in a 2nd large glass container) to compensate?

Yes, I use buckets for the time being as well, and I just wait 20-30 minutes to allow separation, when you are pouring into your containers, you'll be able to see the trub you don't want going in there towards the end.

I allow it to separate in a large quart jar, then pour into my pint jars, after the second separation, it has worked very well for me.

FWIW, if you are using English Yeast strain, be sure to shake the bejeezus out of it after pouring to break up the clumps of yeast, it will make for a better separation.

 

[400d]

I have a question here. How do I measure the amount of yeast for the next batch? How do I know if I over pitch or under pitch when I use washed yeast?

 

[Rick500]

From what I've read, the cell density in the slurry should be roughly equivalent to what you'd get in a Wyeast or White Labs tube/packet.

 

[dp69_2001]

Well, the first thing you do is drink a beer... then you look at your washed yeast.. If it's only a little bit, use a starter. If it's a lot, toss it in your batch and get ready for a really fast fermentation. Finally, don't really worry about over pitching for the most part, just as long as you have enough healthy yeast to start a good fermentation you'll be fine.

 

[brew hoperator]

I have two questions that I want to get some clairification on:

One of my batches that I wanted to do wash the yeast has the "band aid taste to it. If I washed the yeast of this batch would the band aid taste carry over to the next batches?

Also, this might have been discussed earlier but I just washed some yeast for the first time yesterday and I noticed a VERY small layer of material that is darker than the washed yeast. Is this normal?

Thanks in advance

 

[dp69_2001]

I have two questions that I want to get some clairification on:

One of my batches that I wanted to do wash the yeast has the "band aid taste to it. If I washed the yeast of this batch would the band aid taste carry over to the next batches?

Hmm... you might not want to wash the yeast from that batch. I'm not sure if it would carry over or not.

I noticed a VERY small layer of material that is darker than the washed yeast. Is this normal?

Yes, that's just trub (hops, tired yeast, and other protiens from your batch)

 

[digphish]

I preface this by saying I have read all 65 pages of this thread, and felt confident after reading everything that my first yeast wash would go smooth. Well...it didn't. I bottled my Kolsch, and then poured the sanitized and cooled water from the quart and 4 pint jars into the trub and shook it up a bit. Waited 20 minutes, and poured it into the big jar. Then waited another 20 min and poured the big jar into the 4 pint jars and put them in the fridge. As of this afternoon (about 18 hours from when I did the wash), there is only a very tiny layer of yeast at the bottom, and clear "beer" above. What did i do wrong? I am wondering if I only needed to wait 10 minutes in the fermenter to pour. Will the tiny bit of yeast be usable?

Thank for any help...

 

[ascha]

Is there any benefit from removing the air in the headspace? Just picked up one of these for storing grain and wondered if this would be a benefit at all?

 

[tincob]

I washed (3) 1/2 pint jars from a hefeweizen batch back in 11/22/09. I found differing opinions on the viability of hefe yeasts on the internet. This is my experience with my washed yeasts. YMMV.

I brewed two batches with the three 1/2 pint jars

First jar was used ~2 months later to brew another hefeweizen batch. 1 L starter which roused up quickly within 24 hours.
No problem with the resulting hefeweizen beer. It tasted fine.

The second and third jars were used to make a 2 L starter for a dunkelweizen a week ago (4/2). My reasoning for using both remaining jars was that the yeast viability was probably pretty low at this point. The starter took about 48 hours before I saw a krausen in the starter. I brewed on the third day and pitched the starter 72 hours after putting it on the stir plate.

I also pitched the magnetic stir bar but that's another story.

There was very little lag and I was getting co2 bubbles the next morning. I haven't tasted the batch yet but the smell is the typical clove and banana hefe yeast odor. Nothing off.

I will wash three jars of yeast from this dunkelweizen batch.

So here's a data point that 4 month is a viable time period for washed WLP300 hefeweizen yeast.