Yeast Washing Illustrated

[BrewerofBeer]

It was a hoppy ale. I just wanted to say what the grav was for the yeast. It was a american ale yeast. It did attenuate well even though it was under pitched. At any rate i was wondering if it was a good yeast to harvest since i under pitched it. I am guessing its ok since the fermentation went so well.

 

[KCBigDog]

Is it necessary to use a starter when re-pitching these? I've ready where people just let them warm up and pitch into the wort.

 

[Chefencore]

Is it necessary to use a starter when re-pitching these? I've ready where people just let them warm up and pitch into the wort.

With a starter you know if the yeast is viable.

 

[Apoxbrew]

so i decided to "save" my yest cake from my wheat beer last night. first time i've ever done that and it was late and i didn't check here first. anyway, what i did was rack off the beer as normal which left a bit of wort in the bottom of the carboy. then i simply swirled the word until the entire yeast cake was mixed into a slurry and poured it into a sanitized (starsan) growler. i capped it and stuck it in the fridge figuring i'd wash it today.

that said, is it too late? did i already ruin the yeast? the cake was quite clean as it was a very lightly hopped beer and i didn't have a lot of break in there... so i don't think i had a lot of crap mixed in with the yeast. i certainly didn't do anything like advised here though.

thanks for the info!

 

[tbel]

so i decided to "save" my yest cake from my wheat beer last night. first time i've ever done that and it was late and i didn't check here first. anyway, what i did was rack off the beer as normal which left a bit of wort in the bottom of the carboy. then i simply swirled the word until the entire yeast cake was mixed into a slurry and poured it into a sanitized (starsan) growler. i capped it and stuck it in the fridge figuring i'd wash it today.

that said, is it too late? did i already ruin the yeast? the cake was quite clean as it was a very lightly hopped beer and i didn't have a lot of break in there... so i don't think i had a lot of crap mixed in with the yeast. i certainly didn't do anything like advised here though.

thanks for the info!

I don't see why you'd have any problems as long as you sanitized the jar and everything. I wouldn't keep it in there though. Decant off the beer and do your washing in the jar. You won't get as much this way but what you do get should be just fine.

 

[Apoxbrew]

sweet. thanks. just waiting for the yeast to settle back out so i can decant. then will wash in the jar.

 

[Fuzzy-Q]

I did not read over all of the replys, but here is my question. The krausen residue at the top of my fermenting bucket; should that be rinsed into the trub to be washed as well?

 

[Fuzzy-Q]

Found it. No!

 

[TANSTAAFB]

You answered your own question young brewhopper...you learn quickly. The search will serve you well

 

[madavis25]

I washed my yeast from Wyeast 1056 a couple months ago. How do I know if my sanitation was adequate? I don't think tasting a starter would work because it will be oxidized. I'd hate to ruin a batch if my washing is contaminated.

 

[kapbrew13]

I washed my yeast from Wyeast 1056 a couple months ago. How do I know if my sanitation was adequate? I don't think tasting a starter would work because it will be oxidized. I'd hate to ruin a batch if my washing is contaminated.

Smell it? Check color? Hiccup. ...

 

[C-Rider]

I read about 10 of the 100 pages and didn't see this come up. I want to harvest the Cooper's yeast from bottles after I drink the ale. I have about a 6 pack left from Sparkling Ale and I'd like to clone using the same yeast strain.

Sould I boil some water and use a little in each empty bottle and then pour the contents into a sanitized mason jar?

What would I use as a starter to add to this yeast? Corn sugar/cane sugar?

 

[Chefencore]

I read about 10 of the 100 pages and didn't see this come up. I want to harvest the Cooper's yeast from bottles after I drink the ale. I have about a 6 pack left from Sparkling Ale and I'd like to clone using the same yeast strain.

Sould I boil some water and use a little in each empty bottle and then pour the contents into a sanitized mason jar?

What would I use as a starter to add to this yeast? Corn sugar/cane sugar?

Definitely use some dme if you have some (ive read some things about goya if you don't). I boiled my mini-wort first, poured the first two bottles into my glass, and just kept adding as I drank. I drank all six though.

 

[tbel]

I read about 10 of the 100 pages and didn't see this come up. I want to harvest the Cooper's yeast from bottles after I drink the ale. I have about a 6 pack left from Sparkling Ale and I'd like to clone using the same yeast strain.

Sould I boil some water and use a little in each empty bottle and then pour the contents into a sanitized mason jar?

What would I use as a starter to add to this yeast? Corn sugar/cane sugar?

Here is how John Palmer says to harvest yeast from bottles in How to Brew

 

[C-Rider]

Here is how John Palmer says to harvest yeast from bottles in How to Brew

Thanks, just read the "book", how did I miss that section??????????

 

[Chefencore]

If I cold crash then wash, will the yeast settle before the trub?

 

[DanPoch]

The trub is heavier than the yeast. It will settle out before the yeast.

 

[Chefencore]

How do I keep getting this? That yummy, creamy white layer is the yeast, right?

 

[DanPoch]

Sure looks like the yeast layer at the bottom.
Perhaps a highly flocculating strain of yeast would explain this?

 

[Chefencore]

Wyeast 1056 American ale. I thought maybe cuz I crashed it, the yeast was dense and heavy. Buy after a few days in the fridge, I shook it up (yeast on the very bottom did NOT want to come up) and when it settled, same results. That's okay, though. I'll just roust the trub and dump it off.

 

[KCBigDog]

I just pitched some 1056 that I saved from an IPA. First time reusing yeast. Hope it works!

 

[noggins]

I just pitched some 1056 that I saved from an IPA. First time reusing yeast. Hope it works!

did it work?

 

[Chefencore]

My first starter from washed yeast. Hopefully I will pitch tonite, weather permitting

 

[KCBigDog]

did it work?

I have some serious Krausen, but it's a little darker than what I'm used to seeing.

Hopefully, everything is ok, but the bubbling through the blowoff sounds like a machine gun.

 

[TacoGuthrie]

What is the best method for combining jars?

Can i decant 2 and pour it into an jar with existing yeast? Or is it better to totally sanitize another jar, decant and combine into that one?

Bumping this question because I never really got an answer.

 

[Chefencore]

Bumping this question because I never really got an answer.

I just decant and use existing jars. I like to have a small container of sanitizer on standby, those lid seals like to roll away sometimes.
If I have an extra jar of water that I didn't use, I'll decant all of the liquid, pour some water in to swirl, combine the jars of yeast, and top off with the water.

 

[hedgehogbrew]

I attempted to wash yeast from a beer I bottled last night. I followed all of the steps except that I poured the whole yeast cake into 4 quart mason cars. This includes the trub in all. Looking at the containers after settling for a day in the fridge I cannot see a seperation between any yeast and the trub material. Is it possible to save this yeast? Or should I scrap it and harvest the next batch of yeast?

 

[Chefencore]

Hedgehog - are the jars different colors? You can always repeat the process, and decant the yeasty liquid off the trub. Also, what kind of beer is it? I find darker beers have darker trub and the opposite for lighter brews. You can always just save it all and pitch it into another batch; or make a starter and decant the yeast out of that, leaving the trub behind.

 

[hedgehogbrew]

Chefencore - The beer was an English Brown Ale, so the trub is fairly dark. I have decanted the liquid off of it and added more water to rinse it more. I discarded the liquid because it appeared to be the same as the beer I had racked off and bottled. If I just pitched the hole container how much would the trub effect the flavors of the other beer?

 

[luke2080]

So after reading this thread a week ago, last night I decided to give this a go. But - my roommate failed to provide me some jars, and apparently my retention of what I read is not what it once was.

I put some water in the carboy (not boiled, or distilled, from the tap) swirled, and put into two sanitized drinking glasses. Putting tinfoil on top. (I think I got the tin foil concept from yeast starts..not washing for storage). And now they have sat for 24 hours like that. Then I re-read this thread about boiling water, sanitation, de-oxygenating, etc.

I know I could get jars and decant re-wash. But I'm assuming not using my brain (was drinking and watching the Bruins beat the Canucks) and not using boiled water means it isn't worth trying to do anything with this yeast. Any thoughts?

Either way - looks like I'll toss and try again next week. Hopefully will utilize some brains next time.

Question though - I see the Mr. Malty calculation app for Yeast to pitch, but I still don't quite get this. Based on a harvest date of a couple of weeks ago, it reads I need 181 ML of yeast. This is smaller then the 500 to 1000 ML most people seem to use as a starter. And from my washed yeast (when I do it right) do I use the yeast from the 1 quart jar? .5 quarts? Does it even matter, because it goes into a starter and maximizes its potential after 2 days anyway?

If anyone has a good sticky or link to that, let me know. I'm finding some basic info, and the consensus seems to be "as a homebrewer, it is tough to overpitch, so go big or go home".....but I'd like to do this right....