Yeast Washing Illustrated

[Brulosopher]

Well I figured out how to answer my own question and will share what I learned in the process. With darker beers it helps to do the washing on somewhat a bigger scale using more water. Adding more water dilutes the beer enough to be able to see the difference in trub from yeast. You have to use about double the water and more big jars but it worked better for me doing it this way.

I'll be washing from a stout tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

Another option is to steal some clean yeast from your starter prior to pitching.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Another option is to steal some clean yeast from your starter prior to pitching.

At this point that wasn't an option since I had a 3rd generation cake. But that's what I will be doing from now on to start up a yeast bank.

 

[high5apparatus]

I'm about to bottle a batch of English IPA that has all they British ale yeast I have left in the house. I dry hopped this batch, so is that okay to wash and reuse?

 

[Brewitt]

I'm about to bottle a batch of English IPA that has all they British ale yeast I have left in the house. I dry hopped this batch, so is that okay to wash and reuse?

Absolutely! Dry hopping is not a problem.

 

[DurtyChemist]

Just measured a 77% attenuation from Cry Havoc harvest from DECEMBER 2012! First reuse.

Two separate 2 L starters brewed. One measured 1.020 and I didn't measure the first one.

OG 1.062
FG 1.014 and it MIGHT go a little lower.

He about an inch of yeast in the bottom of a quart jar. Wish I had someone to trade for pints so I could keep this stuff in smaller containers.

 

[KVANTAN]

Can I use something other than malt or malt extract to make a "wort" to use as a starter? I need somethiing more available from the household since I have only limited access to supplies and can't get any extra malt other than whats dedicated to my recipes (Sharia law situation). Would sugar work or some sort of juice or rice or oats?

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Can I use something other than malt or malt extract to make a "wort" to use as a starter? I need somethiing more available from the household since I have only limited access to supplies and can't get any extra malt other than whats dedicated to my recipes (Sharia law situation). Would sugar work or some sort of juice or rice or oats?

The best thing to use is malt extract but in a pinch I've used apple juice with success. I've heard Malta recommended before as well.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta_(soft_drink)#section_1

There's a link showing more about what it is and the different brands sold around the world. Maybe you can find one of these brands or something similar.

 

[mtnagel]

Can I use something other than malt or malt extract to make a "wort" to use as a starter? I need somethiing more available from the household since I have only limited access to supplies and can't get any extra malt other than whats dedicated to my recipes (Sharia law situation). Would sugar work or some sort of juice or rice or oats?

So how do you get supplies to make beer if you can regularly get malt extract?

 

[KVANTAN]

So how do you get supplies to make beer if you can regularly get malt extract?

I make trips to the USA and I have friends bring extract kits over. I also shipped some. About a 5 month lag time between ordering and receiving.

 

[KVANTAN]

The best thing to use is malt extract but in a pinch I've used apple juice with success. I've heard Malta recommended before as well.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta_(soft_drink)#section_1

There's a link showing more about what it is and the different brands sold around the world. Maybe you can find one of these brands or something similar.

I know exactly the one. We have it here, many thanks. Asalamalaykum.

 

[mtnagel]

I make trips to the USA and I have friends bring extract kits over. I also shipped some. About a 5 month lag time between ordering and receiving.

Wow! And I get annoyed with the 10 minute drive to my LHBS

 

[KVANTAN]

Wow! And I get annoyed with the 10 minute drive to my LHBS

Haha..makes me appreciate the little things that is for sure. On a better note, we have a huge selection of fruit so all I need is the right yeast to get here in the next couple months and I can start making some cider, meads or ginger based experiments. Funny thing, all the apples here are from the USA. I am thinking of fermenting some watermelon juice with a champagne/wine yeast. Maybe I'll even get the old lady drunk with that!

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Haha..makes me appreciate the little things that is for sure. On a better note, we have a huge selection of fruit so all I need is the right yeast to get here in the next couple months and I can start making some cider, meads or ginger based experiments. Funny thing, all the apples here are from the USA. I am thinking of fermenting some watermelon juice with a champagne/wine yeast. Maybe I'll even get the old lady drunk with that!

Glad I could help. Not sure where your at but one of my best friends just got back from deployment in Afghanistan and he was shocked to see how much watermelon everyone ate. Look up watermelon wine. I've heard it's pretty good.

 

[Boo-urns]

So from the many pages I've read (Not all naturally) It seems a 1 pint mason jar of yeast is generally going to be fine for a starter with a normal gravity range.

My SG will be at 1.048 and I have 2 half pint glasses how do these look?

 

[mtnagel]

Looks great! Looks like you have about the same about of yeast in both (the off white stuff on top) because the right one has more trub.

I made this calculator to estimate how many billions of cells you have in rinsed yeast. You can use it to see if you'll have enough cells before making a starter for your next beer.

 

[Boo-urns]

Awesome thanks mtnagel!

 

[disney7]

I have a couple of questions that I've tried to glean from this thread, but at 188 pages its kinda of difficult.

I've done a test run at yeast washing.

1) After 20 to 30 minutes, the yeast/trub/water separate into suspended yeast, a settled yeast layer, and a settled trub layer.

Am I ok just pouring off the suspended yeast layer? The settled yeast area is sometimes not discernible, and even when it is, it seems almost impossible to pour that off without getting a lot of the trub.

Am I selecting for poorly flocculating yeast if I only take the suspended yeast or does it really matter since its only been 20 to 30 minutes?

2) I end up with four half quart jars, each with a little over 1/4" of creamy looking yeast and no noticeable trub. Due to my brewing habits, I'm not going to be able to use all four before their viability goes way down. I will just brew one batch with these. Is it a bad idea to pour off the beer and combine them for storage (takes up less fridge space)? Or should I leave them alone and combine them when I'm going to brew? I will make a starter either way.

Thanks for any help!

 

[pabloj13]

I have a couple of questions that I've tried to glean from this thread, but at 188 pages its kinda of difficult.

I've done a test run at yeast washing.

1) After 20 to 30 minutes, the yeast/trub/water separate into suspended yeast, a settled yeast layer, and a settled trub layer.

Am I ok just pouring off the suspended yeast layer? The settled yeast area is sometimes not discernible, and even when it is, it seems almost impossible to pour that off without getting a lot of the trub.

Am I selecting for poorly flocculating yeast if I only take the suspended yeast or does it really matter since its only been 20 to 30 minutes?

2) I end up with four half quart jars, each with a little over 1/4" of creamy looking yeast and no noticeable trub. Due to my brewing habits, I'm not going to be able to use all four before their viability goes way down. I will just brew one batch with these. Is it a bad idea to pour off the beer and combine them for storage (takes up less fridge space)? Or should I leave them alone and combine them when I'm going to brew? I will make a starter either way.

Thanks for any help!

1) A lot of the time I can't seem to see the layers but I have not had a problem with floccing of future batches doing it the way you described. Note: this won't work for all yeasts. Some of them actually floc out before the trub. It's just a matter of trial and error.

2) I combine mine all the time if I know I won't be using all 4 jars. Other than the tiny sanitization risk, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[mtnagel]

In case anyone is wondering, a separatory funnel doesn't work well for separating the yeast from the trub. At least not with my dry hopped/"dump all the trub in the fermenter" pale ale that I just washed the yeast from. It seemed like a great idea, but the hops/stuff got stuck in the stopcock and nothing flowed out.

I'm still trying to figure out how I can use a faucet (like this or the one on bottling buckets) on some clear plastic (or glass) container so that I don't have to try to pour off the top yeast layer, which is never very efficient.

If you don't know what a separatory funnel is:

 

[pabloj13]

In case anyone is wondering, a separatory funnel doesn't work well for separating the yeast from the trub. At least not with my dry hopped/"dump all the trub in the fermenter" pale ale that I just washed the yeast from. It seemed like a great idea, but the hops/stuff got stuck in the stopcock and nothing flowed out.

I'm still trying to figure out how I can use a faucet (like this or the one on bottling buckets) on some clear plastic (or glass) container so that I don't have to try to pour off the top yeast layer, which is never very efficient.

If you don't know what a separatory funnel is:

Why not just use an autosiphon and harvest the top layer that way?

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Or a turkey baster

 

[jflongo]

So from the many pages I've read (Not all naturally) It seems a 1 pint mason jar of yeast is generally going to be fine for a starter with a normal gravity range.

My SG will be at 1.048 and I have 2 half pint glasses how do these look?

Those look pretty good, it should be enough. Never hurts to do a 1L starter with that too, just to wake them back up.

Use this and then the slurry tab to figure how much you need.

http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

 

[mtnagel]

Why not just use an autosiphon and harvest the top layer that way?

Or a turkey baster

I've thought of that. I still think draining the bottom and leaving only the yeast layer will be the most accurate. We'll see.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

I've thought of that. I still think draining the bottom and leaving only the yeast layer will be the most accurate. We'll see.

Maybe. Really when it comes down to it, its not much trub and shouldn't be a very big deal. Just make a nice fat starter and your good to go.

 

[catdaddy66]

Rather than look thru this entire thread I was hoping for some clarity on a yeast term...

Would this washed yeast be considered a "slurry"?

Thanks for the info...

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Rather than look thru this entire thread I was hoping for some clarity on a yeast term...

Would this washed yeast be considered a "slurry"?

Thanks for the info...

That's the way I understood it.

 

[zeg]

Rather than look thru this entire thread I was hoping for some clarity on a yeast term...

Would this washed yeast be considered a "slurry"?

Thanks for the info...

Yes. Also, the traditional correct term for this process is "rinsing," rather than washing. Washing refers to a procedure involving acids that does a more thorough job. I think this is still accurate terminology, though among homebrewers true washing is so rare that the distinction is mostly moot.

 

[Karkinos]

You might also consider checking out the link in my signature called "Yeast Harvesting: A Novel Approach?"

I wish I would've read your post before washing my yeast for the first time. From now on, I'm following your method.

 

[Brulosopher]

I wish I would've read your post before washing my yeast for the first time. From now on, I'm following your method.

Glad to help. Cheers!

 

[catdaddy66]

Yes. Also, the traditional correct term for this process is "rinsing," rather than washing. Washing refers to a procedure involving acids that does a more thorough job. I think this is still accurate terminology, though among homebrewers true washing is so rare that the distinction is mostly moot.

Thanks zag. How long can the rinsed yeast last in the jars?