Yeast washing

[dhelegda]

So I am starting to consider yeast washing but I want to ask some questions. First how long will the yeast stay viable in the refrigerator, will they last as long as a smack pack? I am seeing videos of people using large pickle jars, can you use the a 2 litter flask or do I need something bigger. Also in the videos I see people using 2, 4 or 8 mason jars to store the washed yeast in. If I were to use 8 jars do I need to use all 8 jars in the next batch or is one jar enough to ferment a 5 gallon batch? Thanks

 

[Yooper]

So I am starting to consider yeast washing but I want to ask some questions. First how long will the yeast stay viable in the refrigerator, will they last as long as a smack pack? I am seeing videos of people using large pickle jars, can you use the a 2 litter flask or do I need something bigger. Also in the videos I see people using 2, 4 or 8 mason jars to store the washed yeast in. If I were to use 8 jars do I need to use all 8 jars in the next batch or is one jar enough to ferment a 5 gallon batch? Thanks

I don't 'wash' or 'rinse' my yeast (washing is actually using acid to wash the yeast, while rinsing is using water to get rid of some of the trub, but I do neither).

I just pour it out into jars. Usually, a large baby food-sized jar is enough for a batch. I started using pint sized mason jars recently, since I do 10 gallon batches, and sometimes I use quart jars about 3/4 full.

Here's a great read on how to save yeast, and how to guestimate how much yeast you have: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=519995

 

[dhelegda]

Yooper by not washing or rinsing don't you get dead yeast, spent hops and other crap from the previous batch?

 

[Yooper]

Yooper by not washing or rinsing don't you get dead yeast, spent hops and other crap from the previous batch?

No, not really. I mean, you can't separate yeast from yeast even by rinsing it, so dead/alive doesn't really separate out.

 

[dhelegda]

So do you just scoop all the trub out and just jar it up?

 

[1977Brewer]

So do you just scoop all the trub out and just jar it up?

Yep. Decant the storage beer, let it warm to room temp and pitch. No starter.

 

[brew_ny]

Yep. Decant the storage beer, let it warm to room temp and pitch. No starter.

if it has been in the refrigerator for a bit I will hold back a quart of the wort I am pitching it into and wake it back up with that

all the best

S_M

 

[1977Brewer]

if it has been in the refrigerator for a bit I will hold back a quart of the wort I am pitching it into and wake it back up with that



all the best



S_M

Good idea. Mine have been chugging away from just sitting overnight though.

 

[Yooper]

Good idea. Mine have been chugging away from just sitting overnight though.

I save it in the fridge, sometimes for a month or more, so will use a starter in those cases. But for short term storage, I do not use a starter as long as I guestimate how much I have in the jar.

 

[dhelegda]

if it has been in the refrigerator for a bit I will hold back a quart of the wort I am pitching it into and wake it back up with that



all the best



S_M

So make a small yeast starter?

 

[brew_ny]

So make a small yeast starter?

not really a starter I just pour off the wort covering the yeast and pour the wort I am pitching into to get it going

my yeast is a couple a two three weeks in the refrigerator before I use it

it is top cropped 05 and I just do this to get it going while my wort cools down to pitching temp

which for me is 64 - 65 F, I pitch lots of yeast so it is going with in hours

all the best

S_M

 

[masonsjax]

Some studies have shown the trub to be beneficial, there are no problems to be worried about with harvesting the whole yeast cake. Yeast are very good at creating an environment they can live comfortably in. Removing them from this ideal environment and puting them in water is unnecessary and possibly harmful for the yeast.

However, if your saved yeast will not be used within a few months, it's a good idea to decant most of the beer and replace with fresh wort in order to give them some nutrients to keep them healthy. Repeat every few months if you still need to store at fridge temps.

 

[dhelegda]

I don't 'wash' or 'rinse' my yeast (washing is actually using acid to wash the yeast, while rinsing is using water to get rid of some of the trub, but I do neither).

I just pour it out into jars. Usually, a large baby food-sized jar is enough for a batch. I started using pint sized mason jars recently, since I do 10 gallon batches, and sometimes I use quart jars about 3/4 full.

Here's a great read on how to save yeast, and how to guestimate how much yeast you have: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=519995

I do 5 gallon batches, so is it safe to say that I could fill up a half pint mason far?