6 replies to this topic

[passlaku]

I made a small (1.046) beer with Wyeast (1762) Abbey Ale II and transfered it to a keg about a week ago. I shut the lid to the fermentation bucket and put it in the fridge. If I'd like to re-use this yeast how should I go about doing so? Should I just pour some slurry into a container and pour that into new wort? Rinse with boiled water?

[djinkc]

Sweet and simplehttps://hbd.org/carboy/yeast_washing.htmMore than you want to knowhttps://www.wyeastlab.com/com-yeast-harvest.cfmI harvest from a conical (easy) and from a Sankey fermenter. It's pretty easy, just be anal about sanitiation though. I have never needed to wash - it comes out pretty clean from the conical if I plan ahead. The Sanke is just dip a sanitized plastic cup in after kegging and let it settle out. Did that yesterday and the trub settled out easily during the brewday. After you have seen clean yeast a few times it's pretty easy. But it's not the time to cut corners on sanitation. I try to overdo it......

[RommelMagic]

I try to overdo it......

Would that include a mask?

[3rd party JKor]

Would that include a mask?

No, a biohazard suit.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I collect and repitch yeast several times and very often to say the least. I try to keep it pretty simple when I do it. I transfer off my beer down to the trub, then I get a clean and sanitized mason jar transfer the slurry to the jar then refrigerate. Then you see the separation of liquid and material after it has cooled down in the fridge. I normally store like that till I repitch it. I dont look for the trub/yeast seperation. For yourself the first link that DJ posted I like. M Dixon is in my homebrew club and he is a great brewer and gives very sound advice. I think you should collect up your yeast cake and repitch into your new wort and cleaned fermenter. I am a microbiology guy I think there is a good reason to just put a fresh wort into a dirty fermenter even in your case if u stored it in the fridge. A fridge just slows bacterial growth so even if for a couple of days microbes are so small they could be growing already in your container. I say clean it out good repitch your yeast and you will have a great new outstanding beer. Good Luck!!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I collect and repitch yeast several times and very often to say the least. I try to keep it pretty simple when I do it. I transfer off my beer down to the trub, then I get a clean and sanitized mason jar transfer the slurry to the jar then refrigerate. Then you see the separation of liquid and material after it has cooled down in the fridge. I normally store like that till I repitch it. I dont look for the trub/yeast seperation. For yourself the first link that DJ posted I like. M Dixon is in my homebrew club and he is a great brewer and gives very sound advice. I think you should collect up your yeast cake and repitch into your new wort and cleaned fermenter. I am a microbiology guy I think there is a good reason to just put a fresh wort into a dirty fermenter even in your case if u stored it in the fridge. A fridge just slows bacterial growth so even if for a couple of days microbes are so small they could be growing already in your container. I say clean it out good repitch your yeast and you will have a great new outstanding beer. Good Luck!!

I take it one step further and just save some yeast from my starters. I guess the disadvantage here is I have to make a starter every time but I feel a little bit better about my sanitation this way.

[3rd party JKor]

There's almost a gallon of volume below the transfer valve on my conical, so I fill a 4L flask with the slurry. I let everything settle out in the fridge, then decant the spent beer. Then I add sterile water, swirl everything up. When the trub separates out I transfer the top layer of yeast slurry into another sanitized flask. If I get a lot of trub into the second flask, I'll repeat the process. From there I use JZ's pitching rate calculator to determine the proper amount of slurry to pitch.