79 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I have a bottle of Ommegang Rare Vos I'd like to try to harvest the yeast from. What's the best way to go? I won't be using it immediately so I'd like to just make a little more so when I do want to use it I can just make one starter and be good to go.First off - I'm hoping this beer has the primary yeast in it. I found one website that implied Ommegang does leave the primary in there but I'm not sure.Second off - what's the best method here? Open the bottle, sanitize the opening area and pour out some delicious beer. After this I would assume I should swirl as much as possible to get the yeast in suspension. After this what should I do? Pour this into some starter wort? How many steps should go through with the starters to get something decent to start with for future brewing?

[BarelyBrews]

I have a bottle of Ommegang Rare Vos I'd like to try to harvest the yeast from. What's the best way to go? I won't be using it immediately so I'd like to just make a little more so when I do want to use it I can just make one starter and be good to go.First off - I'm hoping this beer has the primary yeast in it. I found one website that implied Ommegang does leave the primary in there but I'm not sure.Second off - what's the best method here? Open the bottle, sanitize the opening area and pour out some delicious beer. After this I would assume I should swirl as much as possible to get the yeast in suspension. After this what should I do? Pour this into some starter wort? How many steps should go through with the starters to get something decent to start with for future brewing?

I would guess it would be primary yeast, being bottled conditioned beer.I am no expert, i used bells yeast for maybe a three brew run.I swirled the end of the bottle with the yeast real well and dumped in a steriled container.Repeated this that weekend with six beers ,and only did one starter .I took an OG/FG and used it within a couple days of finishing.I made three beers with that and they seemed to work just fine.I even went against the grain and used bells two-hearted yeast( it was suggested to use oberon -i could not finish six of those) anyhow,i was told there yeast were different in some of there beers.But, that was three years ago. Good luck.

[siouxbrewer]

You can just pour sterilized wort into the bottle after you pour out the beer. If you have a capper, then cap it shut and swirl. If not then foil works great. After a day or so, you can start to step up on the stir plate. Just flame the lip of the bottle and sanitize everything profusely.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

You can just pour sterilized wort into the bottle after you pour out the beer. If you have a capper, then cap it shut and swirl. If not then foil works great. After a day or so, you can start to step up on the stir plate. Just flame the lip of the bottle and sanitize everything profusely.

How much wort should I be pitching the yeast slurry into? Should I use regular starter strength (100g of DME/L of water)? It sounds like I should probably do two steps just to build things up a little bit for storage?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

also - how would you guys go about making a small amount of starter? could I microwave some DME and water in a pyrex measuring cup??

[siouxbrewer]

How much wort should I be pitching the yeast slurry into? Should I use regular starter strength (100g of DME/L of water)? It sounds like I should probably do two steps just to build things up a little bit for storage?

When I pour starter wort into the bottle, I aim for no more than 1.035 gravity. Then I step up to a liter flask on the stir plate. After that it goes into a gallon jar. I usually make 3 gallons of starter by doing a small all-grain batch on the stove top, I'm too cheap to by DME.

[djinkc]

Some beers are bottle conditioned with a different yeast than it was fermented with. Which breweries and which beers, I don't know. Just a heads up.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Some beers are bottle conditioned with a different yeast than it was fermented with. Which breweries and which beers, I don't know. Just a heads up.

I've found a couple of sources that seem to think that ommegang leaves in the primary yeast.

[siouxbrewer]

I've found a couple of sources that seem to think that ommegang leaves in the primary yeast.

You're right, Rare Vos is the one to culture because it has the lowest ABV. Great yeast BTW.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

You're right, Rare Vos is the one to culture because it has the lowest ABV. Great yeast BTW.

Do they use the same yeast in all of their beers? I actually just picked Rare Vos b/c it's one of my favorite beers.

[MtnBrewer]

I have a bottle of Ommegang Rare Vos I'd like to try to harvest the yeast from. What's the best way to go? I won't be using it immediately so I'd like to just make a little more so when I do want to use it I can just make one starter and be good to go.First off - I'm hoping this beer has the primary yeast in it. I found one website that implied Ommegang does leave the primary in there but I'm not sure.Second off - what's the best method here? Open the bottle, sanitize the opening area and pour out some delicious beer. After this I would assume I should swirl as much as possible to get the yeast in suspension. After this what should I do? Pour this into some starter wort? How many steps should go through with the starters to get something decent to start with for future brewing?

The way I've done it in the past is as follows. It's going to take a few steps to build up the yeast population. The first step is right in the bottle. So after I decant off the beer, I add about a half a bottle's worth of wort and let that ferment out. Then I pour off the spent wort and do the next step in a 2000 mL flask just like you would with a vial or smack pack. Then if necessary I'll do one more step, either in the same flask (again after discarding the spent wort) or in a larger one. I just keep going like that until I get enough yeast.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

The way I've done it in the past is as follows. It's going to take a few steps to build up the yeast population. The first step is right in the bottle. So after I decant off the beer, I add about a half a bottle's worth of wort and let that ferment out. Then I pour off the spent wort and do the next step in a 2000 mL flask just like you would with a vial or smack pack. Then if necessary I'll do one more step, either in the same flask (again after discarding the spent wort) or in a larger one. I just keep going like that until I get enough yeast.

Thank Mtn.ETA: anyone have any great ideas for creating the small amount of wort for the first step of the starter? My flask is 5L so that seems like it would be a little bit large for the job of creating the wort.

[MtnBrewer]

You can just boil it in a pot on the stove. Or just use your flask. It's too big but that shouldn't hurt anything.

[lowendfrequency]

I've read from multiple sources that Ommegang uses their house yeast to bottle condition, but I also heard directly from Randy Thiel at an Ommegang hosted Belgian Beer Fest that they use a neutral yeast provided by the Moortgat Family (Duvel) to prime with. There are plenty of reports of successful Ommegang clones being made with bottle dregs but considering the words of Mr. Thiel, I'd be more inclined to believe that they are being fermented with a generic Duvel-like Belgian yeast and not the Ommegang house strain. Now, the Witte... that's a harvestable bottle of some fine proprietary yeast.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I've read from multiple sources that Ommegang uses their house yeast to bottle condition, but I also heard directly from Randy Thiel at an Ommegang hosted Belgian Beer Fest that they use a neutral yeast provided by the Moortgat Family (Duvel) to prime with. There are plenty of reports of successful Ommegang clones being made with bottle dregs but considering the words of Mr. Thiel, I'd be more inclined to believe that they are being fermented with a generic Duvel-like Belgian yeast and not the Ommegang house strain. Now, the Witte... that's a harvestable bottle of some fine proprietary yeast.

damnit!ETA: still hope? https://www.brews-br...ommegang-yeast/

[johnpreuss]

When I pour starter wort into the bottle, I aim for no more than 1.035 gravity. Then I step up to a liter flask on the stir plate. After that it goes into a gallon jar. I usually make 3 gallons of starter by doing a small all-grain batch on the stove top, I'm too cheap to by DME.

+1 I'm too cheap to buy it as well. I make that small batch of AG as well. Usually 2 gallons and pour it into 1 liter pet bottles and freeze it. Then when it comes time to make a starter I thaw a bottle and boil it before I use it.

[djinkc]

damnit!ETA: still hope? https://www.brews-br...ommegang-yeast/

Don't let me stop you. It looks like people have done it and been happy. Doesn't seem like there's a clear answer. I just wanted you to know it's a possibility the yeast is different. Got that info at the old place when I asked basically the same questions about building up from the bottle - never got around to it though.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Don't let me stop you. It looks like people have done it and been happy. Doesn't seem like there's a clear answer. I just wanted you to know it's a possibility the yeast is different. Got that info at the old place when I asked basically the same questions about building up from the bottle - never got around to it though.

In the other thread someone mentions getting the info from "Randy". Is this someone at Ommegang?

[DigitalTaper]

Randy Thiel was a brewer at Ommegang for a long time. He left a year or two ago to go work for New Glarus.

[djinkc]

Randy Thiel was a brewer at Ommegang for a long time. He left a year or two ago to go work for New Glarus.

https://beeradvocate.com/news/1193321