11 replies to this topic

[Genesee Ted]

I am making a bigger version of the wit I made last week today. The Wyeast 3499 that I used is stated to be a "true top cropping yeast". I didn't think of it until too late, but I should have made some sort of blow off collection system (which I will do this time) in order to harvest the yeast. There is still a fair amount of yeast on the top of the beer, so I am thinking I will just siphon off the top part into the batch I am making today. Do you guys anticipate any problems with this method? I am a bit concerned about cell count, but I am thinking that these suckers should take right off.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I am making a bigger version of the wit I made last week today. The Wyeast 3499 that I used is stated to be a "true top cropping yeast". I didn't think of it until too late, but I should have made some sort of blow off collection system (which I will do this time) in order to harvest the yeast. There is still a fair amount of yeast on the top of the beer, so I am thinking I will just siphon off the top part into the batch I am making today. Do you guys anticipate any problems with this method? I am a bit concerned about cell count, but I am thinking that these suckers should take right off.

Please understand that I have never brewed with this yeast but I feel that I understand your explanation of your situation. First off I use blow off tubes with pretty much any beer that I brew regardless of the yeast being true top cropping or not. Airlocks gum up too easily if you ask me. You say you wanna set up a blow off system to collect the yeast from your fermenter? I have seen yeast carry over into my blow off container with sanitized water in it from time to time. I have never brewed with it straight from there though too. If you take your collected yeast like that how can you pitch enough for a new beer especially if its a higher gravity one too? My question is though: Is your beer finished fermenting from last week? If its not why take yeast from that beer for a new beer, it would make performing a proper yeast pitch a bit though I would believe. If it were me I would let the beer from last weekend finish its fermentation, let the yeast settle transfer off the yeast and repitch into your bigger beer and roll from there. I don't discredit your thought that your method will allow the yeast to take off but even that if you don't pitch enough your FG will be too high possibly and mess up your new beer too. Either way hope that helps, let us know what you decided to do too.Mike

[Genesee Ted]

It went from 1.054 down to 1.014. So it is pretty much done. What yeast I take, it has to spare. But if you pitch from the cake, you are using the more flocculent, weaker yeast. I think I am just going to siphon the beer off and leave the yeast to settle upon the cake and repitch the whole thing. I also have been thinking/comcerned lately about how much trub I am pitching with the yeast.

[ncbeerbrewer]

It went from 1.054 down to 1.014. So it is pretty much done. What yeast I take, it has to spare. But if you pitch from the cake, you are using the more flocculent, weaker yeast. I think I am just going to siphon the beer off and leave the yeast to settle upon the cake and repitch the whole thing. I also have been thinking/comcerned lately about how much trub I am pitching with the yeast.

Understood. That sounds good yes sounds like you hit FG. Your plan sounds good. I understand your concern for the trub. I reuse yeast like its going out of style and brew all different styles don't seem to notice any trub influence on a new beer but your plan sounds good to me. Good Luck and enjoy!! I am waiting till Sunday to brew my next beer since my yeast are still bubbling a Robust Porter I brewed last weekend.

[Jimmy James]

I'd just be real careful about sanitation. Once you start siphoning off in the presence of oxygen I think there's a lot more opportunity for bugs to take hold, so again I'd just be super careful. Can't wait to hear how this works out!

[Genesee Ted]

I ended up racking the beer from way under the yeast and when it got to the bottom, just left a tiny anount of beer so the yeast would stay there. Then I just pitched the whole cake, trub and all. I don't think the trub has a great effect on the next beer, but I still would have liked to have avoided it. Anyway, the yeast took right off in the new batch and I am at full krausen now. The racked beer formed more yeast at the top and it is chomping away at the last few gravity points. Despite being 70* F, it tasted really good. Next week I am on to my dark wit. It has a bit of kiln coffee and chocolate malts to do a little bit of a play on the classic flavor pairing of chocolate and spiced orange.

[EWW]

Top cropping on a HB scale

[Genesee Ted]

That is a great write up. That is basically what I did.

[cavman]

Top cropping on a HB scale

This is basically the system shown in Brew Like A Monk.

Edited by cavman, 14 November 2010 - 09:48 AM.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

Randy Mosher has a similar set up in Radical Brewing. If I remember corectly, he used a carboy with the orange cap for collection. That way you could put the new wort directly into the carboy.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

Good article. I have been racking (no pun intended) my brain to try to figure out how to top crop in a carboy!

I use a sanatized turkey baster, couple of squirts at high krausen into a starter.