# Reusing Yeast Cake From Coopers Commercial Yeast



## Bribie G (4/7/10)

I remember this was raised a year or so ago but can't find it. Culturing Coopers yeast from either Original Pale Ale or Sparkling is a bit of a PITA and takes me around 4 days. I have a nice lot of cake in the Aus PA I'm bottling tomorrow. However a few members were of the opinion that if you let the yeast go to several generations then subsequent brews become more and more estery and very quickly wander away from the 'true' coopers yeast character.

Anyone tried this lately and had these problems?


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## BoilerBoy (4/7/10)

I haven't done what your specifically asking and you may have no problems at all in doing it, however my early attempts at using this yeast (a few years back now) taught me that it can be a "tad" unforgiving and the potential for becoming estery looms ominously, therefore I wouldn't do it purely on the merits of dice rolling. :unsure: 

I don't find reculturing the yeast anymore of a PITA than any other yeast I have stored as a yeast bank, I really like this yeast though and use it often, but always as a new culture from a fresh bottle and have always had consistent success with it this way. 

No real facts here, just an opinion based on a healthy respect for what it will do if treated well and what it can do if as I said "roll the dice"  

Cheers,
BB


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## donburke (4/7/10)

BribieG said:


> I remember this was raised a year or so ago but can't find it. Culturing Coopers yeast from either Original Pale Ale or Sparkling is a bit of a PITA and takes me around 4 days. I have a nice lot of cake in the Aus PA I'm bottling tomorrow. However a few members were of the opinion that if you let the yeast go to several generations then subsequent brews become more and more estery and very quickly wander away from the 'true' coopers yeast character.
> 
> Anyone tried this lately and had these problems?



i start with the dregs of 2 longnecks into 1 ltr of wort, 

when its done, i step up to 3 litres of wort, 

when this is done i split into 4 and store,

i use one of these 4 to make a 1.5 litre starter for each 20 litre brew

thats a few generations i go through and i have no off esters to report, even with warmer ferment temps


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## Murcluf (4/7/10)

Have to totally agree with BoilerBoy the only thing I'd add is the more yeast you have to reculture the better the last time I recultured Coopers yeast I had a 6 pack of echoes (freebies) instead of a couple of longnecks got a good dose of yeast and put it in one litre started and it went off like a frog in sock. The thing that stood out to me is the yeast gave a truer resulting beer being built up from a larger source yeast then from the typical 2-3 longneck results came across as moree stress resulting in more of a hit or miss finished product.


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## haysie (4/7/10)

Why use a cake Bribie? BoilerB has over the years posted some great Coopers culture post`s. Check em out.


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## Bribie G (4/7/10)

The thing is, I've got a mass of yeast there cultured up and ready to rip, as opposed to just tipping it down the sink and going off to Liquorland for another few tallies of Sparkling to repeat the 4 day culturing up exercise. Not to mention the fifteen bucks. However if the recultured yeast 'wanders off' the style and produces a strange tasting beer, then Liquorland it has to be :icon_cheers: 

I actually live 3 doors away from Liquorland here.


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## BoilerBoy (4/7/10)

Then use it and report back. 

Save us all wondering  

I'm curious,

BB


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## Bribie G (4/7/10)

BB, I'll do that. I actually get the impression that there are not a lot of people actually reculturing Coopers yeasts. Last club meeting I asked around with the exact same question and the general response was "tried reculturing out of some Coopers Sparkling but it didn't work" or "good Idea but I never got around to it"


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## clarkey7 (4/7/10)

BribieG said:


> BB, I'll do that. I actually get the impression that there are not a lot of people actually reculturing Coopers yeasts. Last club meeting I asked around with the exact same question and the general response was "tried reculturing out of some Coopers Sparkling but it didn't work" or "good Idea but I never got around to it"


You didn't come and ask me did ya? :unsure:


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## Midnight Brew (4/7/10)

hey hey

I've successfully cultured the yeast from a single Coopers Pale Ale bottle and put it in a 50ml starter for a day, then a 250ml starter for another day then chucked it on the stir plate in a 1 litre starter for a day and had great results and have 8 x 50ml starters to build up when I need them. First beer I brewed with the yeast came out fantastic, but from what the pro's say it is better to have a bigger base of yeast to start with so maybe a 6pack will give you a good culture base + an excuse to drink a few beers.

Ive blabbered a bit but to answer your question maybe with the coopers yeast dont go past the 3rd generation just to be on the safe side.

dicko


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## michaelcocks (5/7/10)

BribieG said:


> I remember this was raised a year or so ago but can't find it. Culturing Coopers yeast from either Original Pale Ale or Sparkling is a bit of a PITA and takes me around 4 days. I have a nice lot of cake in the Aus PA I'm bottling tomorrow. However a few members were of the opinion that if you let the yeast go to several generations then subsequent brews become more and more estery and very quickly wander away from the 'true' coopers yeast character.
> 
> Anyone tried this lately and had these problems?



I have done 2-3 cultures without significant deviation
personally I find afte about 3 it does wander
problem is that it's such an agressive breeder you can end up with a very yeast driven brew


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## drsmurto (5/7/10)

I've re-used Coopers yeastcakes before and found it much harder to control the banana esters even at the lower end of the temp scale when compared to the fresh stuff.

Tried it on a few occasions as i have so much success with other yeast strains and find that for some of the english strains the later generations are better IMO.

I do the same as Murcluf, force myself through a 6-pack rather than a stubby or 2. :chug:


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## Bribie G (5/7/10)

Pocket Beers said:


> You didn't come and ask me did ya? :unsure:


OK I'm asking, I'm asking :lol: BTW Pocket beers does a cracking Pale Ale. 

The current batch was done at 18 degrees and not a hint of banana, just sweet fruityness. I'll whack out a second brew and see if there's any difference. Current one is for the BABBs comp and the next one is for the QABC late August so if I get a banana bender out of it then there's still plenty of time to rebrew. And I always go the three tallies ($16 from Liqourland - I have about 70 tallies now so it's not a total waste of money).


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## komodo (5/7/10)

I've always thought culturing out of stubbies was better than tallies. 
I was also under the impression that the pale was a better source than the sparkling.


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## Bribie G (5/7/10)

Yes just for a change I got the Pale from 1st Choice Liquor on this occasion because I'd heard it was better to culture from, but seemed to take just as long as the regular Sparkling.


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