# Reusing Yeast Directly From The Fermenter



## aussierover (19/5/10)

I have looked through the yeast related topics and have failed to find what I am looking for. Can I wash the yeast once fermentation has finished and use it straight away in the following batch within an hour say? I have heard of people putting a new batch straight onto the the leftover sediment in the fermenter, however it is not advised because of the abundance of heavier gunk. I ask because I am using a better yeast at the moment and would like to try my hand at reusing it without going to the trouble of stepping up a starter. Could I wash it and use half and keep half to get practice before trying slants, starters etc. and would this yeast be in a healthy, hungry and reproductive state? I dont want to pitch it and 'kaboom' run for my life!! :blink: Apologies if this topic is already covered..


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## Fourstar (19/5/10)

The simplest method for any newcomers is to sanitise a 1/2 cup (for ales) or a 1 Cup measuring cup (for lagers) and simply leave around 500ml of beer in the bottom of the fermenter along with the yeast and trub. Swirl it until its all in suspension and scoop your required 1/2cup or 1cup of yeast and dump directly onto the wort in the second fermenter.

the reason for the 1/2 cup or 1 cup is it will have the correct pitching rate for a standard 23L 1.050 OG beer. :icon_cheers:

dont worry about washing it unles you can be sure you wont contaminate it.


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## MisterJingosSmile (19/5/10)

I have been thinking about doing this as well. 

Just out of interest, I have heard (brewstrong) about re-using active yeast by collecting it from the krausen at the top of a fermenter when things are really going around day 3 and adding it directly to a new batch of wort. 

I would like to be able to store my yeast for up to several weeks before reusing it as I tend to switch between brewing wheat beers and more regular beers each time I brew... and it's usually a few weeks between a brew.

In the few posts I've read on the topic, people have reported having luck with using the approach suggested by Fourstar but keeping the slurry in a 500ml bottle in the fridge for a while and pitching it when they need it. This is the approach I intend to take. I will do a 1L starter with the yeast before pitching as well.

What I'm unsure about is whether it is worth using this approach for a wheat beer fermented with wb-06. I have heard that the results can change quite a bit between generations of wheat beer yeasts. Any suggestions?


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## Wolfy (19/5/10)

MisterJingosSmile said:


> In the few posts I've read on the topic, people have reported having luck with using the approach suggested by Fourstar but keeping the slurry in a 500ml bottle in the fridge for a while and pitching it when they need it. This is the approach I intend to take. I will do a 1L starter with the yeast before pitching as well.


Yeast slurry has a fairly short shelf-life, most of the things I've heard/read indicate that storage of about 1 week is fine, but much more than that (several weeks in your case) can leave you with a large portion of non-viable cells (also look at the MrMalty calculator and play with the harvest date). If that's true then direct-pitching the slurry that has been stored for some weeks is not really a good idea, however by creating a starter you should be able to build up the number of live yeast cells to an appropriate volume for pitching.


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## bconnery (19/5/10)

MisterJingosSmile said:


> I have been thinking about doing this as well.
> 
> Just out of interest, I have heard (brewstrong) about re-using active yeast by collecting it from the krausen at the top of a fermenter when things are really going around day 3 and adding it directly to a new batch of wort.
> 
> ...



There's plenty of people storing slurry for a few weeks and then using a starter. As long as you harvest and store it in sanitary conditions you should be fine. Any longer than 1 week and you definitely want to make a starter I think, but you plan to do that anyway. 

With regards to the results changing the main issue I believe, and I am by no means an expert, is that underpitching slightly can assist in ester production, which is desirable for wheats. Using slurry can often lead to a higher yeast count, particularly if used fresh, so ester production may, but not necessarily, suffer as a result. 
That's my understanding of one aspect anyway.


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## aussierover (19/5/10)

Fourstar said:


> The simplest method for any newcomers is to sanitise a 1/2 cup (for ales) or a 1 Cup measuring cup (for lagers) and simply leave around 500ml of beer in the bottom of the fermenter along with the yeast and trub. Swirl it until its all in suspension and scoop your required 1/2cup or 1cup of yeast and dump directly onto the wort in the second fermenter.
> 
> the reason for the 1/2 cup or 1 cup is it will have the correct pitching rate for a standard 23L 1.050 OG beer. :icon_cheers:
> 
> dont worry about washing it unles you can be sure you wont contaminate it.




The yeast I am using is from the Morgans blue mountain lager, which as I understand is better than kit yeast but by no means top quality. It makes for a perfect opportunity to tempt my hand at reusage. Say I used 3/4 of a cup of slurry in another kit, say coopers mexican with enhancers, is that O.K?

By doing that I could wash and keep the rest. How would I tell if the washed yeast had picked up contaminants prior to use?

Is the coopers international yeast on par, better or worse than morgans BM lager yeast??


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## Fourstar (19/5/10)

RIF said:


> The yeast I am using is from the Morgans blue mountain lager, which as I understand is better than kit yeast but by no means top quality. It makes for a perfect opportunity to tempt my hand at reusage. Say I used 3/4 of a cup of slurry in another kit, say coopers mexican with enhancers, is that O.K?
> 
> By doing that I could wash and keep the rest. How would I tell if the washed yeast had picked up contaminants prior to use?
> 
> Is the coopers international yeast on par, better or worse than morgans BM lager yeast??




I dont forsee any need to reuse kit yeat. Considering you get a new one under each lid its kinda pointless. For yeast viability and the chance of contamination i'd just stick with using a fresh packet.

As for the beer kit to use it on, use any it doesnt matter, what matters is the OG of the wort for the pitching rates i described.

OG 1.050+-2 @ 23L
Ale - 1/2 cup slurry
Lager - 1 cup slurry


The way to pick up on contaminants is to taste and to smell, usually it will smell sour or vinegar like and taste somewhat the same. If it tastes doughy and yeasty (atleast to my palate) shes good to go.


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## mintsauce (19/5/10)

I've not had a problem just chucking a new batch of wort directly on top of the yeast from a batch before (quite similar beers but not the same) and it has produced some really nice beers (I'm up to AG #15 now, I'll update sig later), I would not do more than once or twice tho.

I do plan to do yeast slants and work on my yeast health a bit in the near future.


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## jakub76 (19/5/10)

I store and re-use almost all of my yeast, often for 2 months at a time.
The most important thing to do it sanitize everything every step of the way, but that's pretty easy.
I start by racking the beer off the yeast cake into a bottling bucket (2nd fermenter)
I then add 500ml of cooled, boiled water and give the vessel a good swirl. This puts the yeast and trub into suspension. 
I then pour it into a sanitized pyrex jug and cover with sanitized glad wrap.
After 15-20 minutes most of the trub has fallen out and left the yeast in suspension so I decant the yeasty water into a sanitized jar leaving the trub behind. Then I seal the jar tightly and place in the fridge.
After a couple of days the yeast has all gone dormant and settled on the bottom leaving 500ml of pale yellow, diluted beer. I decant that off the yeast and top it up with another 500ml of cooled, boiled water - seal and give it a good shake.
A few more days in the fridge and I repeat the 'washing' process until it comes up clear.

To re-use I always make a starter - 50g DME into 500ml water boiled and cooled (SG around 1.040) into a PET bottle with an airlock. Ales I do this the night before brew day then feed it up again with some 1st runnings. Lagers I start 24-48 hours early and feed up again on brew day.

I also love heffe, despite hearing JZ suggest that wheat beer yeast won't keep long I tried it anyway and am enjoying good results after storing for 3 weeks.



EDIT: Left to right it's Wyeast 2083 Munich Lager, Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen and finally US-05, my WLP830 is busy at the moment.


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## Fourstar (19/5/10)

MintSauce said:


> I've not had a problem just chucking a new batch of wort directly on top of the yeast from a batch before (quite similar beers but not the same) and it has produced some really nice beers (I'm up to AG #15 now, I'll update sig later), I would not do more than once or twice tho.
> I do plan to do yeast slants and work on my yeast health a bit in the near future.



This is known as *overpitching* (or close to). By doing this you can have issues with autolysis of yeast cells lending flavours into your beer and a lack of fresh new healthy cells chewing on your wort ensuring you have proper attenuation.

Would you prefer a colony fresh young healthy yeast making your beer or excessive amounts of old fat and lazy yeast converting your alcohol?

You always want some fresh new yeast cells in your beer, hence my controlled pitching rates so you get a fresh build up of healthy new cells. Dumping onto a whole cake is not advisable unless you are brewing something ultra high gravity 8%+ ABV and you will get some growth that you require.

Also with pitching at those rates you can end up with a 'yeast bite' or a distinct yeast characteristic in your final beer (can sometimes taste rubbery). not a good thing.

Just a word of warning. :icon_cheers:


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## Fourstar (19/5/10)

jakub76 said:


> I also love heffe, despite hearing JZ suggest that wheat beer yeast won't keep long I tried it anyway and am enjoying good results after storing for 3 weeks.



Ive also heard the same with slanting it. I'll soon find out however. Ive got a Hefeweizen and a roggen in the pipelines! :icon_chickcheers: 

I feel sorry for my mash tun, shes going to get a beating with lack of husks in the next few months!


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## haysie (19/5/10)

I agree overpitching should be avoided for all the reasons above. I wash my yeast sometimes, I reckon it stores much longer than a dirty slurry. Direct pitching the washed yeast is my preferred but sometimes I dont have a brew ready so I store it then fire it with a starter. Now mainly using better-bottle carboys allows me to take the so-called best yeast via the blow off and repitch, capturing this yeast previously although not using it blew me away how clean it was, in the future i will use a sealed container with sterile water for my blow-off then reuse. Talking to a couple of accomplished brewers at the British Ales Comp on the weekend, the blow off method is pretty much a Burton thing many many years ago. Now I have a place for 3068 to pop its head up.


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## jakub76 (19/5/10)

> in the future i will use a sealed container with sterile water for my blow-off


where will the CO2 go?


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## haysie (19/5/10)

jakub76 said:


> where will the CO2 go?



good point, poor words! semi sealed, glad wrappy flask


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## pdfarrell (17/5/11)

Fourstar said:


> The simplest method for any newcomers is to sanitise a 1/2 cup (for ales) or a 1 Cup measuring cup (for lagers) and simply leave around 500ml of beer in the bottom of the fermenter along with the yeast and trub. Swirl it until its all in suspension and scoop your required 1/2cup or 1cup of yeast and dump directly onto the wort in the second fermenter.
> 
> the reason for the 1/2 cup or 1 cup is it will have the correct pitching rate for a standard 23L 1.050 OG beer. :icon_cheers:
> 
> dont worry about washing it unles you can be sure you wont contaminate it.



How many times can this be done using this simple method ? How many batches or 'generations' ?
I assume if the beer tastes okay at bottling/kegging than it is good to go ?

_Proposed method:_
For an ale.. fill about a 3rd of a sanitised schooner glass with the swirled up slurry/beer mix (out of the tap), cover with glad wrap for 1/2 an hour at room temp while I clean/sanitise fermenter, prepare new wort, and throw in when temp is okay.
Gee I hope it can be that simple.. just starting to use "non-kit" yeasts, and would like to get a little value for money.. with out all the hassle of "washing", "farming" etc.


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## RdeVjun (17/5/11)

BC, I think I did that over half a dozen times before I decided I wanted to switch to a different strain, however IIRC others have reported doing so for many more batches than that. It is an easy and very straightforward way to get much more value out of a smackpack etc, without having to resort to one of the various forms of yeast ranching. I'd recommend it, so long as sanitation and preparation are up to scratch. Top cropping is another way to do that, however the conditions just mentioned are even more important, along with suitable strains.


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## pdfarrell (17/5/11)

Sanitation done thoroughly with starsan.. using US-05 yeast. Not really looking to change strains to often... just would like to get maybe 3-4 batches from a packet.


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## mwd (17/5/11)

Exactly the way I do it except collect as much as possible into empty 450g black olive jars with screw lids then can save 2 or 3 in the fridge for later. They last for months.

I did read that 6 generations was the recommended maximum as the yeast mutates on each new generation. I usually don't go more than about 4 myself as I usually brew such a wide variation in beer styles you don't really want to be using stout yeastcake in an APA.


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## haysie (17/5/11)

Tropical_Brews said:


> "snip" you don't really want to be using stout yeastcake in an APA.


Why not? Is the yeast tanned. :blink:


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## kelbygreen (17/5/11)

from what I read you are best to use a heavier and maltier beer then the you are reusing. I have never reused yeast but that is what I have gathered


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## pdfarrell (17/5/11)

Tropical_Brews said:


> Exactly the way I do it except collect as much as possible into empty 450g black olive jars with screw lids then can save 2 or 3 in the fridge for later. They last for months.
> 
> I did read that 6 generations was the recommended maximum as the yeast mutates on each new generation. I usually don't go more than about 4 myself as I usually brew such a wide variation in beer styles you don't really want to be using stout yeastcake in an APA.



You don't wash/farm whatever the terminology? Just pure fresh swirled crud/trub into the jar? And it last months?
Things are looking up. Would make sense to have 2 or 3 of the first generation saved.


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## RdeVjun (17/5/11)

BC, that degree of re- use sounds feasible to me. That would ground you fairly well in the method before, or if ever, you decide to use other more expensive or exotic strains.
Top cropping is another which could be utilised if you pitch frequently enough (there's only a fairly brief window of opportunity) and the strain is suited to that method (I'm sure someone will tell us if not).


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## pdfarrell (17/5/11)

I only have 1 fermenter.. sorry I tell a lie... room for one fermenter in my temp controlled fridge. So not frequently pitching.
Would just be kegging one batch... then refilling the fermenter with another on the same day.

I guess I can plan a run of light to dark beer if the concensus is "once you go black you can't go back".


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## Wolfy (17/5/11)

BrewingCousin said:


> How many times can this be done using this simple method ? How many batches or 'generations' ?


In a normal home-brew type situation, after about 5 or 6 reuses, bacteria and other infections start to become an issue so that is generally seen as the upper limit depending on your sanitation and procedures.

I've reused washed yeast (always with a starter) after storing it in the fridge for about 9 months, however the storage-limit (for what I have done) seems to be about a year, after that there is not enough viable yeast left.



BrewingCousin said:


> I guess I can plan a run of light to dark beer if the concensus is "once you go black you can't go back".


Since you will be washing the yeast, I don't think there is any issue re-using yeast from a dark beer, the issue hinted at earlier is that yeast from high gravity beers is usually in poor condition and is not always suitable for re-pitching.


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## haysie (17/5/11)

Why cant you pitch yeast on a dark beer into a light beer? Maybe because your not only pitching yeast but a heap of trub as well. Surely your flask would show you the creamy yeast and if chilled and decanted.......its *yeast* not some of the last beer you are pitching.

Yeast1.. faark this is dark beer, I dont like anything less anymore
Yeast2.. get me out of here, i cant see anymore.


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## pdfarrell (17/5/11)

haysie said:


> Why cant you pitch yeast on a dark beer into a light beer? Maybe because your not only pitching yeast but a heap of trub as well. Surely your flask would show you the creamy yeast and if chilled and decanted.......its *yeast* not some of the last beer you are pitching.



I was wondering the same thing. You would think that half a cup (125ml) of black trub in 23000ml of light wort wouldn't make a hell of a difference?

Don't get me wrong.. I'm not that much of a tightarse that I would rip open a new $6 packet of US-05 if there was a valid reason.


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## pdfarrell (17/5/11)

Wolfy said:


> Since you will be washing the yeast, I don't think there is any issue re-using yeast from a dark beer, the issue hinted at earlier is that yeast from high gravity beers is usually in poor condition and is not always suitable for re-pitching.



Ahh.. high gravity leaves the yeast tuckered out. Makes sense. I wasn't going to be washing the yeast, that was the crux of my original question.


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## pdfarrell (17/5/11)

haysie said:


> Yeast1.. faark this is dark beer, I dont like anything less anymore
> Yeast2.. get me out of here, i cant see anymore.



Gold!


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## mwd (17/5/11)

I just collect the crud from the bottom of the fermenter by leaving about 1/2 litre of the original beer give it a good swirl round and collect from the tap get about 3 or 4 jars with about 200ml in each when settled. Cannot be bothered rinsing the yeast just leave the beer on top and it still works fine after 6 months no problems at all so far. I would probably consider rinsing a stout yeast into a light beer but you are probably right in it would not make any difference.

I use US-05 and Nottingham yeasts not got around to using liquids yet still pretty happy with results.


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## outbreak (17/5/11)

So there isn't an issue if there are large amounts of pellet hops in the yeast/trub?


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## Wolfy (18/5/11)

outbreak said:


> So there isn't an issue if there are large amounts of pellet hops in the yeast/trub?


That's the reason/idea for washing or rinsing the yeast, you remove any trub, hop debris and other unwanted gunk and keep only the clean yeast ready to re-use and re-pitch.


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## timryan (7/7/11)

Hey guys thanks heap Ive just started using us05 yeast and would mind getting a bit more for my buck... I worry about infection with just collecting it off the bottom of the vessel is this not the case? And is it as simple as you guys are making it out.. 500ml of beer left and just half fill a jar with the mixed about trub.. Then just pour it in the next batch? What gets me is that I added an 11.5g packet of yeast how can collecting half a jar of beer contain enough yeast to actively ferment a 23L batch? 

Cheers Tim


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## MattC (7/7/11)

timryan said:


> Hey guys thanks heap Ive just started using us05 yeast and would mind getting a bit more for my buck... I worry about infection with just collecting it off the bottom of the vessel is this not the case? And is it as simple as you guys are making it out.. 500ml of beer left and just half fill a jar with the mixed about trub.. Then just pour it in the next batch? What gets me is that I added an 11.5g packet of yeast how can collecting half a jar of beer contain enough yeast to actively ferment a 23L batch?
> 
> Cheers Tim



The yeast in the packet alone will not effectively ferment the wort, what happens is the yeast multiply through asexual reproduction and grow in numbers to a point where there is enough to ferment the batch. By the time the wort has been fermented there will be much more yeast on the bottom of the fermenter than you actually pitched to begin with. It is this yeast growth phase that is the principle behind yeast starters...

cheers


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## timryan (7/7/11)

Tanks mate that explains alot.... So can it increase the chances of carrying infection?


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## pdilley (7/7/11)

For what it is worth, I resurrect yeast well beyond 2 years past its use-by-date.

I'm going to try my hand at the above plus 3+ months in a hot non-refrigerated storage unit next when my spare fish tank heaters from China arrive (I thought I had 3 but I have only found one since moving so my stir plate and fermenters must swap between the heat source during this winter so yeast farming is currently on hold until I'm done with the next few batches, or the China fish tank heaters arrive).

Those heaters are now coming in stainless steel bling instead of glass if anyone is into that sort of thing.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete


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## MattC (7/7/11)

As yeast grows so do any beasts you dont want, so taste the beer that has fermented to be sure. When i make a yeast starter I build it up to the volume I need and then chill it to drop the yeast out, then I pour the fermented beer off the yeast into a glass and have real good sniff and taste. If I am in any doubt about the starter I will not pitch it. It is heart breaking when you pitch an infected starter into 23L of hard work....

Cheers


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## Dazza88 (7/7/11)

Who reuses s-189 in this way?


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## Bribie G (7/7/11)

If you sanitise a bottle well (PET bottle is good, you don't need labware or anything flash) and when you have finished bottling or kegging or transferring to a second vessel for cold crashing etc etc , give the fermenter a good swirl to turn the trub into runny cream, and pour off through the tap into the PET - and a second PET if you have enough - leaving a few cm headspace, then squeeze the bottle to expel all the air and cap firmly. Give bottle a good washdown then store in a cold fridge, where it will keep for months, settling out typically to a half a bottle of trub and half a bottle of what is effectively beer. It will outgas some CO2 and the bottle will plump up again so the headspace will be pure CO2. 

I saved a bottle of Danish Lager yeast in early March and got round to pitching it three days ago, so it was almost bang on 4 months in the fridge. I let it warm up gradually and by the time it was at around 18 degrees it was just about crawling out of the bottle. If it had been an ale yeast I would have pitched there and then (after pouring off the excess "beer") - but did a starter with a couple of litres of left over wort and it's hammering away now in the ferm fridge. 

Even though US-05 is not too expensive I usually run mine for two or three generations before going onto fresh stock.

Daz, basically it works with any yeast. The thing is that by the time you get to reuse the yeast, by that time you are probably drinking the beer it produced. (edit: as Matt says) If the beer is good then you would have to be very unlucky indeed to have an infected yeast bottle, especially if you did it as part of the bottling / kegging process right there on the spot. Never happened to me.


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## timryan (7/7/11)

I've never tasted off beer so am I looking for a sour taste? I'm really keen to try and reuse my us05 on my next batch of apa.. I just want to get my head around the reusing idea first...


I will be using mine on the same day so I guess I won't need to bottle it.. Bribie do you then pour off the beer and add the straight trub?


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## Tanga (7/7/11)

If you're putting a new batch down as soon as the old one's done you can pitch it straight into the fermenter. Least chance of infection that way. Make sure you don't add hot wort straight on the cake, low 20s if you can, as heat will kill the yeast. Do that taste test first though. If it's at all sour don't reuse.


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## Ryan WABC (7/7/11)

I was curious when I read about pitching a new brew onto an old yeast cake, so I'm going to give it a go. I'm going to do two lagers with the exact same preparation and ingredients, using Saflager W-34/70 for the first, then pitch the second straight on top of the yeast cake of the first. I'll be interested to see if there is any difference in flavour between the two.


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## timryan (7/7/11)

Sounds good but what about the mess around the top of the fermenter? Could that infect the beer?


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## RdeVjun (7/7/11)

timryan said:


> Sounds good but what about the mess around the top of the fermenter? Could that infect the beer?


Nope, that's just krausen residue, fairly pure yeast and a few fermentation by- products, so nothing to worry about. I just leave it be, no point in trying to clean it off and potentially introducing a source of infection.


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## cdbrown (7/7/11)

I don't know if I'd dump directly onto the yeast cake. I'd want to cap a cup of yeast slurry and pitch it into a clean fermenter. Couldn't pitching on the cake be detrimental just like overpitching of yeast? Cake will be full of dead yeast cells, hop material and other proteins which have dropped out of the previous beer. For me I'd clean the fermenter first and start fresh.


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## brettprevans (7/7/11)

this like most things in brewing is about your own preferance and risk appetite. there are the gold plated, absolute best etc methods and then there is reality. there are varying degrees of time poor people, can be arsed, happy to take a chance etc people out there that will do less than the perfect methods. you just have to be aware of the risks.

Ive pitched directly onto whole yeast cakes no issues, ive used non sanitised bottles to collect yeastcask then dumped the whole thing on top other beers, trub and all. no problems etc. im happy to risk it. ive also got gen7 yeasts that im using which is a good few generations over the reccomended reuse. they are ok. all that being said ive seen people have infections, have yeast mutate and send off flavoiurs etc. pick whats right for you and suits your risk appetite. 

asking the questions, reseraching etc so you have the information is a great start to understanding wat your prepared to live with.

if i didnt have 3 kids, an insane job and a masters to do, id probably wash my yeast and have better pitching and sanatation procedures, but i dont have the time so i take some calculated risks based on past experiance (like infections etc)


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## Nick JD (7/7/11)

Bribie G said:


> Even though US-05 is not too expensive I usually run mine for two or three generations before going onto fresh stock.



I took S189 to generation 4 in a keg I'm serving now, and there's a few hints of it's age showing through. Was a bit sulphury in the fermenter and is still there in the keg a tiny amount (which is out of character for 189). It's less lagery too - maybe hints of esters popping up. It's hard to put my finger on it, but the beer is just _less good._

I also reckon 3 generations is the best time to retire your yeast.

When I want to revive a yeast that's months old (been sitting in a 300ml PET bottle in fridge) I like to make a starter from it and then "top crop" the starter to get at the fresh generation and leave the vegemitey trub well behind. Some yeats you can actually do a proper top-crop of the starter krausen, others I pour off the active portion and ditch the trub. The second starter is full of rearing yeast - or I've simply decanted into the fermenter before.


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## timryan (7/7/11)

See I believe that I would be best to collect the trub in a glass and cover with cling wrap then clean out the fermenter and once done and the next batch mixed I would dump ontop.. I worry about the residue from the last hop having an effect on the new batch.. Although if I follow it up with a similar hop that might add something to the brew..


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## rich_lamb (7/7/11)

Good to see so much of that precious yeast being reused! I've been doing this in various ways nearly since I started - sure, I can afford new yeast, but I hate to waste stuff.
Here's my 2c:
- I don't bother to wash it, as I reckon the chance of adding infection (in each and every transfer) vastly outways the benefit of having no trub in there. The way I see it, so what if you add 100ml of trub to a batch of new beer (that has much more trub in it anyway). ie. what exactly are you scared of adding with this trub? I used to wash the yeast, but gave up. That said, when I was no-chilling my wort was pretty clean as it filtered out o fthe kettle, so the yeast looked great. My recent batches the yeast looks rubbish, but I aint payin' it to be pretty (I used it just the same).

- I acid washed once, to try to eliminate any bacteria, but as you cant really know how effective you're being I was dubious about it's value. I do have the low pH papers now so I can do this with more accuracy but I'm not planning to add it to my process

- I typically only reuse the yeast for about 3 batches; this is for two reasons. First is that's typically the number of beers I want to make with that single yeast for a year or so, second is the concern of building up infection levels in the yeast (ie. a beer safety concern) which others have mentioned. I don't see any reason to push the limits established in the current dogma as to how many reuses you can get.

- I don't reuse beyond a gravity of about 1.065, bit of an arbitrary limit, but the reasoning for not reusing yeast from higher gravity beers seems pretty sound to me. I do try to roll from lighter to darker beers, but it's not a rule - I have done it the other way. You have to ask yourself "why" when you hear suggestions like dont-reuse-yeast-from-dark-beer. Basically it's a suggestion; to prevent you from darkening the second beer. But somewhere along the line it becomes a rule. If my second beer is not going to be greatly affected by a couple 100ml fo darker beer I'll happily go for it as the advantages outweigh the cost.

- I try to reuse across adjacent batches, so the yeast is only in the fridge for a few days. Occasionally I store it for a month or more and then I just do another starter to condition it up a bit. You will notice the yeast going darker the longer you store it, which I gather is just a slow autolysis (even sleepy yeast has gotta eat).

Basically I just use a sanitised cup and funnel to get yeast from the bottom of the fermenter at bottling. If you really don't like the trub in the sample you could swirl it before you pitch and let it settle for 5 minutes before pitching off the top. I cap 'em and sit them in the fridge - capping is not a problem for a few days. Reusing yeast is basically the same as making a starter in some ways - just a very big starter. I've actually made batches of a smaller beer to get enough yeast for a high-gravity brew.


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## timryan (7/7/11)

From reading I think the best option is too collect some trub and empty and sanitize the fermenter then mix the new batch and re-add the mixture... This would be done on the same day within a matter of hours... Using a glass jar and cling wrap.. Might be able to collect a few for and fridge them for later brews...


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## yum beer (7/7/11)

I used my first slury last weekend.
I bottled a kit draught early last week and collected 2 jars of slurry...swirled fermenter with 1/2 litre beer still on top then put into fridge.
Friday i put down a Black Rock Dry Lager, Saturday I had to go to Wollongong for the weekend and when I checked on it Saturday morning, 24 hours later..nothing, no krausen, no sign of Co2, no change if SG. I pulled a jar from the fridge, poured off the beer on top and pitched about 200ml of slurry, leaving some thickish looking crud on the bottom of the jar.
Got home Tuesday, brewing away like a champion, great krausen, smell good and tastes the goods.
Dont for sure if its only the slurry doing the work but I am pretty confident the kit yeast didnt fire.
I have always been a little concerned about using the slurry, but I wasnt losing a whole batch to infection if the kit yeast didnt kick on. Seems all is fine and I am happy to know that I can safely reuse my yeast and save a little more cash. I do lagers mainly and the yeast cost adds up.
Cheers to everyone on here for information and guidance in relation to reusing, washing, rinsing, pitching yeast.


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## DKS (7/7/11)

If using the full yeastcake, temp control is important . A vigorous fement raises temps so watch the first 48hrs or so. Using this method has caught me out recently not using controlled fridge because of low ambient temps.
Daz


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## Wolfy (7/7/11)

Good to see that many people are or are considering re-using their yeast, and there are so many ways to do it that there is not any right or wrong way, just what works best for you.

Re-using yeast - whatever way you do it - from the bottom (yeast cake) or top (cropping) of the fermentor - will not introduce any _new _contamination or infections that are not already in the previous beer (assuming your re-use procedures are sanitary). If you've been careful with your sanitation when brewing and fermenting the previous beer, there should be minimal risk, however since we don't brew in lab-conditions and only sanitize and not sterilize there is always _some _risk of infection. When healthy yeast is pitched at a good rate, it should out-compete most infections, the yeast will then do their best to create conditions (alcohol content and pH) to make life difficult for any such infections, so that helps minimise the risk.


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## jyo (7/7/11)

cdbrown said:


> I don't know if I'd dump directly onto the yeast cake. I'd want to cap a cup of yeast slurry and pitch it into a clean fermenter. Couldn't pitching on the cake be detrimental just like overpitching of yeast? Cake will be full of dead yeast cells, hop material and other proteins which have dropped out of the previous beer. For me I'd clean the fermenter first and start fresh.



Good discussion here^
I'm only just starting to get into yeast management (in the last 6 months or so) and I've only dumped onto the yeast cake twice.
The first time was with US05 and the resulting fermentation required a blow off tube, so massive over pitch!
I always use a clean fermenter now (and about a cup of slurry). It makes my OCD feel much better.


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## ekul (7/7/11)

I find it really surprising that people don't reuse yeast. Even if you're using dry yeast thats $5 a brew. When i empty a brew into a keg i swirl the remiang beer to get the trub nice and fluid, then i drain as mcuh as i can so that about a cups worth is still in the fermenter. Then i'll throw some new wort on top. I figure the less i touch the yeast the less chance i have of introducing infection. 
Brewing like this means that i never run out of beer (well sometimes i do) which means that the beer gets lots of time in the fermenter to clean up after itself. I have a three fermenters that rarely get washed, i always have a coopers yeast, a US05 fermenter and a lager fermenter, the lager fermenter is in a different fridge.


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## parrja (7/7/11)

Grolsch swingtops are great for storing yeast slurry for your next brew! I usually keep two from each brew for later reuse.


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## timryan (7/7/11)

I think I'll do the sanitize glass jar and the clean out the fermenter then mix the wort then add the trub.. It seems to be the best way to go.. Then the fermenter will be sanitized.. Then if something goes wrong I can then add us 05 on top.... Looking forward to the end of fermenting... About 20 days haha


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## pdfarrell (7/7/11)

As a noobie yeast recycler (I asked alot of questions earlier in this topic), I'd like to share my experience since then.

* Had a brew fermented with US-05. 
* Syphoned off Angel's Piss into keg.
* Fermenter contained yeast cake and a wee bit of Angel's Piss left in it, which I swirled to get a nice creamy mix.
* Poured (through the tap) the said slurry into 3 x 150ml sanitised screw-top plastic containers. (from Reject Shop ~ $1.50ea).
* Put 2 of the 3 slurry filled containers in the fridge.
* Cleaned and sanitised fermenter and dropped another batch of wort into it.
* Poured entire contents of remaining slurry container on top.

New beer turned out fine.

* Made more wort, did not harvest yeast cake from new brew.. used one from the fridge.

This beer turned out fine.

* Made more wort, did not harvest yeast cake from new brew.. used one from the fridge.

This beer turned out fine.

65+ litres of beer, using $6 of yeast. Good enough economics for me.

Next wort got fresh batch of yeast.

A big thankyou to the people that took the time to answer my questions, however basic they may have seemed.


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## timryan (7/7/11)

G'day cus thanks for the info... My next brew I will reuse my us05... Ad I'll comment on how it performs... I don't think I will use more than 3 times....


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