# One vial - three brews



## shacked (11/5/15)

I've got one vial of white labs that I wanted to use for three brews. Just wanting to know the best way to approach it.

I have cubed: a strong ale (OG: 1.068) and a pale ale (OG. 1.047; to be heavily dry hopped). The third brew will be a SMASH but at the moment is a bag of malt.

Should I:

1) Make a large-ish starter, split into 3 and pitch 1 (maybe step up) and refrigerate the other two? OR
2) Brew, package, wash and split?

I have only taken path two but I have brewed lower gravity, lower hop beers first. This time I have a relatively high alcohol brew and a brew that will end up with a lot of [dry] hop matter in it. I've read that neither is particularly good for yeast health and therefore harvesting.


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## goatus (11/5/15)

I would probably split the first starter, but either will work. You could also rack to secondary for dry hopping and harvest from a much cleaner primary.


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## sponge (11/5/15)

Option 1 will give you all first gen yeast as opposed to option 2. It'll also give you a little more flexibility when dry hopping and whatnot.


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## mofox1 (11/5/15)

Option 1 plus the step looks the goods, otherwise you won't have the "recommended" number of cells for pitching.

If you've got some spare sterilised vials and some glycerine, you can split the vial three ways and freeze two of them... Careful though - you end up with a freezer full of little vials


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## shacked (11/5/15)

mofox1 said:


> If you've got some spare sterilised vials and some glycerine, you can split the vial three ways and freeze two of them... Careful though - you end up with a freezer full of little vials


Cheers mate. I was just going to fill up some sterilized corona bottles, chill them and decant the spent wort and top up with boiled and cooled water then cap and leave in the fridge. Is this ok?? 

As much as I'd love more kit, my Mrs. will shoot me. The freezer is already full of hops, garage full of malt, bottles, gear plus 3 fermenters and we have a second fridge in our kitchen for fermenting... this is all in our 'spacious' 62 sqm apartment! I just won't win that fight with a few batches of cider!!


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## MastersBrewery (11/5/15)

Option 3: Brew the pale, Top crop, step and repeat


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## mofox1 (11/5/15)

shacked said:


> Cheers mate. I was just going to fill up some sterilized corona bottles, chill them and decant the spent wort and top up with boiled and cooled water then cap and leave in the fridge. Is this ok??
> 
> As much as I'd love more kit, my Mrs. will shoot me. The freezer is already full of hops, garage full of malt, bottles, gear plus 3 fermenters and we have a second fridge in our kitchen for fermenting... this is all in our 'spacious' 62 sqm apartment! I just won't win that fight with a few batches of cider!!


All good. But sounds like you need another freezer in the garage h34r:


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## MastersBrewery (11/5/15)

mofox1 said:


> All good. But sounds like you need another freezer in the garage h34r:


And a Keezer? :huh:


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## shacked (11/5/15)

MastersBrewery said:


> And a Keezer? :huh:


There is no power in the garage otherwise it'd be full of fridges and other cool stuff!! (renting too, so can't get power)


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## Yob (11/5/15)

Time to move


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## shacked (11/5/15)

Yob said:


> Time to move


Indeed. We have been looking at houses and I've already passed on one due to lack of brewing space...


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