1st Cultivated Yeast - Did I Do It Right?

[Philthy79]

Hey guys,

Put on a kits n bits yesterday, and used the leftovers/slurry from a Lager that i had previously done (Using Saflager Yeast).

When the lager was kegged I scooped approx 200ml into a sterilised glass bottle, added approx 50ml water, then capped the bottle, shook and added to the fridge. That was 2 weeks ago.

When brewing yesterday, I took it out of the fridge whilst steeping grains/hops etc; then when it was all upto 20 litres, I just poured it in @ 20 degree's...

My questions are: Did I use enough, did I do it correctly and if it nothing starts to ferment, can I just add pack yeast on top?
:unsure:

I know these topics are covered everywhere, was reading up on cultivation etc just before my brew, would just like some-one to say "No probs, should be fine" or "You stuffed it!" Haha!!

Cheers

 

[matt white]

Should be fine. I dont even add the water prior to storage, just another way of letting bugs in.

 

[peas_and_corn]

so that was about 200mL of the yeast cake? Should be fine, leave it for a bwhile and see what happens. Next time you could use a little more- somewhere closer to a cup- but it's nothing to worry about too much. It should be fine, just be patient and everything should make itself clear.

 

[Philthy79]

so that was about 200mL of the yeast cake?

Yeah it was, I just scooped it into the bottle. Before adding it to the brew i had a quick smell and taste - it seemed fine.

I'm going to keep an eye on it over the next few days, see if it starts up or not, and if not i'll add some packet yeast...

Thanks guys

 

[seemax]

For lagers I usually collect about 250mL (metric cup) of the yeast cake and repitch at about 10C (stored at 2C).

Ales, I have collected as little as 80mL and still had a healthy fermentation, just took a while to get started.

Don't forget try and repitch into similar (or darker) brews each time, don't collect from a stout and pitch into a pils!

 

[flattop]

Yup if the water is pre boiled it's fine. Sometimes i prefer to leave it in beer, i know it's sterile and it keeps the yeast more active and ready to go.
I have a 1 liter bottle of beer & cake in the fridge just waiting for my next brew, when i pitch i will pour most of the beer off and shake then pitch.