Dividing Liquid Yeast

[vlbaby]

Hi huys,
I've decided its time to start using liquid yeast, but its awful expensive for just one brew. I've heard of some people dividing the packets into a 3 or 4 starters and refridgerating the starters they dont need, until the next brew. Does anyone here do this too, and is there any disadvantages to doing this? And what is the "cleanest" method of doing this, if it can at all be done?

cheers

vlbaby.

 

[morry]

Batz has made a great thread about this:


http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...starting+wyeast

Thats how I've done it for the last 3 brews and it seems to be working well.

 

[Vlad the Pale Aler]

You must do this to make it economically viable, as we all do.
Copious amounts of info on this site, put a search in.

 

[Snow]

Everyone does it. I suggest you make at least 6 stubbies worth to split, as well as at least 2L to pitch into your brew. Once you get into liquid yeasts you'll never look back.

- Snow

 

[quincy]

vlbaby.
I have just started to use liquid yeast as well and it became obvious from the start that @ $15 or so a shot, I had to devise a way to maximise the use.
This forum is full of ideas on how to do this, but for what its worth here are my plans:

I have pitched California Ale (WLP001) in my current brew. When I rack I will add some boiling water (boiled the night before so it's now at room temp) to the remaining trub.
Give the fermenter a swirl and fill three 1 litre Coke PET bottles with the "sludge".
This will still leave enough trub for me to dump in my next brew making sure it aerates sufficiently, replace the lid and hey presto another brew on its way. (so long as you want to brew a similar style again).
Allow the 3 coke bottles to settle a little, carefully drain the clear water from the top and add some fresh boiled water, give it a shake and leave stand again Repeat this process a few times.
Refrigerate.
I now have three first (or is it second ??? Arhh dosen't matter !!!!) generation yeasts ready to go.
In summary, for $15 I can produce 5 brews.

I have devised this plan based on some very good advise provided by others on this forum so I will happily declare I'm not the brains behind any of this.
I also know there are better alternatives to re-using yeast, but this very simple approach gives me 5 brews for $15.
Makes me a happy chappy (was going to say brewer - but thats another story !!!) h34r:

 

[johnno]

vlbaby,
If you are worried about not doing it correctly you could practice at reculturing a Coopers yeast from the bottle. That way you can get the hang of it. I did this a couple of times before I got my first Wyeast and I was more confident of the procedure.

cheers

 

[Snow]

A good way of doing it is to put 55g of DME in 500ml water (makes 1.040 SG wort)and boil for 10 mins. Cool, pour into a sanitised fermenting vessel (I use 3L coke bottles with a plug and airlock), aerate, pitch the yeast and let it ferment for a day. Then, step up the starter to 2L (add 1.5L wort, made with 165g DME) with the same procedure. Let ferment for 2 days. Then, step up the starter again to 6L and let ferment out (about 2-3 days). Put it into a fridge and let the yeast settle for a few days. Pour off a couple of litres of wort off the top. Shake it up to re-suspend the yeast. Split some of this into 6-10 stubbies, cap them and stick them in the fridge for subsequent brews. Pitch the remaining starter into your brew.

This takes a little forethought and planning, but you will have a good collection of healthy second generation starters that you can then split up again into more starters 2 & 3 times each time you do a brew, effectively giving you over 30 brews from one packet of yeast if you want. The yeast will be un-mutated, as you are using a simple starter wort, with a single malt profile, rather than a complex full brew wort that was advocated in the previous post.

Cheers - Snow.

 

[berto]

I was just looking at the whitelabs site and in the FAQ i found this amongst much other good info.

How many generations should I use my yeast?

We recommend 6-10 generations per strain. Three main reasons yeast should be replaced on a regular interval are bacterial contamination, yeast cell mutation, and yeast fatigue.
Bacterial contamination is largely responsible for off flavors. Bacteria grow at an exponential rate in comparison to the yeast.
Yeast cell mutation. Yeast cells will adapt to their environment, this could dramatically or subtly change the characteristics of the beer.
Yeast fatigue. Beer is a hostile environment for the yeast. Healthy yeast requires oxygen and food (malt). CO2 and alcohol are detrimental to the overall health of the yeast.


The way i read it is you can make from 6-10 healthy generations from one vial. I just did a quick calc. ANd say you made 6 starters from each sample you take from each generation, you can get almost 50 000 starters using just 6 generations. More than any home brewer will ever need. Wish i had some more friends who homebrewed. COuld split the cost of a large variety of different liquid yeasts.


Cheers, Rob

 

[Jovial_Monk]

That 6-10 generations is on the page for commercial brewers. As homebrewers shoot for 3 generations

Jovial Monk

 

[chiller]

That 6-10 generations is on the page for commercial brewers. As homebrewers shoot for 3 generations

Jovial Monk

Now JM, this is not a shot at you but I do get sick and tired of hearing "As homebrewers shoot for 3 generations" regarding yeast.

These comments are often based on repeated information, often an "internet" source and rarely the brewers [poster's] own practical experience.

Yeast is a living thing. It doesn't suddenly turn into C4 explosive and blow the arse out of your fermenter at generation 4.

I have an extensive yeast farm and I have used many yeast many times, and more than 3 generations.

I have a favourite at present that is up to the sixth pitching from a whitelabs 008. Zero change. If your sanitation is good, and only you can determine that, you can continue to use yeast for a very long time. In this caseI have chosen to pitch the slurry from one beer to the next rather than split a starter and brew from those. I still have some of the initial tube under water, about a fingernail worth, and that will be enough to build up for more brewing down the track. Anything up to 12 - 24 months.

The comments I make are regarding Ale yeast and although I have havested and maintained some lager strains I brew very few lagers.

George Fix wrote an interesting section in his second book where he pointed out that due to the way yeast reproduce the overall "age" of the population basically remains the same.

With Ale yeast, harvesting from the top after the first skimming will give you the most vibrant healthy yeast of the brew. That skimming will be your yeast for the next batch. and so on and so on.

Consider this ... many older breweries pitched over and over and over simply by collecting yeast from the top of the fermenter for the next beer.

If you want to use yeast for a considerable time you must learn the practical methods involved in havesting and storage. Long term storage in an old plstic container wont cut it.

Pint of Lager and Pedro, both on this list also maintain an on going yeast farm and there are many others on this list. Most brewers approach yeast farming from different angles but the common thread is sanitation.

It does involve extra work and demands time and good methodology, but if you take care you can always have more yeast on hand than you will ever need.

You as the brewer may choose not to use your yeast beyond the 3rd generation, and if you are satisfied with that well and good. But yeast are quite happy well beyond 3 generations

Steve.

 

[Batz]

Chiller perhaps you should type up a yeast farm "how to do" thread

I know you do it well , and we did talk about it more than once in Adelaide , funny thing is I am finding it hard to remember everything that happened down there , must be the water <_<

Batz h34r:

 

[big d]

chiller has already done it batz.search under brewing questions/advice for his topic yeast farming.
i have it printed out it is a good explaination of how chiller does it.

cheers
big d

 

[Batz]

There you go big d , see what they did to me ?

Cheers
Batz h34r:

 

[big d]

that will teach you to consume things brewed/grown using adelaide water. :lol:

cheers
big d