First Attempt At Yeast Farming...

[Steve]

How many vials per wyeast do you get Ross?

 

[Ross]

How many vials per wyeast do you get Ross?

[post="123097"][/post]​

I split into 10 & share 50/50 with a mate. If you don't want to worry with a sterile water top up, a smackpak will fill 6 vials.
I then only ever reuse the fresh yeast cake once - 10 batches from half a smackpak is more than enough for me.

Everyone to their own - But I'd never go back to washing/storing yeast trub, as it takes much longer & in my case gave very mixed results. I've never had a bad starter since using the split pak method.


Cheers Ross

 

[Steve]

Cheers Ross - sounds like a good idea to me. When you say sterile water, do you mean cooled boiled water? Do you use the nutrient pack in the Wyeast pack for anything? Chuck it into the starter?
Steve

 

[Ross]

Cheers Ross - sounds like a good idea to me. When you say sterile water, do you mean cooled boiled water? Do you use the nutrient pack in the Wyeast pack for anything? Chuck it into the starter?
Steve

[post="123106"][/post]​

Yep, cooled boiled water - I use the nutrient pack straight away in the first starter, as I only split the pack when I'm ready to make one. I bought some wyeast nutrient for adding to future starters, but it's not necessary.

cheers Ross.

 

[Steve]

Thanks for that Ross.
Steve

 

[jagerbrau]

Ross thanks for the info, great way of doing it that i had toyed with but now will try.

David

 

[Steve]

...just out of interest Ross, when labelling your vials do you put both the date that is on the wyeast packet as well as the date you split it?
Cheers
Steve

 

[Ross]

...just out of interest Ross, when labelling your vials do you put both the date that is on the wyeast packet as well as the date you split it?
Cheers
Steve

[post="123118"][/post]​

I haven't, but it would certainly make sense.

cheers Ross

 

[chug!chug!]

Could I use this method with whitelabs yeast?

The container is 35mls.

Is this amount similar to wyeast smackpack?

What size vials?

Cheers :chug: :chug:

 

[Ross]

Could I use this method with whitelabs yeast?

The container is 35mls.

Is this amount similar to wyeast smackpack?

What size vials?

Cheers :chug: :chug:

[post="123133"][/post]​

Yes, or you could just draw off a little of your whitelabs vial each time & leave the rest. You need very little yeast to make a starter with, as yeast platers will verify.

cheers Ross

 

[pint of lager]

I am a plater, and Ross is right, it doesn't take much yeast. Yeast off a plate is very fresh and a matchhead or so would be much fresher and more active than a sample stored in a vial from a smakpak in the fridge.

Also when making up starters, the initial step is very small and done as aseptically as possible, including pressure cooking wort and tubes to minimize infections.

The smaller the quantity of yeast you are handling, the more care and attention you must pay to techniques and cleanliness.

The best way to get a handle on yeast work is to start out making starters from Coopers dregs, then slowly build up your skills. Sosman's brewiki page has an excellent collection of yeast links. Also, the airlocked yeast links have plenty of info in them.

 

[NRB]

The good thing about Ross's method is the samples he is storing are pure with no fermented beer on them, so there is no chance of autolysis.

Do you know of any evidence to back this up? I'm intrigued by that statement.

 

[AndrewQLD]

I just wish I had started my yeast farm when the whitelabes Australian Ale was still available.
Keeping and propagating yeast from a bank is a good way to keep commercial yeasts active after they become unobtainable. I love my yeast farm, and it is one more brewing thing to play with when I am not brewing I like to look in my frideg and see 10 varieties of yeast to choose from.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[razz]

The good thing about Ross's method is the samples he is storing are pure with no fermented beer on them, so there is no chance of autolysis.

Do you know of any evidence to back this up? I'm intrigued by that statement.

[post="123185"][/post]​

Dude, you got me there. Just an educated guess

 

[doglet]

I've just divided 6 Wyeast packets up tonight (5 Activator and 1 normal) and ended up with 34 vials of yeast. Have a look at my photos. I used the method described by Ross as I first used it a few months ago and think it's a great way to make my dollar go a bit further. I used a syringe to draw the liquid up and used boiled demineralised water to top the vials up.



I keep the wort packages and use them up in the first mini starter in a 250ml flask.

...just out of interest Ross, when labelling your vials do you put both the date that is on the wyeast packet as well as the date you split it?
Cheers
Steve

[post="123118"][/post]​

Yep I do - Check out the photos...

 

[NRB]

boiled demineralised water to top the vials up.

From my research, sterile tap water is better as the yeast need trace minerals for ongoing metabolism.

 

[Steve]

OK - im going to be giving this splitting wyeasts into vials a go this weekend.

I have:
1 Blue 125ml Activator Pack (Kolsch)
1 Gold standard wyeast pack (1187).

If I wasnt going to top up with sterile water once splitting how many vials do you think I need to buy for each of the two different packs? Im presuming I will get double the amount from the Blue 125ml Pack? Thoughts much appreciated.
Cheers
Steve

P.S. Sorry to James Squire for hijacking your thread....but its very interesting.

 

[MHD]

Hey Steve,
Where do you get your vials?

I'm keen to start doing the same thing...

 

[Steve]

I noticed Col at BYOAH has some last saturday when I was in. They were glass test tubes with a lid which I presume would be fine. Ideally I would like some like doglet has in his pics a few posts up. Maybe a chemist would sell them or some kitchenware place that sells tupperware? I dunno.
Cheers
Steve

 

[MHD]

Yeah, they look ideal... And would take up very little space in the fridge which would keep SWMBO on side!