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Good score Tom - I use US05 exclusively.

Now you have a great yeast, make that $5 packet do another 12 brews. Easy as by saving the yeast cake after bottling.

1. Sterilise two small coke pet bottles, funnel and pouring jug
2. After bottling and tipping as much beer out of the fermenter, shake the crap out of it until the yeast cake at the bottom is fluid ( sideways, not up and down )
3. Leave the fermenter on an angle with the tap at the bottom. In a sink is good so the yeast cake collects at the tap hole.
4. Put fermenter over the jug and remove tap. Get all that yeast cake out that you can.
5. Put 1/2 into each pet bottle via the funnel and cap em up. squeezing the bottle to get some air out as you tighten the lid.
6. Fridge until next use!

Just label each bottle for what generation it is ie: usage 2,3 and so on until you hit 6, then biff it out as generation 6 is pretty much the limit. I get up to 2 cups. Normally 1.5 cups of yeast cake out each batch.

Take it out of the fridge on brew day an hour before you need it and pour off the layer of clear fluid on top of the yeast - old beer. Not before or it will dry out in the fridge. Then just shake it before using it to get it more fluid. Watch out for pressure, slowly take the lid off or you will get it all in your face and or walls. :lol: I now invert the bottle ( sealed ) in a cup for support and the yeast runs down to the cap end by the time I need it and its easy as to get it out.

I recently read that 1/2 cup yeast cake is plenty to start a new brew, and it has been working for me really well so I am using less yeast cake these days, and getting four new brews out of a previous brew. I have four little pet bottles instead of 2 coke bottles now I have it perfected. Do the math on how many brews from a $5 packet of US05 harvesting four bottles per brew to sixth generation each!

Just don't do this after brewing a stout and use the cake for a ale... you can go up to a stout, but not backwards.

Good luck and biff some hops and malt in there :)
 
Cheers Cube, good suggestion, should save a few bucks! :)
 

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