How Many Jars Can I Farm From 1 Yeast Cake?

[Barley Belly]

Am planning to farm my next US05 & S04 yeast cakes into smaller samples to make into starters for full batches at a later date.

Plan to add 500ml of cooled pre-boiled water to yeast cake (after all the beer is removed) swish around and add to 1litre jar to wash a few times then split into smaller samples for storage under boiled water.

I am planning on using the little yellow lid "sample" jars you get from the doctors, for storage.

My question is how many, approximately, jars should I get??

I was thinking six or seven?????

 

[razz]

I reckon you will get maybe double that, depends on how much is left after racking the beer. How big are those jars 50-100ml ?

 

[Barley Belly]

I reckon you will get maybe double that, depends on how much is left after racking the beer. How big are those jars 50-100ml ?

Around 70ml, I think.

That's cool, I was planning on around 6 or 7 and have 14 jars total.

 

[Crunched]

I am planning on using the little yellow lid "sample" jars you get from the doctors, for storage.

New ones right? Hopefully you hadn't used them to collect other samples!

 

[Barley Belly]

They will still be Ok if they are washed out ones????

Won't they??

 

[Crunched]

They will still be Ok if they are washed out ones????

Won't they??

Hilarious! Just don't tell your guests how you make your beer! :lol:

 

[Barley Belly]

They will still be Ok if they are washed out ones????

Won't they??

 

[Barley Belly]

Sorry DSL went down :angry:

Of course they a brand new

And they will be sterilised before use as well :lol:

 

[razz]

Thought you were taking the piss. :lol:

 

[Effect]

new ones???

do you think that they give you new ones to piss in??? they are always recycled and are pretty much clean/sanitised/sterile otherwise they wouldn't be fit for the purpose...

 

[Gavo]

I did this with the little glass jam jars and US05 yeast. I got four with no probs, thats all the jam jars I had. After washing the yeast it settles out quite well and has fired back up quite well.

 

[Jamz]

Maybe its just me, but I find the instructions in the first post of the sticked yeast farming thread to be worded a little ambiguously and thus a bit confusing to read :s

Since I have a dozen of these unused sample jars siting around, I'd like to check my understanding of the recommended procedure.

1. Add 500ml of water to the fermenter after racking the beer.

2. Fill jar A with the stuff out of the bottom of the fermenter. Shake up jar A and leave it in the fridge to separate.

3. Pour the top 3/4 out of jar A into jar B, leaving behind the trub.

4. Top up jar B with sterilised water. Then shake up jar B and put in the fridge to separate.

5. Fill your little sample jars from the liquid in jar B after it has separated.

Aside from the fact that I've omitted the sanitation steps for clarity of reading (I'd do all the proper sanitation stuff when actually doing it), is that what the post in the stickied thread telling me to do?

 

[marlow_coates]

Thats how I understood the proccess Jamz
Planning my first one of these in the next few days so clarification would be nice.

Basically I understand that when the trub from the fermenter is put into Jar A, shaken and sat in the fridge, it is the dead yeast and unwanted particles that fall out of suspension quickly (within 10 to 15 minutes is suggested), and it is the good, live yeast cells that stay in suspension initially.

You then pour the good yeast in the suspension into Jar B, and top up with sterile water and sit in fridge again (for 10 to 15 min) whilst junk material falls out.

Then pour suspended yeast into your yeast jars, sit in fridge overnight and the cake in your jars is now live, good quality yeast.

Spend a few cycles making sure the water on top is clear and sterile, then store yeast till required.

I am obviously keen to get this right the first time as am planning the liquid yeast to last years :icon_cheers:

 

[Bribie G]

Where do you get the P jars from in the first place? Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for to reculture my Nottingham yeasties.

Edit: got off my lazy 4ss and phoned the local Chem world and they're 99c each to buy them singly. Have a PET of notto yeast cake in the fridge from last night, so off to the chemist right now....

Thanks for the heads up, had never thought about specimen jars.

 

[Gavo]

Jamz, I did mine basically as you have explained and ended up with nice white yeast cakes in the bottom of the jars. Just don't do what I did today and spill some unsterilized water from the lid of the fermenter into the original yeast cake. :angry: Ended up throwing that one away, will use the next one.

 

[Bribie G]

90 cents each from local Chemworld:



I got six which will see me for the next month at least.

 

[TidalPete]

90 cents each from local Chemworld:

View attachment 21358

I got six which will see me for the next month at least.

BribieG,

Are they autoclavable? They will have to be if you plan to reuse them.

TP :beer:

 

[drtomc]

If there the same as the ones I've handled in the past, I think they're polycarbonate, in which case they should tolerate autoclaving.

T.

 

[Bribie G]

Definitely not polythene so I would guess polycarbonate. Is pressure cooking equivalent to autoclaving? There are always heaps of pressure cookers at the op shops because 'Ms. 2000' has no concept of how to use them and they are a dying product.

 

[TidalPete]

Definitely not polythene so I would guess polycarbonate. Is pressure cooking equivalent to autoclaving? There are always heaps of pressure cookers at the op shops because 'Ms. 2000' has no concept of how to use them and they are a dying product.

BribieG,

Pressure cooking is the poor man's equivalent to autoclaving although I have found success in just boiling my tubes flat out for 30 minutes or so. I am still looking around for the right size pressure cooker but am in no hurry as the aforementioned boiling method works well for me.

TP :beer: