Let's Freeze Some Yeast

[mofox1]

Do you chill down between steps or just tip from one into the other?

Only after the last step, and not always.

Will almost always decant if pitching into a lighter style beer, OR I'm using a floccing ******* like WLP005 etc that drops without any extra effort. Otherwise, you'll need a couple of days near zero for most yeasts to drop, longer for some non-floccer's.

If have the time to let it drop out, I usually will, as that means I can do a vitality starter prior to pitch.

BTW - Going from a 500ml to 2L, I'll put 200g DME into ~1.7L water, and boil until I'm left with 1.5L (or by weight 1.7kg). I'll then add the 500ml to that to get 2L.

 

[kaiserben]

For the record: after nearly 5 months frozen I've had no problem getting a single vial of WLP029 to take off and can see, from what settled to the bottom after removing from the stir plate, that it most definitely multiplied in my initial 0.3L of 1.020 wort. I'm guessing I now have about 30 ml of solids (would've been only ~12.5 ml or so to start with).

 

[Yob]

So after a very long hiatus from brewing/fermenting, I can see I should get a bit of time to pitch a cube this week so Im spinning up a vial dated 11/14

results to follow, I suspect it was a vial done during my %50 Glycerine ratio as the vial was still mostly liquid (freezer running and holding -20'c) so will give it a spin on the forge and see what happens.

 

[Nullnvoid]

So a silly question but what's the accepted way of thawing the vials?

Sure it's probably been mentioned somewhere in the thread.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Take out of the freezer.

 

[Nullnvoid]

Take out of the freezer.

And den?

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Then they thaw. I'd think slow and mellow?
I've herd some brewers do it with classical music.

 

[Tony121]

I understand the quicker the better. I whack it in my pocket and take it out & shake every now and then. I also shake the vial whenever I think about it....

 

[Nullnvoid]

So slow and quick . Awesome. Hahahah

 

[Midnight Brew]

Take out of freezer, place near stereo, play Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety, then pitch into a small 1020 starter.

 

[Mardoo]

My kitchen counter seems to have the magic touch.

 

[Nullnvoid]

Thanks everyone. I will slowly but quickly thaw it out with it in my pocket whilst I am sitting on the bench listening to the complete album of dark side of the moon!

 

[Nullnvoid]

Thawed out quicker on the bench than I was expecting.

Alright next stupid question.

I want to use this yeast for a beer but also freeze some. I was going to freeze this batch on the stirplate but leave some and start it again to then pitch into the wort. As the yeast will be healthy can I just start at 500ml @1040 to and go to 2L @1040. Or start smaller again?

Or do something completely different?

 

[malt junkie]

<<< lazy brewer. I make 1L of 1020, start with 200ml, top up over 4days odd till 1L used, then 2L 1040, then 2L 1040. I usually snavel 4-5 vials off this then pitch. Issue is I need to eat more steak.

 

[Tony121]

Thawed out quicker on the bench than I was expecting.

Alright next stupid question.

I want to use this yeast for a beer but also freeze some. I was going to freeze this batch on the stirplate but leave some and start it again to then pitch into the wort. As the yeast will be healthy can I just start at 500ml @1040 to and go to 2L @1040. Or start smaller again?

Or do something completely different?

Yes, will be fine to go again

 

[Yob]

so I kind of cocked this one up, largely my own fault I think.

1056 dated 11/2014

flask had been sitting about for a while and I should have given it a stint in the oven.. didnt...

made a 1.040 wort as the first step instead of a 1.020... shit..

after 2 days there wasnt the activity I'd usually expect so I left on the bench to settle out... after a few days it had developed some filming on the top and some bubbles I didnt like the look of, Ive binned that one..

The 1.020 wort Ive now produced will have a full tyndallization before adding the yeast 1217 dated 11/2014

starting again... I really want to make sure the first ferment in months hits all the right targets

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Can you pressure cook all plastic vials as like the Whitelabs PET and the Vic Swap give aways etc? For sanitization etc.
I'm just about to test the idea but will they melt or warp at 125c?

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

No idea but got some eBay hobbies and they melted. Got some vials which are autoclave able and it's fine to steam heat them.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

*jobbies

 

[Mardoo]

Polypropylene vials are autoclavable. Their melting point is just past 125C, so they squeak by. IIRC PET will not work. The giveaways I can't say. I'd guess they are, but I wasn't there so...