List of Potentially Viable House Yeast from Commercial Beer Bottles

[DanBrewer]

1. Has anyone had success culturing yeast from a commercial beer brand? If so, which one(s) and do you believe that yeast was the brewery's house yeast? Do you remember any characteristics from the recultured yeast (attenuation, flocculation, alcohol tolerance, character)?

2. Also, here's a link to a list of potentially viable house yeasts from commercial beer bottles.
Can you take a look to see if any information is incorrect?

Hopefully some folks will find this list to be a useful resource for culturing yeast from their favorite commercial beers.

Cheers-

 

[hoppy2B]

I am about to try some Chimay tonight, the red one (375 ml). It is 7% abv. I will let you know how it goes. Apparently the Wy1214 and wlp equivalent (wlp500) are more colourful because Chimay cleaned up their yeast, and the Wy1214 and wlp500 are from before the cleanup. I read that online somewhere when I google searched for the best Belgian yeast, or something like that.

I also have a 750 ml bottle of La Chouffe blond I am planning to try as well. I bought that and the Chimay today.

I managed to get some Weihenstephan hefeweizen going several years ago. It seems to be the correct yeast. I tried to get some going a second time and it failed. So if you want to be sure of a good result, buy several bottles from different locations and use them all at once. I only used one 500 ml bottle each time.

Coopers bottle yeast works well.

 

[TSMill]

I've cultured la sirene saison and brewed with it maybe 4-5 times.

 

[hoppy2B]

I've cultured la sirene saison and brewed with it maybe 4-5 times.

How did that go for you, does it retain its character? I ask because on another thread on this forum, someone says they spoke to the brewer at Bridge Road and apparently they use the Du Pont Saison (Wy3724 I think it is) and when the gravity gets to 1030ish, they pitch Wy1056 or something like that. I have also read that the Du Pont yeast is made up of 3 strains. I have a live culture of the Bridge Road yeast taken from a couple of stubbies less than 3 months old. If La Sirene is good I might go to the trouble of acquiring some. Otherwise I will just see what I can get out of the Bridge Road yeast.

 

[hoppy2B]

PROOF OF LIFE

I hope the image isn't too big to look at. This is the Chimay red yeast I took from 1 stubby. I pitched the dregs into a 200 ml starter of 1060 wort consisting of 2/3 wheat LDME and 1/3 dextrose. It took exactly 2 and 1/2 days to kick off and this photo was taken about a day after it kicked off.

I'm not sure, but judging from the numbers on the bottle label, it looks like the stubby may have been from 28 January 2017. That's not too shabby for a 9 month old stubby.

 

[Lionman]

how can you be sure that it isn't mostly just wild yeast from the air?

there is a chance you would see life in wort after 2.5 days regardless.

 

[manticle]

Haven't done it heaps : success rate compared to just buying very widely available commercial strains made effort vs reward a poor exchange.

However coopers bottle yeast from in date, well looked after coopers green is a definite goer.

 

[hoppy2B]

how can you be sure that it isn't mostly just wild yeast from the air?

there is a chance you would see life in wort after 2.5 days regardless.

I don't know, that sounds highly unlikely. I mentioned above that I did a hefeweizen that didn't work. On that occasion I didn't get any fermentation, I just got a bit of scunge in the lab bottle after several months and a bit of a funny smell.

PS: The above pictured starter smells really nice as well.

 

[Hermies]

I don't know, that sounds highly unlikely. I mentioned above that I did a hefeweizen that didn't work. On that occasion I didn't get any fermentation, I just got a bit of scunge in the lab bottle after several months and a bit of a funny smell.

PS: The above pictured starter smells really nice as well.

Don't listen to them .I have asked the question is it any good and got told no and kept going with it and ended up with a decent size starter . The starter looks good and as you said it smells good when its finished build it up again.

 

[TSMill]

How did that go for you, does it retain its character?

Overall I would say yes, noting that La Sirene themselves claim their own house yeast is constantly mutating as local wild yeasts are incorporated.

Half my Vic case swap beers will be with this yeast, first harvested 5 plus years ago, so will hopefully get some feedback re. Character.

 

[rude]

I used to do it in my K&K days coopers green bottle but fermented too hot & underpitched
I thought it was the ducks nuts all that pear
This thread might push me to try again with some more knowledge under my belt but as
Manticle said its easy to just buy the variety of yeasts available & use twice pretty cheap but hey why not give it a go
Aussie ale here we come

 

[manticle]

Coopers is the one exception I'd make, rude.

The bottled yeast has more of the character I'd expect than the wlp variant.

And yes - absolutely give it a go. The last thing I want to do is discourage because brewing is fun and rewards and expectations differ for each individual.

I tried bottle reculturing, yeast farming, slants, etc. Do none of it these days but I only reached that point by trying and working out my expectations based on results.