making smack packs go further

[hatts]

Hey. Pls excuse if this has been extensively covered. ...

The liquid yeast is a winner but at $15 at my LHBS it is bordering on ridiculous.

Is there an easy way (that wont result in infected/off flavoured subsequent brews) to get more than a brew out of a pack?

Is this the starter thing they go on about?

If it us divided how do u know how much to put / how long to leave until you have enough cells to do the 20 litre batch?

 

[yum beer]

there is a detailed thread...search 'splitting smack pack'

 

[Rambo]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/articles/article192.html

This one

Or this

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/45866-splitting-a-wyeast-smack-pack/

 

[stakka82]

Probably the easiest way to get more mileage out of a pack is to brew a beer, then keg/bottle it, then dump a similar style beer of similar or higher gravity onto the yeast cake left over in the fermenter.

But as others said there are many ways to skin a cat, that's just the easiest (not necessarily the best depending on situation) way.

 

[Stimsoni]

When you say throw it on top of the yeast cake, does that mean it's going on top of the trub that is left over as well.

If so, Does that mean you'll have twice the amount of trub and will this have any effect on flavours?

 

[Bribie G]

Throwing it onto a yeast cake can work, but has two disadvantages.

Over pitching to buggery - if you are going to use a specialty yeast because you are looking for an improved brew, then why use it in a really slapdash and amateur fashion.
Do you really want to use a manky fermenter that hasn't been properly cleaned and sanitised?


I keep some yeast cake and it fires up perfectly every time.



I get my Wyeasts for around $10 from suppliers such as CraftBrewer and Marks Home Brew.

 

[fletcher]

Throwing it onto a yeast cake can work, but has two disadvantages.

Over pitching to buggery - if you are going to use a specialty yeast because you are looking for an improved brew, then why use it in a really slapdash and amateur fashion.
Do you really want to use a manky fermenter that hasn't been properly cleaned and sanitised?


I keep some yeast cake and it fires up perfectly every time.

yeast cakes.jpg

I get my Wyeasts for around $10 from suppliers such as CraftBrewer and Marks Home Brew.

what are those bottles called bribie? looking to get some but can't remember the name of them (to search) for the life of me

 

[OzPaleAle]

what are those bottles called bribie? looking to get some but can't remember the name of them (to search) for the life of me

Wiltronics sell them on eBay

http://stores.ebay.com.au/wiltronics-research/Reagent-Bottles-/_i.html?_fsub=8712851&_sid=451863506&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

 

[fletcher]

thanks mate, sorry for the offtopic derail. splitting before the pack or vial has worked better for me. then there's no hop debris to filter out. i've split a vial of white labs in 4. i'm sure it could be done more if you wanted to

 

[Camo6]

what are those bottles called bribie? looking to get some but can't remember the name of them (to search) for the life of me

Hey Felch. Pretty sure they're schott bottles and kegking sell em for about $5-10 each. However I think they claim them to be borosilicate but the one I bought didn't like being placed into a cool bath after pressure cooking.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Hey Felch. Pretty sure they're schott bottles and kegking sell em for about $5-10 each. However I think they claim them to be borosilicate but the one I bought didn't like being placed into a cool bath after pressure cooking.

+1 I tried to boil a mini starter wort in one and after a couple minutes on the flame I wondered how magical it was that the liquid level was dropping suddenly!!!

 

[Camo6]

Haha! My 'secondary' lid popped off the bottom when chilled in a water bath.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Damn, you'd think for such a thick bottom it would not produce any holes. TWSS.

 

[fletcher]

Hey Felch. Pretty sure they're schott bottles and kegking sell em for about $5-10 each. However I think they claim them to be borosilicate but the one I bought didn't like being placed into a cool bath after pressure cooking.

thanks. oh i have my flasks for starters which are temperature resistant. i just wanted to have some reagent bottles for storing yeasts (rather than pickle jars with my own measurements written on the side)

 

[Batz]

I make a starter from a new smack pack when I want to brew with the yeast. I build it up over two days and then make up 8 tubes of the yeast, that uses about 1/3 of the starter, the rest I build up again and pitch. I brew 50lt at a time so I build up enough for two fermenters, now I still have 8 more tubes that I build up again when required. One smack pack, 9 starters or 18 brews. $1.80 each. I could build up a tube into another 8-10 tubes but I don't bother.

 

[Phoney]

I more or less do the same as you batz, but I pour out a smack pack into 5 - 7 little bottles like that, they go in the fridge, the rest goes into a starter. Just out of interest, what is your shelf life on those bottles? Mine still fire up OK after 12 months.

 

[Batz]

I more or less do the same as you batz, but I pour out a smack pack into 5 - 7 little bottles like that, they go in the fridge, the rest goes into a starter. Just out of interest, what is your shelf life on those bottles? Mine still fire up OK after 12 months.

Never had a problem after 12 months or more. I think I'll start splitting as you do, I know others who do the same.

Batz

 

[mje1980]

First beer make a 4 litre starter. Dump half into the beer ( long as it's not strong ), then the other half split into pet bottles and you'll have 3 or 4 at least in the fridge. Use the yeast cake (1/3 -1/2). Then next beer make a starter from one of the remaining pets. 10 or so beers and all pretty fresh yeast.

 

[The Village Idiot]

Where can you get those little vials Batz??

 

[Batz]

I got them from a bulk buy here years ago.

Here's one just gone

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/77474-melbourne-sterile-sample-tubes-yeast-storage/

At least you can see where to get them.