Mmm...cup'o'slurry

[WarmBeer]

I've collected a nice cup of slurry (yummm, looks just like pea-and-ham soup :icon_drool2: ) from my fermenter after adding in a litre of cooled, boiled water. It has been in the fridge the last 4 days, and has separated out nicely.

Now, my questions, assuming I want to re-use this yeast in my next brew:

• Should I pour off the current liquid (which looks kinda like "piss-weak" beer) and re-top up with more cooled, boiled water? Or just leave it as it is?
• When my time comes to use the yeast (maybe Saturday, xmas party hangover willing), do I just pour the contents of my jar into a mix of cooled water and LDME? How long do I let this sit (at room temperature) before tipping it into my beer wort?

I've read the "Yeast Farming" article, but that seems more oriented towards keeping yeast samples for an extended period of time, hence the repeated washing, etc.

Cheers.

 

[apd]

I would pitch the slurry directly after pouring off excess water.

The cup of slurry should have the yeast count you need so you don't need make a starter with it. In fact (depending on your next beer) you probably have too much yeast. The only reason you'd make a starter is if you wanted to build up the yeast count, say, if you were doing a lager or a high gravity beer.

Check out http://www.mrmalty.com/pitching.php.

From that page:

There are about 4.5 billion yeast cells in 1 milliliter of yeast solids (solids with no excess liquid). According to Fix, in a slurry, only about 25% of the mass is yeast solids.

So, you have a cup of slurry, which I'm assuming is 250ml.
Assuming the figures above, 25% of that is yeast solids = 63ml.
63ml x 4.5 billion cells per ml = approx. 280 billion cells

Andrew

 

[geoffi]

As long as the slurry is no older than about three weeks I just chuck it in. A cup is heaps. I don't bother adding water. If it's older, I'll make a starter to be sure it'll fire.

 

[Bribie G]

If you pour it into a sterilized PET bottle (like a very small water bottle etc), add some boiled cooled water to bring it up to the top, shake and put in fridge it will keep for weeks. Just in case there's some fermentation still going on, give it a crack after a couple of days to check on any gas build up.

 

[buttersd70]

give it a crack after a couple of days to check on any gas build up.

Otherwise you can get yeast gushers....fun, but messy. :lol:

 

[afromaiko]

Or whack an Oztop on it.

 

[flattop]

I sort of like the idea of not stuffing with the yeast too much, when i harvested last time i took the slurry with beer on top and bottled that, bang it in the fridge. I pitched 2 lots that way, both around 250mls 2nd one was a week after harvesting, took it out of the fridge about an hour before pitching. Both pitches were successful.

 

[Bribie G]

Hey Flattop, I've just noticed that youv'e only been with us for a month plus a few days but looking at your brew list in your signature one would have to say that you are a one man beer tsunami.
Impressive.
Sounds like me when I was cranking up the initial supply, little grasshopper

 

[flattop]

Bribie... i can answer it with a short phrase ... Summer's coming and no fridgemate"....
My aim is to get bedded down as many brews as i can before the heat hits Melbourne (as i said before i brew on the bar which is top floor of my house).
I have 3 fermenters cranking full strength, i rest each fermenter for a night in bleach and a day in sunshine before i start another brew.
Bottles are a problem, i need 65 more in the next 2 weeks then i will probably wrap it up for a couple of months due to the heat and 5 visitors camping in my place for 3 weeks over Christmas. Most bottles are PET but i have about 45 longnecks and a dozen 330's.

Actually i am a bit worried about one of my last brews, may be infected. The ESB Belgian Smokey Ale has a definite back flavor, sort of soapy and chemical. The sg is down to 1013 on day 12. I plan to bottle tomorrow or day after but have no confidence in the quality of the brew. Hoping it will age ok.
I just picked up a couple of Hoegaarden ESB kits for next year (put the yeast in the fridge).

BTW back on topic, i harvested yeast from an ESB Wheat and pitched it on a Coopers Lager and later on a Brewcraft wheat. Both drops have turned out very well, the Lager was overcarbed due to bottling too early but the taste is nice as i dry hopped it. The Wheat has turned out very nicely and i wish i dry hopped it.
The interesting thing is that the ESB yeast has turned the Lager into a wheat flavor...

 

[Frank]

If you pour it into a sterilized PET bottle (like a very small water bottle etc), add some boiled cooled water to bring it up to the top, shake and put in fridge it will keep for weeks. Just in case there's some fermentation still going on, give it a crack after a couple of days to check on any gas build up.

The last couple of harvests that I did, I squeezed the pet bottle before doing the lid up, to allow some expansion just in case there was some activity. Bottle looks a bit scrappy in the fridge, but it is practical.

 

[flattop]

Actually i think stubbies are a good size, 330's perhaps, harvest around 200mls, top up with sterile water and cap. Whack it in the fridge and hope you don't reach for it by accident when you're having a nite out on the tiles.....