Re using yeast slurry questions

[Gloveski]

Well I had my first go at reusing yeast from my last batch after having minimal trubb and some really nice looking yeast cake. So I thought well I'm brewing again in a few days so I might aswell use it and see how it goes. I put down a double brew day yesterday. The yeast came from a brew that only had one hop so I decided to experiment a little . One lot of yeast I washed the other I didnt as I have read mixed reports some saying you should wash and others saying it stresses the yeast. I used Mr Malty's calculator and also have read that people usually pitch about 20% more so this is what I decided to do aswell , not sure if this is right? . Anyway after I put the first brew down just before I was ready to transfer second brew to fermenter I checked original brew and was shocked that after about 3 hours she was already kicking into gear. Once second brew was done I checked that 2 hours latter and that was well under way aswell . Both brews were at 18 degrees fairly quickly and I manged to get temp down to 21 before pitching yeast.

My questions are as I have only used packet yeast in the past is this normal for a slurry to kick off so quick ?
Was I right to slightly over pitch?
Also is there any risks of ruining a beer with yeast kicking off so quickly , buggered if I could find any info on the optimum lag time if any for yeast to kick in.

Sorry for the long ramble just really curious

 

[boybrewer]

All good DWHAHB . There is no set optimum lag time just that if it takes off sooner the less time it has to develop infections . No risk of ruining the beer and it is normal for it to kick off quick as there is a shite load of healthy yeast . Over pitching is ok it just depends on the beer your making , for some styles of beer it is good to stress the yeast .

 

[Gloveski]

All good DWHAHB . There is no set optimum lag time just that if it takes off sooner the less time it has to develop infections . No risk of ruining the beer and it is normal for it to kick off quick as there is a shite load of healthy yeast . Over pitching is ok it just depends on the beer your making , for some styles of beer it is good to stress the yeast .

yeah only doing ales so far and 1 lager so have always just used dry yeast . So first time using slurry and was really suprised how well it kicked off. They were both well aerated so this would obviously help aswell

 

[mosto]

In my experience, fresh slurry, or fresh starter will kick off quite quickly. A lot quicker than dry yeast.

I haven't heard the 20% theory, but won't do any harm, depending on the yeast strain and what style of beer your making. For example US05 is a very neutral yeast that doesn't generally throw a lot of esters. If you're pitching into something like an APA, that doesn't require much ester profile, overpitching slightly is fine IMO.

However, if your brewing something like a Hefe with a Hefe style yeast, you want that yeast to 'work' a little so it throws the esters characteristic of that style. In this case, overpitching still won't ruin your beer, but you want get the desired ester profile you're after as the yeast already has a sufficient number of cells, bypassing the re-production phase which creates the bulk of the esters, and goes straight into consuming the sugars in the wort.

I'm certainly no expert, but this is what I've managed to gather from researching a bit and it has generally lined up with my experiences.

 

[laxation]

Did you reuse the whole yeast cake or just take a scoop and use some of it?

I was going to try thsi for my next brew (doing 2x the same beer in a row) and was just going to chuck everything straight on top of the cake...

 

[Gloveski]

Did you reuse the whole yeast cake or just take a scoop and use some of it?

I was going to try thsi for my next brew (doing 2x the same beer in a row) and was just going to chuck everything straight on top of the cake...

No I drained off into sanitised mason jars and cold crashed and used Mr Malty's yeast calculator to get the desired yeast slurry amount and upped it by about 20%. I then brought up to room temp during my brew day. Had easily enough slurry for two brews . I think from memory one had about 180ml and the other about 200ml

 

[Gloveski]

In my experience, fresh slurry, or fresh starter will kick off quite quickly. A lot quicker than dry yeast.

I haven't heard the 20% theory, but won't do any harm, depending on the yeast strain and what style of beer your making. For example US05 is a very neutral yeast that doesn't generally throw a lot of esters. If you're pitching into something like an APA, that doesn't require much ester profile, overpitching slightly is fine IMO.

However, if your brewing something like a Hefe with a Hefe style yeast, you want that yeast to 'work' a little so it throws the esters characteristic of that style. In this case, overpitching still won't ruin your beer, but you want get the desired ester profile you're after as the yeast already has a sufficient number of cells, bypassing the re-production phase which creates the bulk of the esters, and goes straight into consuming the sugars in the wort.

I'm certainly no expert, but this is what I've managed to gather from researching a bit and it has generally lined up with my experiences.

US05 was the yeast so I thought might be a good one to start off with. Would like to do a hef down the track so will do some research thanks for the heads up

 

[boybrewer]

Did you reuse the whole yeast cake or just take a scoop and use some of it?

I was going to try thsi for my next brew (doing 2x the same beer in a row) and was just going to chuck everything straight on top of the cake...

That is fine just dump it straight onto the yeast cake and literally watch it take off . Actually if you scoop some off and wash it you can get a few uses from the original packet . What I do is scoop some off wash it and split it into vials so I can get up to ten or so batches from the one packet or vial of white labs or sachet of wyeast .

 

[boybrewer]

US05 was the yeast so I thought might be a good one to start off with. Would like to do a hef down the track so will do some research thanks for the heads up

US - 05 great yeast . When you do a Heffe , do not make a starter , chuck the yeast in the FV directly from the package , as this will stress the yeast and produce the flavours like banana , clove or bubblegum .Believe it or not heffe yeast can only be used once as re - using it does not produce the banana , clove or bubblegum flavours again .

 

[shacked]

As others have said, slurry / re-pitching can take off really quickly.

I recently repitched WLP013 (london ale) into a 1.061 OG stout. I left it alone for a day or so and came back to the fermenter; it looked pretty much as it did on pitching! I freaked out a bit and took a hydrometer sample thinking that the beer had stalled only to find that fermentation was complete!!

I use Mr. Malty at the highest pitch rate for slurry (thin slurry and highest non-yeast percentage). I used to wash but now I just scoop out of the fermenter into a clean one and pitch wort on top of that.

 

[Shadime]

That is fine just dump it straight onto the yeast cake and literally watch it take off . Actually if you scoop some off and wash it you can get a few uses from the original packet . What I do is scoop some off wash it and split it into vials so I can get up to ten or so batches from the one packet or vial of white labs or sachet of wyeast .

How long does it last for in the vials and how do you wash it?

Cheers

 

[goatchop41]

US - 05 great yeast . When you do a Heffe , do not make a starter , chuck the yeast in the FV directly from the package , as this will stress the yeast and produce the flavours like banana , clove or bubblegum .Believe it or not heffe yeast can only be used once as re - using it does not produce the banana , clove or bubblegum flavours again .

I call bollocks on this

 

[Matplat]

^^ likewise.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Me three.

Just take an underpitch worth from the slurry.

 

[boybrewer]

I call bollocks on this

Well maybe I have been doing it wrong as I have tried repitched Heffe and never got any of those flavours . And don't just say bollocks to this give your reason so that people can learn like Lord Raja's post . For all I know you could be a shit brewer . But what would I know as I haven't tasted any of your beers

 

[boybrewer]

How long does it last for in the vials and how do you wash it?

Cheers

If it is done correctly it can last a year or two . I have yeast that is a couple of years old . All I do is make a starter if it takes off great I can use it .

 

[laxation]

make a starter

Is that just warm water + sugar + vial of yeast, leave it for a few days and see if it foams?

Where/how do you store it?

 

[kaiserben]

Related to the Hefe pitching tips, roughly how many billion cells should I pitch into a batch of 1.051 wort and a batch of 1.083 wort?

(I'll be preparing a WLP300 starter so I've got enough for both batches).

 

[boybrewer]

Is that just warm water + sugar + vial of yeast, leave it for a few days and see if it foams?

Where/how do you store it?

I usually boil some water with DME in it cool it down to pitching temp , pitch the yeast and keep it on top of my hot water service when I walk past I just give it a swirl and when its done I pitch it into the FV and sometimes I will save a little bit of the starter and do it all over again . I have kept all my Whitelabs vials and use them for storing my yeast . You can use mason jars or jam jars anything to keep the yeast in .

 

[laxation]

What do you mean 'when it's done'? What are you looking for?

When you keep it for years, where do you store it?