Reculturing Yeast From Your Own Beer (not Coopers)

[jacknohe]

Hi

I've recultured a Coopers Pale Ale yeast with great success in the past. Certainly produced a fantastic CPA clone. But I'm curious, could I reculture the US-05 yeast from an American Pale Ale I've recently bottled?

 

[rclemmett]

:huh: You can buy US-05 off the shelf...... The point of reculturing Coopers yeast is you can't get it any other way. However, to answer your question, Yes.

 

[manticle]

The point of reculturing is also that you can make one packet go further. You can also have yeast on hand all the time rather than running out. I have a few bottles of recultured 05 in my brew fridge. Just used some in a recent brown ale

I reculture from my slurry usually rather than the bottle though (especially if I use a liquid).

 

[Bribie G]

If you have a lot of yeasts on the go (In my case Ringwood, 1469, US-05, S-186, etc) then keeping lab jars or PET bottles of spare slurry can be a PITA, you could end up with half a fridge full, and often when you open it up to pitch or reculture it's a guess as to what the yeast health is because some of them, especially the lagers, can smell like something out of the zoo.

The advantage of reculturing a yeast from one of your own bottles is that you can drink the beer right there and then, and if the beer is sound then, all else being equal, you are OK to reculture. The author of Brew Your Own UK Real Ale, Graham Wheeler, "stores" all his yeasts this way. What you can do is to fill the last bottle using glass from the last runnings out of the vessel so it gets a thicker sediment, label it specially, and just store it with the rest of the batch until you need it. It should last almost indefinitely.

Of course no point in storing kit yeasts or really cheap yeasts such as Morgans Lager in this way.

 

[rclemmett]

The point of reculturing is also that you can make one packet go further. You can also have yeast on hand all the time rather than running out. I have a few bottles of recultured 05 in my brew fridge. Just used some in a recent brown ale

I reculture from my slurry usually rather than the bottle though (especially if I use a liquid).

Yes.

I too re-use yeast slurry. I guess this is getting into semantics but I wouldn't consider using and storing slurry as reculturing... Unless you are taking a small amount of slurry adding it to malt and growing it prior to pitching.

 

[manticle]

I usually do just to check that the bottle is viable and also that it's healthy. I can think of nothing worse than directly pitching only to find I've thrown infected yeast into my hard earned wort.

I understand your distinction but I guess the desired outcome is the same.

 

[warra48]

The advantage of reculturing a yeast from one of your own bottles is that you can drink the beer right there and then, and if the beer is sound then, all else being equal, you are OK to reculture. The author of Brew Your Own UK Real Ale, Graham Wheeler, "stores" all his yeasts this way. What you can do is to fill the last bottle using glass from the last runnings out of the vessel so it gets a thicker sediment, label it specially, and just store it with the rest of the batch until you need it. It should last almost indefinitely.

This works really well. Last Monday I pitched a starter of WY1968 cultured from a stubbie of a batch brewed in April this year.

 

[jacknohe]

Thanks for your responses! I'm going to give it a crack following the same steps for reculturing Coopers yeast. We'll see how I get on... B)

 

[Kai]

When I was averaging a brew a fortnight I would reculture all my yeast this way... whatever I wanted to brew, I would usually pick the yeast from my 'library' in the beer fridge. Worked really well.

 

[Mr.Moonshine]

Is there any rule of thumb as to how long a yeast can be in the bottle until you're unable to recondition? I've had a hoegaarden clone with a recultured yeast for about a year now (it worked really nicely, great beer), and was thinking of using it again for a nice summer quaffer. I've got enough left over bottles to use the sediment of 2-3, but would the yeast viability be particuarly low now that it's not only been recultured once, but also in the bottle for such a time?

Cheers and beers,

Mr.Moonshine

 

[mika]

When I was averaging a brew a fortnight....

And how many brews now Kai ?

 

[Kai]

And how many brews now Kai ?

At home? Much, much less

 

[Acasta]

Hi all, im new here, been maily on the coopers forums so far.
Just wondering if someone could point me to a guide for yeast culturing from a bottle (ie. White Rabbit has been discussed) and also it sounds interesting/cheap to be able to make a yeast go longer then one brew, either getting a yeast and growing it and storing it in the fridge?
How long can yeast be stored in the fridge for?

 

[pingdong]

I have the brew bible by Charlie Papazian but im still not quite sure of the process.

Do you just bottle some sediment at the end of a bottle up in a bottle? Then store it until you are ready, taste the beer if ok add some slurry (how much) to some sterile unfermented wort untill bubling then back in fridge until brew day?

Charlie papazian book say substancial improvements, but he says to start with live liquid yeast purchased from brew shop.

Where can i buy this, or do i just use the sed?

 

[big78sam]

Hi all, im new here, been maily on the coopers forums so far.
Just wondering if someone could point me to a guide for yeast culturing from a bottle (ie. White Rabbit has been discussed) and also it sounds interesting/cheap to be able to make a yeast go longer then one brew, either getting a yeast and growing it and storing it in the fridge?
How long can yeast be stored in the fridge for?

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=40

 

[big78sam]

Is there any rule of thumb as to how long a yeast can be in the bottle until you're unable to recondition? I've had a hoegaarden clone with a recultured yeast for about a year now (it worked really nicely, great beer), and was thinking of using it again for a nice summer quaffer. I've got enough left over bottles to use the sediment of 2-3, but would the yeast viability be particuarly low now that it's not only been recultured once, but also in the bottle for such a time?

Cheers and beers,

Mr.Moonshine

I'm no expert but Id say that the easiest way is to make a starter and you'll know soon enough if it's viable.

 

[Acasta]

thats big78sam.
Would the proces be the same for a beer like White Rabbit which has no sediment?

What about getting a yeast and growing it and storing it in the fridge?
How long can yeast be stored in the fridge for before its dead?

 

[manticle]

Are you sure white rabbit has no sediment? The ones I've drunk do and the brewers (regular posters on this forum) have confirmed the yeast is the primary strain.

You can keep yeast in the fridge (in fact you should). Viability is dependent on so many things so your best bet is to make a proper starter each time you use it to check for yeast health.

 

[Acasta]

Maybe it does and ive not noticed as i never really thought to look haha.
I have also been reading the White Rabbit replica thread and considering moving to AG just to try it.