Reusing US-05

[wbosher]

I'm doing the same thing at the moment, reusing us-05 on a cheap kit brew for practice. Cloudy as all hell just like yours techno, 24 hours in the fridge and only a centimeter or two clear beer at the top. Sitting in a 750ml PET bottle.

Thinking about just decanting that little bit of beer and pitching the lot once it warms up a little tonight.

I've got another PET bottle which I've separated into two 500ml jars, also in the fridge for 24 hours, and also cloudy as hell. Once they clear a little I'm thinking of decanting the beer and practice washing them as per Wolfy's thread.

 

[wbosher]

Well, just pitched about 500ml of three day old slurry, unwashed. In the process of washing the rest of the yeast as we speak...

Interested to see how long until it kicks off. Brewing the Coopers IPA, my favourite kit brew by a long stretch.

 

[technobabble66]

Mine took a little while to fire. 13 hrs & the first bubble cleared the airlock (earlier, it wz v tempting to write a "my airlock's not bubbling thread...). Pretty much exactly the lag when I've previously used BRY-97. But not much action really - like a bubble every 10-60 mins Another 24 hrs later, a bubble every 2-4 secs. Nice 1cm clean krausen. All good so far!
I've continued playing with the 2 PET bottles of yeast.
I think I jumped into the rinsing too quickly, in hindsight, & skipped a separating step or 2. Live and learn!

 

[wbosher]

I think I may have stuffed up the washing part too. Didn't put any water in with the trub before putting it into the PET bottles. Very hard to see any separation.

Quite clear now but I've washed it three times now and am a little nervous that I may have introduced an infection. I've been careful and sprayed everything anywhere near the yeast with starsan obsessively...and boiled the hell out of the jars. Probably fine, just nervous.

Only pitched a couple of hours ago, already a thin layer of krausen on top!!!

 

[Yob]

the taller and thinner the rinsing bottle the better, those 1.5lt V8 jars are the bomb.. not selling them here though now so rare as rocking horse shit..

IF y'all are having a play, I suggest this

3 identical jars with increasing amounts of trub in each, 2 fingers, 3 fingers and 4 fingers, fill up to the 3/4 full and shake the shit out of them and take a photo every 10 minutes for 3 hours, having a mandatory glass of beer at every photo.

After the 3 hours, look through the photos and notice the difference in separation, the thicker the mix the harder it is to notice the separation and the longer it takes to stratify, Ive been known to rinse a jar 3 times to get my "100ml" of rinsed yeast and the more you rinse a jar the better it stratifies.

 

[wbosher]

Thanks Yob. I've definitely noticed that the layers are far more obvious after a few washes. Got them sitting in the fridge now to see how they look once they settle. Before washing they just looked like mud. The unwashed slurry that I pitched is really taking off though.

 

[Yob]

Room temperature is the way to go mate, it'll settle out too fast when cold... that said, 05 is a ******* to do and you are learing the hard way (same as I did), it's a cloudy yeast resistant to floccing out at the best of times, so youll notice it takes a GOOD 3 days to completely settle out in the fridge, it's actually interesting to watch, you can call it a mini FV almost and know how long what yeasts take to settle out, BRY-97 for instance drops like a bloody stone after about 24hrs..

I quite like the whole process and do it quite regularly even if I dont end up using it. Ive currently got a few jars of Greenbelt in there ready to rinse and a starter dropping clear :beerbang:

Oh Greenbelt, let us never part ways again :lol:

 

[wbosher]

I was leaving it at room temp in between washes, but I think I've got it now. No noticeable line of trub at the bottom. That's why I thought I'd let it completely settle in the fridge to see how it looks.

So, if that all works out ok, just need to figure out what to do with it when the time comes. :lol:

 

[technobabble66]

... BRY-97 for instance drops like a bloody stone after about 24hrs..

Negatory, yakitori. Well at least for me: 24 hrs in fridge & was still cloudy. Though it had definitely cleared a lot by then. Makes me a bit scared to do 05 then, if 97's meant to be much better!
Thanks for all your help, Yob. I've still got a lot to learn after stuffing a few things up on this first attempt. However, you steered me in the right direction & gave me enough confidence to 'ave a crack. Most appreciated! B)
What's this Greenbelt you speak of? I see it's meant to be exclusive to Austin LHBS in texas. How'd you get it? h34r: Or rather, where can i get it :lol:

 

[Yob]

I rather well known Yeast guru kindly gave me a little bit once.. if it wasnt for rinsing yeast Id never have been able to keep it going!! (and thanks to a neighbour who re-supplied me when mine went as far as I could get it at the time)

Happy to collect some slurry for you if you like? All you need do is come get it.

:icon_cheers:

 

[wbosher]

In your experience Yob, does 05 floc better, worse, or about the same 2nd time around?

 

[Yob]

erm... probably better, really depends to a degree on how you select when rinsing.. so it comes down to technique with your rinsing a little bit..

hope that makes sense?

 

[technobabble66]

Yob, I'd be stoked to grab a bit off you if it's not too much hassle.
PM'd

 

[Yob]

No probs, bring a sanitised jar

 

[toncils]

3 identical jars with increasing amounts of trub in each, 2 fingers, 3 fingers and 4 fingers, fill up to the 3/4 full and shake the shit out of them and take a photo every 10 minutes for 3 hours, having a mandatory glass of beer at every photo.

After the 3 hours, look through the photos and notice the difference in separation

...if you can still see.

"Yeast washing; the drinking game"

 

[Yob]

hence the photo's are required

 

[Screwtop]

Must be time for my favourite bitch! WhyTF does anyone want to reuse a dried yeast worth $5 - $7.

Tightarsedness belongs on some other forum, not on a forum which principally exists to provide valuable advice to brewers wanting to produce quality homebrewed beer! FFS.

From the manufactures spec sheet:
Viable cells at packaging: > 6 x 109 /g
Total bacteria*: < 5 / ml Acetic acid bacteria*: < 1 / ml Lactobacillus*: < 1 / ml Pediococcus*: < 1 / ml Wild yeast non Saccharomyces*: < 1 / ml Pathogenic micro-organisms: in accordance with regulation *when dry yeast is pitched at 100 g/hl i.e. > 6 x 106 viable cells / ml
40

Dried yeast contains high levels of Spoilage Micro Organisms which you do not really want in your beer. Why, well this is simply due to the production process required to produce dried yeast. It is designed as a one use in the homebrewing situation. A great yeast when pitched at the correct pitching rate and fermented at recommended fermentation management specs. Some commercial breweries recover spent dried yeast YES. Using conical fermenters and utilising a racking arm to draw the best yeast cells from mid depth of the trub. Still not ideal, some acid wash the yeast to obtain the best healthy cells for repitching.

Ale yeast (top fermenting) should be collected from from the top during fermentation. Most homebrewers collect from the bottom of their fermentation vessel. This yeast contains all of the stuff which you do not want and only very little of what you do want.

Good fermentation in homebrewing requires good quality yeast pitched at proper pitching rates and proper fermentation management.

It's simple really !!!!!



Screwy

 

[Yob]

To be fair Screwey, other rare yeast which aren't widely available have been discussed and offered to share and without the rinsing technique that's been discussed it wouldn't be possible.

 

[Screwtop]

To be fair Screwey, other rare yeast which aren't widely available have been discussed and offered to share and without the rinsing technique that's been discussed it wouldn't be possible.

Cheers Yobbie point taken. But I was referring to dried yeast as per the OP. Homebrewers should not expect much from reusing dried yeast, thats it!!!


Probably expect the expected!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Byran]

I expect that quite a few people tend to expect the expected. Unless you were expecting the unexpected........perhaps?