Reusing Yeast After Finings

[davelovesbeer]

Just wondering the viability of reusing yeast after having used finings in the last brew. Would the finings have affected the ability of the yeast to reculture properly?

Dave

 

[Wolfy]

What finings did you use, and at what stage during the brewing process?

 

[punkin]

Also interested in the reply, say i used a 2 tsp mix of gelatin 6 days into the ferment of 44l and keg 2 days later?

 

[davelovesbeer]

just the stuff from the supermarket, added toward the end of fermentation

 

[flano]

I have done it....it works .

still tasted fine to me and got me drunk.

 

[Wolfy]

just the stuff from the supermarket, added toward the end of fermentation

Without more specific info, its hard to give a detailed reply.

Fininings are designed to attract the yeast (via electrostatic charge) help them form clumps or flocs and settle to the bottom of the fermentor, only the most flocculant yeast or that is not effected by the finings will remain in suspension (which will still be enough to bottle condition but it may not be enough for another fermentation).
Depending on the finings (there may be clumps of gelatine on the bottom of the fermentor for example) and how (well) they work and how you will re-use the yeast (attempting to wash the yeast cake would be more difficult if you have lumpy bits of gelatine to which the yeast is stuck) it may be that much of the yeast has been forced to settle out (which would not be a major issue if you simply planned to pitch the new batch of beer directly ontop of the old yeast-cake).
Using finings in the fermentor will make it more difficult, but not impossible, to re-use the yeast, in addition if you re-used the yeast a few times, it would be very probable that you'd only select that which does not floc with the use of finings.
However, it really depends most on what finings are used, and what procedure will be used to re-use the yeast.

 

[ianh]

I use gelatine and polyclar for all my brews. When I buy and use a new liquid yeast I bottle the brew in 1.5 litre PET bottles. After conditioning I then decant and drink most the beer from a bottle and then use the rest as my yeast starter.

Only occasionally had any problems using this method and that was only on beers that had been in the bottle for about a year or more.

Currently have PC1469 as a starter which is the fifth or sixth starter from that particular brew.

 

[CosmicBertie]

Just wondering the viability of reusing yeast after having used finings in the last brew. Would the finings have affected the ability of the yeast to reculture properly?

Dave

The way I do it is to connect the tap on my fermenter to the tap of a second fermenter. Mix 2 teaspons of gelatin with hot (not boiling) kettle water and put that in the second FV. Then open the taps on the both vessels and let one decant into the other, mixing with the gelatin as it goes. If your fermenters have the gunk reducer on the inside of the tap, then turn it so it points around the side and it gets a whirlpool effect going. This way I get a better mix and after 3 days crystal clear beer. The yeast can also be re-used without any concern.