Reusing Yeast From Dark Beers

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Effect

Hop extract brewer
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Hi there,

Just pitched a stout with some 3711. Now feel like brewing a saison. Always thought there was some rule saying you can't reuse yeast from a dark beer into a light beer. True?

Couldn't I just grab a big bottle full of yeast (from the yeast cake), decant off any beer and top with cooled boiled water. Swish it around and repeat 2 more times? Make up a starter and also decant that off the yeast?

Cheers
Phil
 
Always thought there was some rule saying you can't reuse yeast from a dark beer into a light beer. True?

Is there ? I just did a similar thing two weeks ago, skimmed off some WLP001 from an American Brown, made a starter and pitched into a very light colored American pale. It took off really well, so performance is no concern.
 
I think there's a suggestion that it's better to reuse yeast from a beer lighter or the same colour as the one you'll be brewing. Not a rule as such and personally, if I wanted to re-use the yeast I'd just give it a crack. I make starters anyway so you can see the viability right before your eyes.
 
krausening a dark beer into something light like a kolsch or a pilsner is a no no, unless of course you want brown beer. :p

top cropping or using slurry is fine assuming you are willing to wash the yeast or happy to live with the (minimal) colour adjustment it will make. as noted, using yeast from a dark beer onto a light makes very little difference. if you are krausening fermenting beer on the other hand, make sure the colours (and hops) match.
 
Rules are usually designed for a reasonably good purpose.

But then again, I'm not one for following the rules too closely.

I have an ESB about to be bottled. It was fermented with a jar of WY1968 harvested from a Stout. Didn't seem to affect the colour at all.
In fact, I built a starter of the yeast from a fresh smakpak, and pitched it into an IPA, then a harvested jar into an ESB, then into a Stout, then into another ESB.

I think I've probably done my dash with this, as I have a swelling pak of Bohemian yeast which needs to go into a starter. However, I'm thinking of washing some of the slurry of the WY1968 when I bottle my ESB this Wednesday, as it's my favourite pommy yeast.

Edit: Too many beers and too much wine, gives rise to some spelling muck ups.
 
krausening a dark beer into something light like a kolsch or a pilsner is a no no, unless of course you want brown beer. :p
G'day - can you please go further on wat you mean by krausening? Near the bottom
of John Palmer's Hot To Brew Chap 9.3 is a reference to "krausening" but that relates
to racking.
 
cheers mants, exactly where i was going to direct them to. Id like to be known as 'a fountain of knowledge' although its alot easier to read a book. :p
Mmmm :huh: ........ interesting, probably a bit hardcore at homebrewing level tho.
 
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