Rinsing Yeast (in Pictures)

[Wolfy]

what do you reckon the bubbles/foam is on the top?

Looks like Krusen to me, like the yeast is resistant to dropping out and still wants to ferment stuff.
I'd shake it up and then dilute half, but like I said, if you used a kit, it may be that there is not trub or other matter that you need to filter out.

 

[chiller]

Had a shot at this tonight with the yeast from my wee heavy. So far got a nice top layer but no trub yet. Given it was a can brew with no hops or finings I'm guessing I prob won't be expecting much

In fact might got pour the first lot out and add some new water.

Cheers for this wolfy. I'm still scared about using it in a brew as I've never done this before and I don't trust myself Hahah but who dares wins!

a 6.5 % beer isn't overly "heavy" and as such your yeast should be fine.

Try this: Harvest a reasonable amount of your yeast - clean it - take about 100 - 150ml ml of clean slurry/liquid and then add that to 2 litres straight from your fermenter holding your next beer. [assuming you intent to pitch n the same day or within 48 hours]. As it is so fresh it should be showing signs of fermentation within 1 to 3 hours. regardless of the time as soon as there is activity swill it all around and dump back into your new beer. You will be adding back reproducing yeast and they will be healthier than just adding slurry in case they are "tired" after a week on the Wee Heavy.

All the best
Steve

 

[The Giant]

Thanks guys will do

 

[tones0606]

Rinsing yeast now, awesome thread.
I'm sure it will help alot people save a few bucks

 

[ledgenko]

Giant,
I had a similar situation and I have no idea as to what it is .... but in saying that I have put my "yeasties" into the fridge to try and achieve said layer cake .. as I have been trying to wash the wort off the yeast cake of a Burtons yeast the foam on top of the water has gone ... so I can only assume it is no yeasties or I would be pretty sad...lol..

The question though I have for the rest of the forum is what if you are trying to reculture or capture yeast from say a similar white Rabbit dark ale... is it a similar process ?? capure the last inch from 6 stubbies and try and grow them from that ?? do you wash them out using this same process??

 

[HeavyNova]

How does the addition of finings such as gelatin or isinglass effect this process? I've got some yeast I'd like to wash and reuse (never done it before either) but would also like to use some finings on the beer as the yeast I'm using loves staying in suspension.

 

[Wolfy]

How does the addition of finings such as gelatin or isinglass effect this process? I've got some yeast I'd like to wash and reuse (never done it before either) but would also like to use some finings on the beer as the yeast I'm using loves staying in suspension.

Since gelatine and isinglass both work by attracting yeast, forming clumps and then settling, I'd guess two things may happen. The flocs may settle more quickly thus making it more difficult to separate the yeast from trub, as a consequence you may be selecting only the least floculant or yeast less likely to floc when using such finings.

 

[cdbrown]

Great thread wolfy. I've been doing it the slack way and just scooping up the yeast slurry as is, bottling it and chilling it until I want to use it. Will now do it your way as it's a much better way of storing the yeast.

Question - I have just put down 42L of American IPA OG 1.059 est FG 1.012 with Wyeast 1056. I had planned on racking this at around day 4 and then dry hopping, leaving it for about 7 days before chilling and then kegging. Is it worth getting any of the slurry from the primary (which would be the early floccing yeast) or should I just get it all from the secondary and then wash it to remove the dry hop stuff. Or is it dependent on how far along the ferment has travelled - ie if it has fermented out by day 4.

Cheers
-cd

 

[raven19]

cdb - you could top crop it being 1056 easily also.

In your case, I would grab it from the primary as the secondary yeast will have additional hop debris in it.

 

[CosmicBertie]

How does the addition of finings such as gelatin or isinglass effect this process? I've got some yeast I'd like to wash and reuse (never done it before either) but would also like to use some finings on the beer as the yeast I'm using loves staying in suspension.

I would recommend racking off the beer into another fermenter. Basically put your finings into the bottom of the fermenter then syphon your beer onto it. Its mixes it up really well. Then you can scrape up the yeast from the first fermenter.

I do this, and it works a treat.

 

[cdbrown]

cdb - you could top crop it being 1056 easily also.

In your case, I would grab it from the primary as the secondary yeast will have additional hop debris in it.

Wouldn't the trub in the primary be full of early flocc yeast. Gravity sitting at 1.031 and will rack tomorrow when it's about 1.025 (heading to 1.012). So the trub will be full of yeast that stopped early and dropped out? The risk of only taking from secondary is that it will be full of the yeast that don't flocc as easily. I heard on a brew strong podcast that you want to get the early, middle and late flocc yeast when using slurry. I could take slurry from primary and secondary, wash them both and mix together.

If I top cropped - when is the best time to do that? Or is it fine to do it any time as long as it's still fermenting?

 

[seamad]

Kegged my LCBA today. Used American 2 (1272). Added trub to these glass jars and topped up with water, shook and looks like this @ 45min later...Alomost 1/2 a dozen layers WTF? Which ones do I want


cheers sean

 

[DKS]

Im in the middle of puting together a trub seperater from very cheap componants.
Ill post pics when in action. Just using PET disposable bottles and poly garden type valve and joiner.
Anybody made one?
Thinking just to seperate the bulk of trub out of yeast cake.
Scientific proffessional glass jobbie about $80 plus craddels and other componants. Im looking at $5 bucks.
I have componants and ideas just wanted to see if anyone else has had a go.
Thinking may be good for those that dont have a stir plate so to quickly grab yeast from fermenter reasonably clean.
Thoughts?
Wolfy?
Daz

 

[Wolfy]

Added trub to these glass jars and topped up with water, shook and looks like this @ 45min later...Alomost 1/2 a dozen layers WTF? Which ones do I want

It may be that you did not add enough water to allow easy separation, you want to add about 3-4 times as much water as there are solids, that way when you shake it, you should get good separation within 10-15mins, more than that and the yeast will start to settle out.

...
Ill post pics when in action. Just using PET disposable bottles and poly garden type valve and joiner.
...
Thinking may be good for those that dont have a stir plate so to quickly grab yeast from fermenter reasonably clean.
Thoughts?

Sounds interesting and post pics for sure, however, a couple of glass jars are cheap (free) and easy to (heat) sterilize.
I've never had a problem separating yeast this way so for me I don't see the need for a 'device' to do it for me, especially if its going to be harder to sterlize, especially when I can simply tip the jars to decant the yeast/trub as required. If it was something that was used very often and easy to sterilize it might be worth the effort.

 

[DKS]

It may be that you did not add enough water to allow easy separation, you want to add about 3-4 times as much water as there are solids, that way when you shake it, you should get good separation within 10-15mins, more than that and the yeast will start to settle out.

Sounds interesting and post pics for sure, however, a couple of glass jars are cheap (free) and easy to (heat) sterilize.
I've never had a problem separating yeast this way so for me I don't see the need for a 'device' to do it for me, especially if its going to be harder to sterlize, especially when I can simply tip the jars to decant the yeast/trub as required. If it was something that was used very often and easy to sterilize it might be worth the effort.

Im just thinking of taking a full yeast cake into a seperating funnel with added water to help rinse.Settle out. Discharge bottom trub then run off middle section of yeast, dump remainning wort and PET bottle. A simple funnel from a PET with a tap on the bottom.
Probably wouldnt bother if you had a stir plate to make starters but maybe a handy gadget from time to time.
Will post pics when next ferment complete. and give it a run. :icon_cheers:
Daz

 

[Wolfy]

Probably wouldnt bother if you had a stir plate to make starters but maybe a handy gadget from time to time.

Making a starter with a stir-plate and rinsing the yeast-cake are two separate, independent and not related things IMHO.

 

[DKS]

Making a starter with a stir-plate and rinsing the yeast-cake are two separate, independent and not related things IMHO.

Yep, I agree. Not trying to confuse one with the other. Just another method of getting yeast ready for use.
Daz

 

[cdbrown]

I kegged my AIPA last night and was following this thread for rinsing the yeast. Got 3 jars worth of slurry and topped up with water after about 10mins the break was clearly settling at the bottom but there wasn't much separation of the yeast and the beer. Decanted the top section to another jar, topped up with water and discarded the trub. Did this with the three jars. After that it became quite difficult to see the settling so left it for an hour and I could see some compacted stuff at the bottom - about 3 or 4 different coloured layers, the liquid above had a light colour but I'm thinking that some of the yeast had settled over that time so decided to put them in the fridge so I can decant off the beer tonight and top up with fresh water again. I'll probably split them across more jars as well as I'm thinking I've got too much solids compared to water. Not repitching these anytime soon so will probably do the washing fairly cool - any problem with that?

 

[Yob]

I kegged my AIPA last night and was following this thread for rinsing the yeast. Got 3 jars worth of slurry and topped up with water after about 10mins the break was clearly settling at the bottom but there wasn't much separation of the yeast and the beer. Decanted the top section to another jar, topped up with water and discarded the trub. Did this with the three jars. After that it became quite difficult to see the settling so left it for an hour and I could see some compacted stuff at the bottom - about 3 or 4 different coloured layers, the liquid above had a light colour but I'm thinking that some of the yeast had settled over that time so decided to put them in the fridge so I can decant off the beer tonight and top up with fresh water again. I'll probably split them across more jars as well as I'm thinking I've got too much solids compared to water. Not repitching these anytime soon so will probably do the washing fairly cool - any problem with that?

it can help to pre-boil the rinsing water and put it in the fridge so it is at the same temps as the yeast you want to wash... this also help to minimise the temp fluctuations of the yeast. The more stable the temps the more the yeast will appreciate it.

by the way, if it's not seperating it means you need to dilute it more

lots of good info in this (BN) Rinsing Yeast... really goes hand in hand with this topic...

Yob

 

[Yob]

Quick question..

why not distilled water for storing rinsed yeast? in the BN podcast he doest really explain, just says sterile water not distilled. Must be a reason for it...

Yob