Top Cropping Yeasts

[Stuffa]

It's the first time I've used a top cropping yeast, Wyeast 3638 Bavarian Wheat. Just a quick question if all the yeast ends up on the top, when bottling do you skim all the yeast of the top first? Usually I just make sure I don't disturb the yeast/sediment on the bottom when getting the last out of the fermenter.
What do you do?

Cheers Chris

 

[mika]

It'll drop to the bottom (mostly), just treat it as any other ale. You might want to do some further research on 'top cropping' yeasts.

 

[buttersd70]

I use true top croppers most of the time (most notably 1469 west yorkshire). What I do is top skim it just prior to transfer to secondary. Then proceed as normal. So in my case, I top skim, transfer to secondary for a day or 2, then crash chill and fine (but obviously with a wheat, you might want it to be cloudy, in which case you wouldn't fine it. But you know what I mean.). Best harvested yeast you will ever have, completely free of trub, clean and pure.

The only add on to this, is that i have found with top cropped yeast (a opposed to getting yeast off the bottom after fermentation is fully, 100% done and dusted), is that you will need to vent the bottle you put it into for the next few days, because it might continue to have a wee bit of activity left in it....and you don't want farmed gushers on your hands.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Even full tilt top croppers will settle to the bottom after crash chilling - or on their own after long enough. When its truly done and dusted, whack it in the fridge and wait a few days. If you use a secondary like buttters.. then you either do exactly as he suggests, or you can transfer out from under the top cake (carefully) instead of skimming.

The weizen yeast will drop on its own though, don't even need to crash it.

 

[buttersd70]

Even full tilt top croppers will settle to the bottom after crash chilling - or on their own after long enough. When its truly done and dusted, whack it in the fridge and wait a few days. ....

Yep, 'tis true. I recently did a double, with 1469, and because of the size of my fridge, I had one in a fermenter, and one in a cube...so I couldn't top skim the cube one even if I'd wanted to. I got a bit lazy with this brew and didn't go to secondary, either, just crash chilled. Even the big strong beefy 1469 dropped out, no problem at all.

 

[Acasta]

Firing up an old thread here but:
When top cropping, how would i store the yeast? with some sterile water in a sterile jar?

 

[under]

Wheres Butters??

 

[manticle]

Firing up an old thread here but:
When top cropping, how would i store the yeast? with some sterile water in a sterile jar?

That'll be fine. When you want to use it, take it out of the fridge and let it warm up near room temp. I just use sanitised longnecks with boiled water which are capped with a crown seal. I fill the longnecks about halfway with the water.

 

[Acasta]

It seems weird to me, just bottling the foam... Does it settle back out into yeast cake in the bottom of the bottle? This seems like a good way to get healthy yeast for next batch.

 

[manticle]

That foam is the thickest healthiest, creamiest yeast you can imagine. Stick it in a bottle and refrigerate and it will settle to a layer at the bottom. As soon as you scoop some you will see the same thing that you see at the bottom of the fermenter after fermentation but nicer looking with no bits of hop etc. Give it a go.

 

[RdeVjun]

Indeed, top- cropped yeast is extremely concentrated and also quite vigorous, just half a cup of it in the next batch and it goes completely berserk within hours (strain- dependant I presume). Thoroughly recommended for simple and reliable pitching, it would have to be the easiest method for a liquid yeast strain that I know of. Of course it helps if you need to pitch regularly though (using the same strain of course), if you're pitching two batches a week (or at least over one) it can continue almost indefinitely, plus it costs nothing!
Having said that, there may eventually be some drift in the strain's characteristics after several top crops as it selects the upwardly- mobile, however I've not noticed any great differences with several 1469s after more than half a dozen batches, I just occasionally reset it from a fresh slant to be sure.

I don't know though if it settles Acasta, I've not stored top- cropped yeast like that, sounds like it from what manticle relates. If I had to, I'd prefer this to harvesting slurry.

 

[O'Henry]

I have looked everywhere for info on 'true' top croppers that are widely available. I know Dr K posted something about it more than a year ago, but can never find it. If someone has more luck, please post here! (or anywhere for that matter)

 

[manticle]

Settles out just like any other yeast - seeing as it's yeast I guess.

I haven't top cropped for a while but my next brew should be an ESB with one or another UK yeasts so I'll be getting into it again soon. How good is marris otter with 500g crystal and the right yeast?

O'Henry - from memory, wyeast distinguish if the yeasts are true TC although to my mind if it throws krausen, you can harvest it. Probably a pain to look through every description of WY (and then WL and then Proculture and the brewlab) but I guess start with the obvious - UK yeasts and maybe some Belgian and weizen yeasts.

I did just find this page which might help: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/list-top-...-needed-173641/

 

[Nick JD]

With some belgian yeasts I top crop from the bottom.

That makes no sense.

Because the FG is reached with a healthy krausen still on top of the brew I bottle the fecker and then also bottle a slurp of the krausen as it glugs down the tap.

Mmmmmm, esters.

 

[O'Henry]

Settles out just like any other yeast - seeing as it's yeast I guess.

I haven't top cropped for a while but my next brew should be an ESB with one or another UK yeasts so I'll be getting into it again soon. How good is marris otter with 500g crystal and the right yeast?

O'Henry - from memory, wyeast distinguish if the yeasts are true TC although to my mind if it throws krausen, you can harvest it. Probably a pain to look through every description of WY (and then WL and then Proculture and the brewlab) but I guess start with the obvious - UK yeasts and maybe some Belgian and weizen yeasts.

I did just find this page which might help: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/list-top-...-needed-173641/

That was the vibe of the thread, then Dr K and Butters came in and said not all top fermenting yeasts are true top croppers, such as US05 which is best taken from the bottom as that is how it was developed. Shame Butters and Dr K are so rarely on here...

Thanks for the link though!

 

[manticle]

Unfortunately I just read the link more thoroughly and it fails to go anywhere.. I wouldn't top crop 05 as I generally don't re-use dried yeasts.

Yeasts that I do know are top croppers (or I have successfully top cropped) include:

Wy london ale III
Wy 1099
Wy 3068 (presumably 3638 acts similarly but I haven't used it)
Wy 1272
Wy ringwood (1187?)
Wy 3787
Wy 1007

There's probably a few more in my fridge I've forgotten. Maybe we should start a list here? I believe Kolsch yeasts are meant to be good TC yeasts too. Also whatever WR are using is supposedly a TC yeast if my memory serves me correctly.

My understanding of True top croppers is yeasts that will form a huge krausen towards the finish of fermentation rather than floc out - something people sometimes look askance at. Even 1056 does that from time to time.

 

[pk.sax]

thick krausen.. hmnn.... enlighten me please, my first semi-extract brew here, I have a sort of dense looking chocolate cofee coloured yeast layer on top of the beer. I did boil up the kit (coopers blonde) + 1.5 kilo liquid wheat extract up. using US05, just keep hearing so many good things about it, but you say don't top crop a dry yeast, ?? why not if its any good? Well, I'm just curious thats all, this brew, the yeast is looking so content and stable on top of the beer that I do feel like saving some, is that chocolate coloured yeast OK? (or relatedly, am I brewing something vile, possibly!)

 

[manticle]

I said I don't re-use dry yeast - mainly because it's cheap but also because bacteria levels in dry yeast might be slightly higher. That wouldn't stop me from having a go and I suggest you do but the only times I've had manky yeast from re-used stuff was from US05.

Non scientific - maybe means nothing and my experience only. Have a go. You have nothing to lose if you make a starter and smell/taste it first with some fresh yeast as a reserve back up when you brew.

 

[pk.sax]

cool, prolly safe your way too, since its cheap for dried yeast anyway and then when I made my starter to clean out the extract can the yeast took to it like dogs kept hungry for a week, straight out of the fridge too.. so I do get the 'whats the point'. Just wanted to keep a sample in the fridge for those Sundays when Pete closes his shop in boronia and I remember I have everything on hand but.... gah. thnx again.

 

[drsmurto]

WY1469 is a true top cropper, here's a pic of the last top crop i did. Scooped out with a sanitised ladle and rinsed into the bottle with some boiled, cooled water. Photo was taken a few minutes after cropping. It flocced out quickly to form a nice compact layer just shy of 100mL. Pure as the driven snow.

I made the mistake of throwing some top cropped yeast into a starter after it had been in the fridge for 3 weeks. I tend to make starters after 2 weeks with yeastcakes etc just to check viability and get them on their way but within 10 mins of making the starter (300mL in a 2L flask) it had spewed out the top. Active little bugger.

Have been fortunate enough to have several long chats to Butters over a few pints about top cropping. And yes, Butters is still alive.