Comments on: Yeast Washing 101

By: Infected Batch Forensics | Brewer's Friend

Infected Batch Forensics | Brewer's Friend — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:46:13 +0000

[...] did not realize the risks associated. I wrote an article awhile ago that praises yeast repitching (http://www.brewersfriend.com/2010/01/30/yeast-washing-101/ ), and another on yeast washing [...]

By: Larry

Larry — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:39:01 +0000

I personally have only gone 3-4 times re-pitching. Mostly because I want to try out new strains. I was told Deschutes only re-pitches four times. Make sure to only re-pitch healthy yeast from a good batch.

By: Hop

Hop — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:58:21 +0000

Great guide. The one thing I would say is that you can comfortably re-pitch yeast up to 10 times. A couple of pro brewers I’ve talked to will re-pitch all of their yeast 10 times because they do not experience off flavors until 15 re-pitches +/- 2 or 3.

By: Larry

Larry — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:58:33 +0000

Hi Stephen,
I use half pint ball jars. I screw the bands down all the way. I have never had a problem with pressure inside the jars. I can usually get two good half pint jars from the yeast cake of a five gallon batch of beer.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:36:55 +0000

Thanks for all the advice. Just used my stirstarter for the first time.

I am planning on racking to the secondary in a few days and was going to try to save the yeast for the first time. I had 2 questions. Are you using pint size jars for the wait and storage steps and are you tightening the bands all the way down? Is there any risk on ongoing fermentation neccessitating leaving the lids loose? Thanks again for all your help.

By: Larry

Larry — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:22:14 +0000

Niko,
I have not used Mr Malty. I always make a 2 pint starter if I’m re-activating from washed yeast that has been in the fridge.

As for saving yeast off the secondary, 3 weeks is my max. I once went five weeks to let the yeast settle out in the primary. The 5 week batch was very clear and tasted great. The batch that I pitched into ended up being cloudy. It was so much yeast it fermented in under 24 hours. In retrospect, I should have racked off that beer.

By: Nikobrew

Nikobrew — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:29:36 +0000

Have you used mr malty’s pitching calculator with this? If so what settings do you go by on the thickness and nonyeast percentage? Thanks for the great and simple info.

Also, I typically don’t use a secondary. Any thoughts as to how long I can keep a beer in the primary and still be able to wash the yeast after transferring? Sometimes I leave it for a month or longer.

By: Pacman Yeast – Eureka! | Brewer's Friend

Pacman Yeast – Eureka! | Brewer's Friend — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 07:22:43 +0000

[...] When the party is over there will still be some sugars remaining. Some brews, like dry mead, use a yeast strain that goes all the way to a final gravity near 1.000 (no sugar left). Each yeast strain has a different alcohol tolerance and capacity for digesting complex sugars. The yeast eat themselves into an environment they cannot survive in. That’s okay though, they can be harvested off the bottom and saved for another batch or immediately repitched if all was well with t…. [...]

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:05:41 +0000

Thx Larry for the prompt/detailed reply & sounds good. BTW the yeast I washed last night look great and sound asleep today!

By: Larry

Larry — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:54:50 +0000

Yes, once the yeast is activated, it can be stored again in a jar in the fridge for 3-6 months, (starter+brew+ferment+rewash) as you put it. In theory, you could brew every three to six months off the same strain for a year or more.

Many new yeast cells are spawned during fermenation. There will be a very high concentration of healthy yeast cells at the end of the fermentation, and these are the ones that get saved. I would not push storing the yeast past 6 months. A sniff test can confirm if your yeast has gone bad, it should not smell rotten, or like dung.

Ather thing that comes into play is the number of generations the yeast have cycled through. I have gone as high as 3 generations without any trouble. I have heard/read it is possible to go a lot longer. Normally I get tired of the same strain and want something new. With yeast re-use it can be hit or miss, so only store yeast you know came from a healthy fermenation.

Another way to save yeast is to freeze it. That makes it last a lot longer, but requires more effort. We will have an article on long term yeast storage, or yeast banks, sometime in the future.