Dry Yeast Washing

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

This topic has probably been beaten to death. So I have questions. I have read in many places that you shouldn't collect dry yeast to reuse. I did just that yesterday. I top cropped Lallemand Belle Saison yeast from my fermenter and I now have what looks like a good amount to reuse. Here are my questions.

1. Will the yeast be viable for the next use?
2. If yes to #1 above should I use a starter when ready to pitch this yeast?

Thanks folks for your help.

 

[Nosybear]

I don't know why you wouldn't collect it for reuse. Yeast is yeast, the dry part is just how it's processed for sale. Beer lore states that you shouldn't reuse dry yeast because when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the yeast wasn't very "clean". It was contaminated with other yeasts and bacteria. Current processing gives you a pretty clean yeast with very little bacteria so reuse it until it starts performing badly, then get a new pitch.

I'd always do a starter, small, just to wake them up, for harvested yeast, particularly if it's stored for a while.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

Thanks Nosybear...I had the same thought "yeast is yeast" so that's why I did it. When you say small do you mean 1000ml?

 

[Nosybear]

Thanks Nosybear...I had the same thought "yeast is yeast" so that's why I did it. When you say small do you mean 1000ml?

That should just about do it, just enough to wake them up and get them going.

 

[The Green Man]

Thanks Frankenbrewer, I have been meaning to ask this myself.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

OK So I made the dry yeast starter this morning. I used a can of Propper starter and 32 oz of boiled cooled water for a previously opened 1/2 pack of S04. Is my solution too big? The plan is to pitch this tomorrow in a 2.5 gallon IPA.

 

[Nosybear]

Go big or go home... I don't know the OG on your IPA, if it's reasonably low, the half packet of yeast, rehydrated, should have been enough by itself. But the "overpitch" won't hurt - what you're doing is about a 1-liter starter, will about double your cells, should be all good.

 

[Hawkbox]

I reuse dry yeast all the time, I make starters of BRY-97 simply so I don't have to keep buying more of it.

From a practical perspective it's no different than liquid yeast once it's active.

 

[BOB357]

When harvesting yeast out of a fermenter it makes no difference whether you pitched a liquid or dry strain. Yeast blends can be problematic in that characteristics may change considerably. One strain will likely dominate and overshadow the other(s) when repitched.