I keep only a few around
1272 ( gen 3 )
Coopers ale yeast ( gen 6+ ? )
Nottingham ( gen 2 )

Think there's still some BRY-97 and 05 floating around but I seldom use them so will probably just throw it in the boil to feed my preferred yeasts .

 

I got 4

Wlp830 1st gen
34/70 6 dry packets + 1 lager in the fermentor
Wlp001 1st gen
Wlp838 1st gen

 

The Coopers yeast is a tricky beast , any questions with it you can ask me anything you like ...think I've worked it out !

 

I have 0. I buy all of my ingredients on a per batch basis.

 

Ditto!

 

If I'm remembering then all...
S-23
34/70
US-05 (though I think I just used the last of those)
S-04
K-97
S-33
T-58
Nottingham
WLP-041
Jar of trub from a Cream Ale blend that I made up
Maybe a jar of saved trub from WLP-500

I've been leery of saving yeasts lately because I know I've got some voracious wild yeasts in the environment and I don't trust samples to be completely untainted by the time they get handled and transferred.

I've tried to stock up on ingredients by buying bulk grain and hops and can brew happily for many batches without a trip to the LHBS...though I realize that I really, really enjoy trips to the LHBS and end up just stopping by there every chance I get.

 

Same here. If I do use liquid yeast I do 2 or 3 of the same beer over a few months (over growing starters each time) rather than having a fridge full of yeast.

 

Since liquid yeast here can add up to 25-35% of my batch cost I kind of have to stretch it out as far as I safely can .

The only way of getting the Cooper's yeast is to reculture it so that's not going to stop either

 

There are a lot of trees around and the Salt Cedar here in particular seem to harbor some real beasts. I've captured wild cultures very quickly with wort left out either intentionally or by mistake. When these are left to run they don't quite act like sours but rather like wine yeasts with some really pleasant flavor. I left some excess beer in a bucket for too long and got a hell of a re-fermentation. It was heavenly to taste early on but in the heat it turned to nail polish.

 

You're probably right @Trialben. I would be more inclined to go further if I could steralise the gear rather than sanitise (big difference when talking yeast.....). The 'big guys' generally only go up to about gen 7 or 8 (I know of some brands that only allow 4) then recultivate their yeast.


Sanitising leaves behind bacteria spores that will grow with your yeast. If you can steralise that kills spores as well. A pressure cooker is a good way to do it but I've never got round to getting that involved. I figure one or two generations won't build up enough bacteria to cause me too many issues with sanitization only, but that's why I don't go higher.

 

I'm not culturing yeast. I've had the idea to do so but haven't, at least for beer (I do have a few "wild" sourdough starters lurking about in various refrigerators). Someone above noted that all beer is contaminated. That's true and it's why we only normally age big beers - the alcohol content is high enough to keep the baddies knocked down. I was drinking an October 2015 vintage 7.5% beer a couple nights ago, still very good. There are undoubtedly bad boys lurking in there but in the anaerobic, alcoholic, hoppy conditions, they can't grow.

 

Probably very well indeed , provided you keep the temps low (17) through the main fermentation the esters will be mild enough to complement the fruitier hops .
I've been toying with doing a batch of my house Rye XPA with Coopers yeast due to similar ester profile between that and 1272 anyway ( and its cheaper and comes with free beer and extra bottles )

 

5 days for a keg ? You are a thirsty boy then !