Calling All Yeasties!

[Joeyriles]

After a very enjoyable tour of the Hog's Back brewery I got given a jiffy bag of yeast. Once home I decanted it into a sterilised jar (the bag looked like it was going to blow) and have stuck it in the fridge.
Now: what do I need to do to ensure it doesn't go to waste? I'm making a stout at the weekend and would like to use it in that but I also want to keep and preserve the strain.

 

[Joeyriles]

Forgot to add the picture

 

[TheRedDarren]

Ooh very nice!

I'm not entirely sure of the best course of action to keep the yeast, but I'd say keep that in the fridge until you're ready to pitch, use a yeast calculator to work out your pitch rate and then keep successive generations in a small container under beer.

I would be tempted to make up a Demi John worth of starter and split it down into 12 small bottles. Then keep th at 2~3 degrees until needed, then use them in a 1 litre starter for a brew.

 

[MyQul]

Looks like you've got quite a lot of yeast there by the looks of it and it's probably quite pure seeing as it came from a brewery. If you want to preserve the strain I don't think you'll be able to use it this weekend as you'll need to do a bit of 'yeast wrangling' first.

You could just risk it, as I say there looks to be a lot of yeast in there and you could just chuck it into you stout and see what happens. Then harvest some trub. But if it was me I would initially make some sort of starter with it.

As TheRD mentions this is a good way of keeping the strain going

http://uk-homebrew.tripod.com/id45.html

Then if you want, each one of the 12 splits you could put into 2L of wort, spit it in two use one split to ferment with and the other split put into another 2L of wort to split again into two. You can do this at least 13 times so 12x13 means you could use what you have about 156 time (although you'd have to manage the initial 12 split as the viablity would tail off the longer you kept them)

If you find after your first use this is a true top cropping strain with a big krausen then you can probably keep using it indefiantely as you can just harvest the krausen and reuse it with out fear of selective pressures/mutations (it'd also be easier to manage than lots of splitting). Have a look at my post no. 3 and 7 as to how to make a yeast collection jar as an extension of a blow off tube.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57541

If you want to 'test out' the strain first, put it into 2L of starter let it ferment out then crash it to see how much you've got. Then swirl it back into suspension and split it in two. You could put one split in the fridge as your back up then decide what to do with the other split (just simply pitch it or grow it some more or may be split it some more)

Sorry if I've overloaded you with info but you've got more than one option depending on what you want to do

 

[ManseMasher]

That is a really informative post, and something I've been meaning to do for ages, especially given liquid yeast in my LHBS is nearly seven quid. I think I am going to have a go at the process in the link you posted, with the same yeast. One starter like that is enough for 23 litres I take it?

 

[clibit]

You need to treat each of the yeast splits as a vial of yeast that does not contain enough yeast for a 5 gallon batch, and make a fresh starter for each brew a couple of days before you brew.

However, when you make a 5 gallon batch you effectively make 40 vials of yeast under beer. You could drink a bottle and pitch the dregs into some wort, and create a starter from that.

Joey, you could use some of that yeast to make a large starter to split, and some in your brew on Saturday.

And you could send me a sample, and I'll return the favour. :whistle:

But I know you're a hassled teacher so no pressure!

 

[MyQul]

Joey, you could use some of that yeast to make a large starter to split, and some in your brew on Saturday.

I agree here, if it was me I'd definately be willing to use some in on the weekend brew but you wont know how much your pitching (I never measure my yeast anyway - but I always advise others to do so) .So if it was me, what I would do is split it into two lots. The first lot I'd either just put back into the fridge or put into 5L of wort like in the link.

The second lot I'd put into a 1L starter made 12 hours before you want to pitch and pitch at high krausen. This is when the yeast is at it's most healthiest. You wont know how much you've pitched but i) It looks like you''ve got LOADS of yeast there anyway ii) Even if you underpitched somehow, pitching at high krausen will save the day as pitching healthy yeast is more important then pitching more yeast - and is something I'm keen on doing myself)

 

[MyQul]

That is a really informative post, and something I've been meaning to do for ages, especially given liquid yeast in my LHBS is nearly seven quid. I think I am going to have a go at the process in the link you posted, with the same yeast. One starter like that is enough for 23 litres I take it?

You need to put each split into another starter. From what I gather from a couple of other Forumites who do it, it works really well. If my brewing corner ever gets down to 20C (in the past week the temp has gone UP to 23/24C - it's nearly november fo gods sake !!) I plan on using a true top cropping strain (Wyeast 1469) so will be making a yeast collection jar.

 

[Joeyriles]

Lots to think about here, lads.

Here's the thing:

I don't have the room to start making starter after starter nor the time. I was told by the chaps at the brewery that this yeast would be fine for a 20l batch which I could then harvest from the bottom of the FV when done.
I also don't know yet what kind of flavour or esters this will give my beer; I kind of want to experiment to see if I like it. I can also go and get more if I pop some money in the charity tin.

If I just prayed the the gods of beer and threw this in once it had reached room temperature would that be yeast-genocide or would it likely be ok?

Thanks for all the responses!

 

[MyQul]

If the brewery say it's good for 20L then I can't see why it wouldn't be. So in that case it should be fine to just bring to room temp and then chuck it in.

If you can't or won't make starters it's fine just to harvest trub and chuck it in the next brew. You need about 300ml - 400ml of trub. The trub can sit in your fridge for about two weeks before you need to make a starter and you can go to about 6 generations. Anymore and you may start to see the effects of selective pressure.

 

[clibit]

It would likely be ok, but keep the room below 20C if you can. I reckon ambient temperature of 15-16 would be good as the yeast will generate some heat.

 

[Joeyriles]

I've done stuffed up my brew day! Started heating up my mash water and realised I am too low on pale malt!

Went to the shop and got some more and, while I was there, got some DME to make a starter.

Now: I assume I boil up some water and add dme, let it cool and add it to my yeast? If I leave it at room temperature would that be ok for my brew day tomorrow? Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

 

[MyQul]

I've done stuffed up my brew day! Started heating up my mash water and realised I am too low on pale malt!

Went to the shop and got some more and, while I was there, got some DME to make a starter.

Now: I assume I boil up some water and add dme, let it cool and add it to my yeast? If I leave it at room temperature would that be ok for my brew day tomorrow? Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Yes.

Have you completed your brew day? If you pitch the yeast into the starter wort at 30C and shake the hell out of it to aerate it should be ready late tonight. Remeber your growing yeast not making beer with the starter so the yeast will go ape sh*t at 30C

 

[Joeyriles]

I'm going to do it tomorrow instead, MQ. Just made a starter and I put a small amount of the HB yeast in to see how it reacts.

 

[MyQul]

Cool. Let us know how it goes. :thumb:

 

[Joeyriles]

Here's the starter after 12 hours. The foam is presumably a good thing?

 

[clibit]

It's your krausen, so it's a good thing.

 

[Joeyriles]

Wicked! Mashing right now and using some Willamette for bittering/aroma.

 

[Joeyriles]

I think the yeast is working...

 

[Covrich]

Yep, when I used a starter the fermentation went off really fast and healthily.. for people who brew outside now like me it is definatley a good thing to get a quick healthy one going.