Culturing Yeast From My Bottled Brews..

[Darcey]

I am fairly sure that this is easily possible... but I have used afew White Labs yeasts over the last few months on some Tripels and a Rauchbier, would it be ok to culture the yeasts from MY bottles and in so doing get another starter? I dont really want to spend £7 again on a liquid yeast if I have some in bottles waiting in the cellar?!

 

[Dunfie]

Absolutely, I am currently doing the same with WLP550.

 

[shocker]

I know this isnt the answer to the OP but it IS related and may be of some use even so....

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


most of you have probably seen it before but its an interesting site nevertheless....

 

[graysalchemy]

I have done it but with not great results probably more to do with the fact I didn't make big enough starters.

You may also find that the yeast in high gravity beer is b*ggered. You should reuse a yeastt cake from high gravity beers so the same would apply to bottle harvests.

Do you keep your yeast cakes or washed yeast? I now keep washed yeast and bottle it with a little beer and a bit of priming sugar so you have bottled yeast slurry. I did it with a 2l pet keeped in the fridge and used on a 40l barley wine, I had 10" of krausen.

 

[Darcey]

I know this isnt the answer to the OP but it IS related and may be of some use even so....
http://uk-homebrew.tripod.com/id45.html
most of you have probably seen it before but its an interesting site nevertheless....

Thanks for that! It'll help alot! I am also planning on getting some free yeast from the cask beer at work. Some interesting brewerys coming along that I wouldnt mind getting some samples from

 

[Good Ed]

I cultured up a starter from a Brewlab Thames Valley 2 yeast from a Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby bottled in January for a Durden Park stout OG 1063 in August and didn't have a problem. Yeast can be pretty resilient as long as you give them some TLC :

For a 500ml bottle, start with 50g DME and 300ml cooled boiled water and step up from there.