Drying yeast at home

[jamow]

I top cropped some White Labs Edinburgh Ale, built a starter with it then dried it. I stored it in the freezer and 4 weeks later just pitched it into another starter of DME. It took two days to show visible signs of activity but looks promising so pitched into some wort; hopefully an Export Ale will be produced

 

[JonBrew]

I top cropped some White Labs Edinburgh Ale, built a starter with it then dried it. I stored it in the freezer and 4 weeks later just pitched it into another starter of DME. It took two days to show visible signs of activity but looks promising so pitched into some wort; hopefully an Export Ale will be produced

Will be interesting to hear how this goes for you. 2 days for visible signs in the starter would have me a little nervous! You'll make beer though that's for sure thumb

 

[jamow]

It did indeed make beer!

 

[JonBrew]

View attachment 25100It did indeed make beer!

That's excellent. Lovely lacing on the glass.

Did you notice any difference in fermentation performance or in the finished product vs normal usage of the yeast?

 

[jamow]

Good question. It finished at 1.019. Tastes good. Quite well balanced. I was trying to maximise body so mashed at 68C. I based the malt bill loosely on James Morton’s Export recipe but added 0.5kg of golden naked oats. However, it could have been a yeast quality/ quantity “problem”.

 

[JonBrew]

Good question. It finished at 1.019. Tastes good. Quite well balanced. I was trying to maximise body so mashed at 68C. I based the malt bill loosely on James Morton’s Export recipe but added 0.5kg of golden naked oats. However, it could have been a yeast quality/ quantity “problem”.

Interesting. What was your starting gravity? Golden naked oats are fairly high in fermentable sugars and 68 isn't high enough to my mind to produce a session ale with an FG at 1019. Unless your grist was high in unfermentables I would say that yeast health/underpitching might have had a impact here.

Scottish ale is pretty much my favourite style. I've not done the James morton recipe but it looks good. Funnily enough, in one of my more recent 80/- recipes I used the same quantity of golden naked oats. It was a really good beer but for my taste GNO came through a little too strong.

 

[jamow]

Started at 1.050. My fermentation’s can stick at 1.020. A stir usually helps but not this time. I’ve got another brew on fermenting from yeast which I recently cropped, cultured up and dried.

Throwing 0.5 kg of GNO in everything I make recently. A steep helps improve any kits too.
Innes & Gunn’s Pale Ale has GNO in it - thought it was foul!
I was aiming for an 80/- like Stewart’s brewery which I enjoyed on cask.

 

[JonBrew]

Started at 1.050. My fermentation’s can stick at 1.020. A stir usually helps but not this time. I’ve got another brew on fermenting from yeast which I recently cropped, cultured up and dried.

Throwing 0.5 kg of GNO in everything I make recently. A steep helps improve any kits too.
Innes & Gunn’s Pale Ale has GNO in it - thought it was foul!
I was aiming for an 80/- like Stewart’s brewery which I enjoyed on cask.

Stewart's 80 is the defining example in my opinion - hence my avatar. How close is your version would you say?

I asked the brewery about their recipe as it happens. They wouldn't say much but they told me they use Nottingham yeast which I was a little surprised at. Apparently they use it in pretty much all their beers.

 

[jamow]

My version is nowhere close. More like McEwans export!
I did a tour of Strathaven Ales Brewery and asked which yeast they used. Notty in them all, they replied.
I’ve used it once and I was happy with it, but for it being a bit neutral in character. Maybe it can be used by others with a bit more skill.

 

[foxy]

I was going to try drying yeast, but at the time was at a function with the owner of Bluestone Yeast. I got talking to him about drying yeast and he said the only yeast you could get away with drying is Kviek, as any contaminating yeast would be over run by the kviek strain. Even with the strict sanitation of yeast labs yeast still gets contaminated. I was reading about yeast ranching in the current BYO magazine about freezing yeast, I think the yeast would be less susceptible to contamination, so I think I will give this a crack.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/guide-to-making-a-frozen-yeast-bank.35891/

 

[Neil Whittaker]

Since I bought a fermZilla, I thought it would be rude not to try this since it has that collection jar. I watched David's video and during this lock down gave it a go. Using a big plastic box (under bed storage), I mounted my 40W bar heater to the inside and used the ink-bird to maintain 30c. I then just followed Davids process and now i have loads of Kviek in the freezer and not the bin. :-)

Maybe a dehydrator would have been easier, but we are in lock down.

 

[Joust]

The drying out bit certainly works. I've yet to try the re-hydration bit

Have you tried it yet?

 

[MyQul]

Have you tried it yet?

No. I gave up on that project mainly because I now used dried yeast to make starters with

 

[Neil Whittaker]

Mine is in the freezer still unused.

I tired to dehydrate a second crop, but failed massively. Next time I harvest from the collection jar, I need to let it de-carbonate. It just made a massive foam puddle on the backing paper.