Greg Hughes Dried Yeasts are not suitable for reuse

[stz]

doesn't that make GH's comment valid in the context of the book being a very entry level affair?

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with the book. You can get away with a lot of stuff by saying that it isn't suitable for beginners, but it doesn't make it best practice for everybody or even accurate. Personally I've no problem reusing yeast whatever the source. If I've doubts about it I've methods to check and if I can't be sure I'll get fresh yeast. The hassle I'm willing to endure depends on how easy it is to get, how expensive it is and how much time and motivation I've got. I'm not going to clean and prop from a sample of us05, but a member here was kind enough to send me some kviek yeast sent to them from norway and for that it has gone under the scope, found to be ok and given a two stage starter for a brew today. I've got some historic brett coming from france and for that even if it was contaminated I might plate and select a single culture to prop from if I had the time.

Greg is wrong saying dried yeast is unsuitable for reuse. Should the average beginner be cropping yeast? Probably not. Should the average beginner reuse a yeast cake? Yeah you'll probably get away with that. It'll likely be a massive over pitch of trub, dead yeast and other junk, but you'll get away with it.

 

[The Baron]

Well stz I think your explanation is the best regards the reuse of dried yeast I only repitch once maybe twice max from a dry yeast as I am aware of contaminants and possible mutation and as you have said the majority of homebrewers may not have the indepth knowledge as yourself to grow and culture correctly.

 

[IainM]

Greg is wrong saying dried yeast is unsuitable for reuse. Should the average beginner be cropping yeast? Probably not. Should the average beginner reuse a yeast cake? Yeah you'll probably get away with that. It'll likely be a massive over pitch of trub, dead yeast and other junk, but you'll get away with it.

This is the issue I have with the GH book. He says that dry yeast aren't suitable for re-use, but that it's fine for liquid yeast. His guide for re-using yeast, I'm not kidding, is to scoop out an unspecified quantity of yeast from the yeast cake, keep it in the fridge in a sterilised jar for a couple of weeks, then just chuck it into the next batch, for up to four batches in a row. He doesn't qualify this at all, emphasise the need to aerate, or warn that this might not be a good idea for high gravity beers. This is just awful advice for any brewer, beginner or not.

 

[trueblue]

This is the issue I have with the GH book. He says that dry yeast aren't suitable for re-use, but that it's fine for liquid yeast. His guide for re-using yeast, I'm not kidding, is to scoop out an unspecified quantity of yeast from the yeast cake, keep it in the fridge in a sterilised jar for a couple of weeks, then just chuck it into the next batch, for up to four batches in a row. He doesn't qualify this at all, emphasise the need to aerate, or warn that this might not be a good idea for high gravity beers. This is just awful advice for any brewer, beginner or not.

That has probably the worst bit of advise , in a brewing contex, I have ever come across

 

[Cwrw666]

Regarding pitching yeast:

In the past I've pitched dried yeast and left it floating on the surface.
I've also pitched it dry and stirred it in.
I've hydrated it first and tipped it in.
I've used a few spoonfulls of the previous yeast cake.

The first one always seems to get of to more vigorous and quicker start.
But other things to consider are that I don't aerate and I no-chill in the FV so the wort is pretty oxygen starved - except at the surface.
Overall I think I'll continue dry pitching, no matter what anyone else says, or brewing scientists would have me believe. It works.

 

[bobukbrewer]

I rehydrate safale 04 in around 100 ml of boiled and cooled water. After 10 minutes I add 5 gm brewing sugar and then vigorously stir / aerate for 30 seconds. Then, covered in cling film, it is left until it has a 2 inch head, when I pitch it onto the wort. I have only being doing this without mishap for 30 years . I use the whole sachet whether my brew is 9 litres, 13 litres or 23 litres, and I brew from 1.7% abv up to 7% abv. It works for me..........