How To...Reclaim Yeast From Bottled Beers

[lukehgriffiths]

I can only go by my own successes...


Shepherd Neame 1698 Available from Asda (didn't like the beer much and the result was okay)
Thwaits Tavern Porter/Nutty Dark)
Tavern Porter available from Morrisons (great yeast can't decide if it gave me red/bleary eyes)
Wye Valley Butty Bach (also from Asda) loved this yeast didn't attenuate as much as some left a lovely sweet brew.
Fullers 1845 (Morrisons) much nicer than the SN stuff and made a nicer beer too

Buxton Brewery Rednik Stout (local garden centre!) is not working anywhere near as fast as those above slow and not really worth the wait now I have read about it (SA-05 as good apparently). I used it as it was handy. Great beer though so not all bad.

The other thing that is worth adding is you can bottle a batch of your homebrew then reclaim from those in the same way. I got some WLP001 (as it was used for porter in how to brew) that has now done 4 brews for me. I think I might get some British Ale yeast as 001 attenuates too high and leaves a clean tasting brew but a bit under sweet for some of the beers I make.

Oh dear I am getting very brew geeky nowadays.

 

[Asalpaws]

Cool that's great info Luke. I guess the major incentive is to get yeast that isn't available commercially. Good point about re-using your home brew yeast from bottles!

Looking into other forums a lot of people think Delerium Tremens is WLP 570 with SO-4. Must say it's taken 10 days to go from 1.076 to 1.008. Tastes very nice in the trial jar, lot of estery goodness.

Might try Hop Back, Summer Lightning sounds like a good ale yeast. T

 

[clibit]

I've done a lot of reading about this, not cultured any bottled yeasts yet but will soon and the ones that are top of my list are Fullers 1845, Thwaites (Nutty Black), Marble (Any I think) and Hopback Summer Lightning. All get great reviews from people who have tried them. I've got the Fullers and Thwaites bottles in readiness. And I go in the Marble Beerhouse so I will pop in when I'm set to do it. I don't see Summer Lightning bottles round here though.

 

[marksa222]

What about using the yeast from a hefeweissen? Presumably that would be the same.

Can someone confirm this sounds about right;

prepare 1.040 wort (either dme or wort from beer).
empty the last bit of the bottle in there (or last bit of a couple of beers).
wait for it to ferment, remove beer and pitch trub into a larger container in more wort, to produce more yeast.
remove beer and pitch trub directly into FV on brewday.

By trub, I mean the more "solid" bit at the bottom of the container.

 

[andyco]

What about using the yeast from a hefeweissen?

If my memory serves me right I think "Schneider Weisse" is the only commercial available Hefe that's got a the primary strain in, I think the others like Franziskaner and Paulaner and the like are bottling strains.

Andy

 

[lukehgriffiths]

Not sure if the wheat beers are different but the method in the first post works fine. 2litres water 200g DME giving 1020 (yeast prefers it weaker) wort pitch dregs into wort (after a shake to loosen sediment). 2 or 3 times a day remove airlock and swirl to admit oxygen (this keeps yeast breeding rather than fermenting). After a few days yeast will be visible at bottom of
DJ. It can then be pitched.

 

[Badger]

Cheers man!