Reusing Freshly Harvested Yeast

[DoctorMick]

One jar might be ok. Unless it's a light beer like low 1.040. From the looks of it, you have a nice batch of yeast in both jars.

OG is expected to be 1.068 so I'll use a full jar.

 

[MyQul]

Thanks, I'll keep the second jar on stand by incase I have any disasters with the first and then once fermentation is underway I'll chuck it and harvest again from the next batch.

I bought some WLP001. I intend to just harvest (bottom crop) and pitch six times from each sucessive brew. Then buy some more yeast. Makes things easy and cheap as the 001 was about £6 so it'll work out about a quid a brew

 

[DoctorMick]

I bought some WLP001. I intend to just harvest (bottom crop) and pitch six times from each sucessive brew. Then buy some more yeast. Makes things easy and cheap as the 001 was about �£6 so it'll work out about a quid a brew

My next question was going to be home many times can I reuse it safely, I was going to do three brews just in case my process isn't great but I might stretch it to 5 if the first three are successful. If I washed it etc how long would it last in the fridge?

 

[MyQul]

My next question was going to be home many times can I reuse it safely, I was going to do three brews just in case my process isn't great but I might stretch it to 5 if the first three are successful. If I washed it etc how long would it last in the fridge?

About the same as if you didnt wash it as the deteriation of the viability is the same afaik. After 2-3 weeks in the fridge it's recommeded to make a starter

 

[DoctorMick]

Got stuck at work today so didn't have time to brew tonight so will have to wait until next Wednesday. I take it from what you've both said that I should be ok without a starter? It'll be 9 days old by then.

 

[MyQul]

Yup should be fine. Just aerate the feck out the wort to make sure.

Just to be clear as, I think it was Jonnyboy, mentioned further up the thread. Best practice would be to make a starter whenever and every time repitching trub. To be prove viability, refresh and reinvigorate existing cells and create new ones.
I dont as I like the ease (and cuz I'm lazy) of just taking the jar of trub out the fridge in the morrning to warm up to room temp and just chucking some into the wort.

 

[JapanBrew]

You can get easily 6 batches off one. After that, your pushing luck. I do about six.
In the fridge, the yeast can stay dormant for months. But if your repitching the yeast within a day or so, I don't worry about washing it or anything. Just toss it in like Myqul

 

[MyQul]

My next question was going to be home many times can I reuse it safely, I was going to do three brews just in case my process isn't great but I might stretch it to 5 if the first three are successful. If I washed it etc how long would it last in the fridge?

If you overbuild a starter brulospher claims to have gone to 13 gens no problem (in the FAQ at the bottom.

http://brulosophy.com/methods/yeast-harvesting/



I'm not sure I'd want to use a yeast strain that many times though. I'd want to buy something different to get different characteristics

 

[DoctorMick]

Pitched it tonight so I'll let you know tomorrow how it's getting on. Thanks for all the help. :). Assuming it all goes well I've planned my next brews so I'll get 4 out of this yeast.

 

[DoctorMick]

Looks to be fermenting nicely this morning. :thumb:

 

[JapanBrew]

Doctor is going down the rabbit hole!!!!

 

[Nicknacknoo]

I've been looking up using reclaimed yeast and am a tad confused. On the Mr Malty site it says to use approx. 80ml of yeast slurry. Using the pictures above which is the slurry.

Also i've read some people use 300ml starters where as others use 2l starters, why's this?

 

[BeerCat]

I top cropped last week for the first time on a Stout. The starter i made from it was exceptionally lively put it like that. I took 4 scoops of froth and no liquid. After it fermented there was a lot of yeast left over. Will be doing this again for sure as long as i remember.

 

[JapanBrew]

I've been looking up using reclaimed yeast and am a tad confused. On the Mr Malty site it says to use approx. 80ml of yeast slurry. Using the pictures above which is the slurry.

Also i've read some people use 300ml starters where as others use 2l starters, why's this?

I just boil a liter of water with a 2 liter maison jar in the water then let it cool.
After bottling I dump the 1 liter of water in the FV and swish it around. Then dump that slurry into the jar.
After, boil and cool 4 500 ml jars and lids.
After 30 min or so, the heavy trub, almost all rubbish settles. The rest is yeast. Spray sanitizer on the lids and rims of the 4 jars. Evenly divide the liquid into the jars trying to avoid the bottom stuff. Pour slow and steady.
Now you have 4 batches. Refrige and the yeast will sink to bottom after 24 hours. You can decant if you want but I don't bother.