split yeast

[GerritT]

Switching to smaller batches, and probably half batches: 12 liters or abouts.

Has anyone here tried splitting liquid yeast? As in:

• sanitise small containers
• distribute the 50 ml of liquid yeast
• screw tight, fridge the lot
• open containers when needed

Usage of course within 2 months or so.

 

[Drunkula]

I've frozen liquid yeast with glycerine. I later found out it was supposed to be with a 15% solution and I used 50%. I made up the solution, put it in the jars and then with them not fully tightened put them in a pressure cooker to kill all known forms of life DEAD.

Put the liquid yeast in, shook, put in freezer. When I used it I'd just scoop bits out with a sanitised spoon and make a starter with it.

I later read that too much glycerine makes the yeast harder to grow and found that happened with the 4th one and it was there for pffft, 9 months, maybe more.

 

[GerritT]

I've frozen liquid yeast with glycerine. I later found out it was supposed to be with a 15% solution and I used 50%. I made up the solution, put it in the jars and then with them not fully tightened put them in a pressure cooker to kill all known forms of life DEAD.

Put the liquid yeast in, shook, put in freezer. When I used it I'd just scoop bits out with a sanitised spoon and make a starter with it.

I later read that too much glycerine makes the yeast harder to grow and found that happened with the 4th one and it was there for pffft, 9 months, maybe more.

Got an amazon link for the glycerine? Should give me an idea of what to order :)

 

[Drunkula]

https://www.boots.com/value-health-glycerin-b-p-200ml-10021858

That's the one I've got... let's see on Amazon. Wow, they're really shanking you on price over there. Looks like buying a litre for about 6 quid is the best chance. Even the 200ml bottle will last aaaaages.

 

[MyQul]

One of my favourite yeast wrangling techniques is to harvest the yeast cake into a jar (or as much as will fit in) and put in the fridge Then whenever I am going to brew. A few days before, I sanitise a spoon and put a spoon full or two into a a starter. I keep reusing the jar of yeast and taking a spoonful for starters until the yeast is all used up or I want to change strain. The jar lasts months

 

[GerritT]

Found these, https://www.kruidvat.nl/kruidvat-86-5-glycerine/p/4813250 , about £10 per liter, cheap enough for my purposes, not 100% though. Odourless, haven't tasted it.

So the kveik has to be prepared for the freezer. It says net vol 15 ml, but the bottle is 5 by 5 by 7 cms, making it 150 ml for the cuboid part. (to the right: 35 ml Runddose mit Schraubverschluß)
My guess is that there is 15 ml of yeast, and ca 120 ml of water and solubles.

Could I just top it up with 25 ml of glycerine and put it in the freezer?

 

[Pennine]

I do it often but make a small starter then split that in a jar. It probably would work fine if you have a second vial or bottle just split in two. With dry yeast I just dump a whole pack. Its much cheaper than liquid.

 

[johncrobinson]

As the song goes::

"Too much glycerine will kill you just as sure as none at all."

 

[johncrobinson]

Seriously though bodgit and scarper just will not do when trying to long term store yeast.

 

[GerritT]

Seriously though bodgit and scarper just will not do when trying to long term store yeast.

Only for a few months, and I love experiments
I read the book "Yeast" but the method described was not really applicable here: not trying to build a bank, just trying to give a yeast a few months more time.
I'll post the results when they're here!

 

[johncrobinson]

Hi GerriT what i was saying is that there is a narrow range of concentrations of glycerine that work.
too little and you get ice crystal damage.A touch too much and its toxic to the yeast.
Both situations leading to dead yeast.
The damage will be done during the freezing/thawing not the length of time in the freezer.
There are precice guides on the net for the best concentration to use.

Hop this helps.

 

[GerritT]

Hi GerriT what i was saying is that there is a narrow range of concentrations of glycerine that work.
too little and you get ice crystal damage.A touch too much and its toxic to the yeast.
Both situations leading to dead yeast.
The damage will be done during the freezing/thawing not the length of time in the freezer.
There are precice guides on the net for the best concentration to use.

Hop this helps.

Cheers, I'll keep it in mind!