yeast question,

[artyb]

morning fellow brewers....

i have bitter kit to start this weekend,
but it has no yeast with it, :?
can i use a gp yeast..? i have a riches gp yeast,and some youngs super yeast compound, i dont have a lhbs locally and cant get any other yeast this weekend,

 

[robsan77]

Thats a bummer. The yeast will make a massive difference and I would recommend getting a good ale yeast. What kit is it? It'll be well worth it.

 

[evanvine]

It's better to go ahead and brew than not to brew!
In my "biased" opinion, the yeast won't that much difference to a kit.
I am now ducking for cover.....

 

[artyb]

its only a cheap kit,youngs bitter, i got it free.... :party:
ive just bottled my wherry so thought it was unlucky to let the fv dry out... :rofl:

 

[Aleman]

Yeast makes about 85% of the flavour contribution to your beer . . If you want to use a wine yeast to make beer . . . good luck . . . but be prepared to be severely disappointed in the results.

 

[evanvine]

Yeast makes about 85% of the flavour contribution to your beer

Well I'll be damned

 

[rickthebrew]

You could have used the yeast cake from the wherry :)

In my limited experience yeast has a huge impact on the flavour :thumb: I use notty or s-04 for best bitters and us-05 for pale and hoppy brews

 

[artyb]

ive held fire with the brew, ive managed to get another kit, [wilcos,but no yeast on sale there]

could i make a starter from the yeast in one kit and use the starter to brew two kits..or have i misunderstood yeast multiplication .. :?

 

[robsan77]

yes but you'll need afew days to grow it and split it :thumb:

 

[craigite]

Yes, you could do that.

If you would rather a few weeks between each brew you could also make a starter from the sediment in the bottom of your first kit bottle.

Is it not easier buying more yeast?


I harvest yeast off of the fv at about day two of fermentation and store it in the fridge. Then make a starter 24hrs before I brew, I done that with this yeast batch for a year and a half :thumb:

 

[artyb]

well the nearest lhbs is 30 miles away i could get some by post,
i was interested in yeast harvesting...

so when the brew has foamed up, i can collect the ''foamy yeast'' and then add it to a starter...?

 

[broadfordbrewer]

Arty, no it's the yeast cake left at the bottom of the FV that you're after... once you've racked your beer off.

edit: just read craigites post properly and it seems I don't know what I'm talking about

 

[Moley]

Ok, I know that yeasties can make a big difference from spliiting a 40 litre boil into two 20 litre fermentations with different yeasts, and in answer to the original question I wouldn't use a GP wine yeast compound for a beer.

However, can someone please explain, I expect my wine yeasts to ferment out to dryness of 0.99x, so why the ‘attenuation’ limits and why can't beer yeasties be bothered?

 

[craigite]

well the nearest lhbs is 30 miles away i could get some by post,
i was interested in yeast harvesting...

so when the brew has foamed up, i can collect the ''foamy yeast'' and then add it to a starter...?

When I first started harvesting yeast my system was:

• ferment for 2 days in first FV then rack into 2nd fv
  finish fermentation in 2nd FV
  rack into 3rd to store in garage - condition.
  Take the sludge from bottom of 2nd FV divide and store in fridge to pitch into stater.

I have changed my method and now:

• Ferment in 1st FV, sometimes drop into 2nd.
  At about 48-72hrs into fermentation skim yeast head into 1000ml jug, cover and set in fridge.
  Give harvested yeast two days to settle then,
  divide into sample tubes to store.
  remember to release lids every day to prevent buildup of pressure

Obviously at every stage everything is sterile and care is taken no to introduce more O2 into the brew.
At about 2-3 days into fermentation the head is a 2-3" deep sticky foam, quite dense. When I take off 1000ml I am removing about 75% of the head. Within a few hours the a head has recovered the brew and is about 1" thick.
So far I have no issues. Taste of beer is good.

Note. I do this every 6 or so brews, selecting a light ale so not to draw too strong flavours into next brew. I never use the last sample tube of yeast as it is the safety incase the harvesting of the next store goes wrong.