Yeast Starter.....

[luckyeddie]

Seems a dear and inefficient way to get your yeast

But it's not about cost and efficiency, it's about home brewing and doing your own thing.
It's a hobby, not a commercial venture!

This.

I have finally successfully cultivated Chimay yeast - we're now scaled up to 2 litres in a demijohn, and in a few days I will clean up the slurry and bottle it in a couple of Grolsch bottles and stick them in the fridge.

The current plan is for one of them will be used in LE AG#9 (a 3-way split batch with a comparison made against Duvel and Westmalle)

 

[evanvine]

I have finally successfully cultivated Chimay yeast - we're now scaled up to 2 litres in a demijohn, and in a few days I will clean up the slurry and bottle it in a couple of Grolsch bottles and stick them in the fridge.

Haven't a clue about which yeast you are talking about (I presume it's lager) but well done on achieving the culture. :thumb:

 

[luckyeddie]

I have finally successfully cultivated Chimay yeast - we're now scaled up to 2 litres in a demijohn, and in a few days I will clean up the slurry and bottle it in a couple of Grolsch bottles and stick them in the fridge.

Haven't a clue about which yeast you are talking about (I presume it's lager) but well done on achieving the culture. :thumb:

No, Chimay is a Trappist beer, brewed by the monks at the Chimay monastery. It comes in 3 styles (Red, White and Blue caps, equating to a golden ale, a tripel and a dark strong ale), and all in their own way are quite fantastic.

I probably confused the issue by mentioning Grolsch bottles. I just use them for storing my yeast cultures (flip tops).

The Trappist beers are all bottle-conditioned, and (luckily) they use the primary fermentation yeast for bottle conditioning (re-pitching). The beers improve with age and usually have a shelf life in excess of 10 years. The yeasts remain viable for much of that time. You'd think it should be easy to propagate, but it's so easy to contaminate, of course.

 

[evanvine]

You'd think it should be easy to propagate, but it's so easy to contaminate, of course.

I've found it reasonably (if involved) straight forward, but I'm sure I don't do it the approved way.
As for infection, I think you have to do something really silly to get one (or I've just been bloody lucky).

 

[luckyeddie]

You'd think it should be easy to propagate, but it's so easy to contaminate, of course.

I've found it reasonably (if involved) straight forward, but I'm sure I don't do it the approved way.
As for infection, I think you have to do something really silly to get one (or I've just been bloody lucky).

Aye, you're probably right. I think a lot of folk are paranoid about rogue infections.

I wipe them 'flame' the neck of the bottle before pitching 100 mls of 1040 wort into the bottle, then put a foil cap on and fasten it with a plaggy band. The foil cap I just leave in boiling water for a few minutes beforehand. It's probably way over the top, but it only adds a few minutes to the process.

Regarding these Monastery yeasts, according to Stan Hieronymus, they're seldom 'pure' cultures anyway because over the months and years there are other bugs that get in there. Some of the monasteries still use open FVs and they top-crop bucketloads. Hardly good laboratory practice, but I suppose God's on their side.

 

[evanvine]

but I suppose God's on their side.

You're not thinking of throwing the towel in, because of the unfair advantage, are you? :rofl:

 

[pjbiker]

I've had trouble with infections in the past with yeast I've saved in pickle jars in the fridge. Usually an acetone producing bug. After abandoning the practice and using packets only for a while, I've re-started using yeast from my friendly microbrewer and also some I've cultured from a couple of bottles of Fullers 'Bengal Lancer' IPA. My latest brew I split into 2 fermenters as usual and pitched one of each yeast to make a comparison.
The difference is now I am saving the yeast in sanitised beer bottles with a bit of water, and capping them for storage. I reckon this is better for preserving them with a bit of CO2 pressure, and keeping the oxygen out.

Remains to be seen what the 2 different yeasts are like when finished. The fullers one didn't really form a 'cake' and stayed mainly at the bottom whereas the microbrewery formed it's usual creamy bubbly head. The difference in taste (of the green beer) is remarkable. Perhaps the Fullers is a 'secondary bottling yeast'. It did the job OK anyway. Both fermented down only to 1.018 but thats another story, mash too hot again

I'd really like to try culture from a cask ale but am never organised enough to take a sample bottle (or too embarrassed). I'm a fan of Oakham ales and think their yeast will gave a characteristic flavour.

 

[Moley]

Remains to be seen what the 2 different yeasts are like when finished. The fullers one didn't really form a 'cake' and stayed mainly at the bottom whereas the microbrewery formed it's usual creamy bubbly head.

Well I wasn't about to quit after just one failed attempt.

I started again 3-4 nights back with 25g spraymalt boiled in about 350ml of mineral water, using an old decanter style 75cl Highland Park bottle which takes a standard drilled bung, and with one of my small bubble airlocks.

Donor bottle was a Wye Valley Brewery “Dorothy Goodbody's Golden Ale”. According to the back label the yeasties are Wye Valley's own strain.

I'm getting a few little pops through the airlock and it's starting to form a creamy bubbly head, I assume this is a good sign because I've never even seen a true top fermenter.

 

[luckyeddie]

but I suppose God's on their side.

You're not thinking of throwing the towel in, because of the unfair advantage, are you? :rofl:

I would look upon that as a challenge.

Luckily, I'm (among other things) a very old headbanger, and one of my favourite beers is Duvel (Brabantian for 'Devil'). Consequently, in the words of AC/DC's classic 'Hell's Bells'....

"...If you're into evil you're a friend of mine
See my white light flashing as I split the night
Cause if God's on the left
Then I'm stickin' to the right..."

 

[oz11]

Remains to be seen what the 2 different yeasts are like when finished. The fullers one didn't really form a 'cake' and stayed mainly at the bottom whereas the microbrewery formed it's usual creamy bubbly head.

Well I wasn't about to quit after just one failed attempt.

I started again 3-4 nights back with 25g spraymalt boiled in about 350ml of mineral water, using an old decanter style 75cl Highland Park bottle which takes a standard drilled bung, and with one of my small bubble airlocks.

Donor bottle was a Wye Valley Brewery “Dorothy Goodbody's Golden Ale”. According to the back label the yeasties are Wye Valley's own strain.

I'm getting a few little pops through the airlock and it's starting to form a creamy bubbly head, I assume this is a good sign because I've never even seen a true top fermenter.

Hi Moley,
Did this yeast get used? I ask because I have a Golden Ale and thinking of giving this a go. What steps did you take after the 25g spraymalt/350ml water?

Cheers!

 

[oz11]

Moley??............ :whistle:

 

[pjbiker]

Can't speak for Moley but if it was me, I'd go for 1-2L of wort (or last runnings from sparge) on the next brew you do, should get you enough to pitch into a 5 gallon brew from that. Others may like to be more exact on pitching rates but once you've got it multiplying in a 5 gallon batch you'll have plenty of 'barm/slurry' to harvest and keep it going.

 

[Moley]

Sorry, I never saw those posts but we have exchanged a few PMs on the subject.

I doubled and then doubled again, then set those yeasties to work with a budget priced lager kit, see “Playtime”.

Racked to closed secondaries under airlock after about 8-10 days and reclaimed the yeasties.

I only kegged that a few nights back at an FG of 1.009 but they hadn't completely finished and there were still a few very fine bubbles rising, brew was about 90% cleared but I have to say it tasted pretty damned good.

Nothing like a lager though :thumb:

 

[oz11]

I've grabbed the yeast out of a bottle of Wye Valley Golden Ale and made a little starter. Smelled ok and didn't taste foul so yesterday tossed them yeasties into a 12L batch of a 1045 ale with loads of cascade and amarillo as late hops and at "flame out", and with magnum for bittering. Something's happening in the FV so we'll see what comes out. Hope it's beer :pray:

 

[pjbiker]

I've grabbed the yeast out of a bottle of Wye Valley Golden Ale and made a little starter. Smelled ok and didn't taste foul so yesterday tossed them yeasties into a 12L batch of a 1045 ale with loads of cascade and amarillo as late hops and at "flame out", and with magnum for bittering. Something's happening in the FV so we'll see what comes out. Hope it's beer :pray:

It'll be reet. Just may be a slow starter.
The one I reclaimed from a Fullers bottle 'Bengal Lancer' is an odd one. Seems to be a bottom fermenter with very little yeast cake forming on the top. I've read recently that they use a separate yeast for bottle conditioning so perhaps that's why. Tastes absolutely fine though, similar to 'Nottingham' fruity taste during fermentation.