I'm going to try re-using my yeast

[moto748]

Thanks for the help on this, guys. I'll have a look what's in the cupboard, and try to sort out a user-upper tomorrow.

 

[moto748]

Struck me that a demi-john wasn't the best container for this, so transferred to a jar. Then I will aim to do similar to what FirebladeAdam suggests above.

 

[FirebladeAdam]

I find it much better, but you have to be really sure it's finished! Otherwise sir is making oneself a bomb with a refrigerated timer

 

[Agentgonzo]

I find it much better, but you have to be really sure it's finished! Otherwise sir is making oneself a bomb with a refrigerated timer

When I used to store yeast in the fridge (more out of curiosity than anything else), I would seal the jar (to prevent nasties getting in), but it would still ferment. I would just unscrew it a bit to relieve the pressure every day or two until it really had stopped.

 

[The Baron]

When I'm bottling, I get to the trub at the bottom, and give it a swirl, then bottle it into a sanitised bottle and cap it. I put it in the fridge, often for weeks, and then when I want it I let it warm to room temperature, sanitise the outside of the bottle, pop the cap, pour the beer that protects the yeast away (it will settle out and separate) then pitch while the wort falls from a great height into the fermenter. It's never failed, although I can only reuse the same yeast about 4 times before I get off flavours. I have a 3 times max rule now! Now new equipment required

Virtually spot on to what I do Adam I too only use it a max of 3 times swirl the trub then jar it

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

No need for the spray malt, the yeast is fresh. Just add some of it to a brew within a couple of weeks. Longer, add spray malt. It makes no sense to me to buy the same yeast again, if you are brewing within a reasonable time frame. It's very easy to repitch.

A lot of that sediment is not yeast, or is dead yeast. You can remove the junk by pouring a mix of beer and sediment into a container, leaving it to settle a minute or so, and then decanting the liquid to another container, leaving the junk behind, The yeast stays suspended longer and will gradually drop to the bottom of the container holding the liquid, Ready to use. This is not an essential step, I used to just add sediment. But you get a better idea of how much yeast there is and less junk in your new brew. Everything needs to be as sterile as possible, obviously.

@clib that's really useful to know. I know it's a how long is a piece of string question, but I'm planning to try this at the weekend. How much beer and slurry mix do you think I should leave to settle out, in order to get enough 'washed' yeast to pitch another brew straight away?

 

[moto748]

As this thread has been revived, I might add that my experience didn't encourage me to repeat the process. I think I'll stick to spending the 4 quid or so each time. Seems to me you have plenty to lose and little to gain (except a microscopic financial benefit).

 

[clib]

@clib that's really useful to know. I know it's a how long is a piece of string question, but I'm planning to try this at the weekend. How much beer and slurry mix do you think I should leave to settle out, in order to get enough 'washed' yeast to pitch another brew straight away?

Good question. I'm not a scientist or a perfectionist. I believe there's a fair amount of room for manoeuvre. Not an exact science. Yeast will multiply to fill the available space. Just don't underpitch and stress the yeast unless you want to stress it.

I tend to fill a jar and take some from the jar to pitch into a brew. 100ml of yeast is probably about right for about 20 litres of average strength beer. But no two slurries are the same.

As this thread has been revived, I might add that my experience didn't encourage me to repeat the process. I think I'll stick to spending the 4 quid or so each time. Seems to me you have plenty to lose and little to gain (except a microscopic financial benefit).

That's cool. It's a choice. Liquid yeast is more like £8. There isnt much to lose if you are careful. And dry yeast can be better when it us reused. Become more like a liquid pitch. More expressive. And not all packs of dry yeast are healthy. There's a risk with those too. For me yeast is the most interesting aspect of brewing, and the most important ingredient. Getting good at managing yeast is a key aspect of getting better as a brewer. But many brewers get what they want pitching a fresh pack of dry yeast every time and that's absolutely fine.

 

[lancon]

Keep it simple, siphon off your beer for bottling or secondary and then just put about a third of the remains of a fermentation into clean vessel and pour the wort straight on. No lag time, and I always do it for a really strong beer.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

I tend to fill a jar and take some from the jar to pitch into a brew. 100ml of yeast is probably about right for about 20 litres of average strength beer. But no two slurries are the same.

Perfect - I'm happy being pragmatic, especially when it comes to yeast because there are so many variables outside your control :-)
I remember pitching straight onto the entire yeast cake once before: it was a bit of an emergency because the yeast I was hoping to revive in a starter, didn't. The fermentation got off to a roaring start and finished almost within a couple of days - but the amount of sediment in the bottom of the FV came right over the level of the bottom tap; and the flavour was a bit ester-heavy. I suspect a massive over-pitch in effect.

 

[clib]

Perfect - I'm happy being pragmatic, especially when it comes to yeast because there are so many variables outside your control :-)
I remember pitching straight onto the entire yeast cake once before: it was a bit of an emergency because the yeast I was hoping to revive in a starter, didn't. The fermentation got off to a roaring start and finished almost within a couple of days - but the amount of sediment in the bottom of the FV came right over the level of the bottom tap; and the flavour was a bit ester-heavy. I suspect a massive over-pitch in effect.

Yes I think so. You don't need to do the yeast settling thing but it's quick and easy and removes most of the junk. A small jar will contain the yeast yielded. You need to sterilise everything well. If you want to get closer to recommended pitch rates make a yeast starter and use a calculator that tells you the volume and gravity of starter you need for the volume and gravity of yiur batch of beer.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Yes I think so. You don't need to do the yeast settling thing but it's quick and easy and removes most of the junk. A small jar will contain the yeast yielded. You need to sterilise everything well. If you want to get closer to recommended pitch rates make a yeast starter and use a calculator that tells you the volume and gravity of starter you need for the volume and gravity of yiur batch of beer.

The deed is done - I kegged the previous brew today during the boil, then swilled together the remaining sediment and top-growth, and drew off a portion into a sterilised glass that I covered with foil until I was ready to pitch. In practice during that time only the top 5mm or so had cleared, so I just poured about half the glass into the new brew (another London Ale). I’m confident it’ll be fine - I’ll check for the start of visible activity tomorrow morning

 

[clib]

The deed is done - I kegged the previous brew today during the boil, then swilled together the remaining sediment and top-growth, and drew off a portion into a sterilised glass that I covered with foil until I was ready to pitch. In practice during that time only the top 5mm or so had cleared, so I just poured about half the glass into the new brew (another London Ale). I’m confident it’ll be fine - I’ll check for the start of visible activity tomorrow morning

Not sure what you mean by the top 5mm. I swirl the yeast plus a little beer in the FV and pour some of that into a jug or large jar. Leave it a minute and then pour just the liquid into another jar. The liquid in the second jar contains liquid and suspended yeast. The yeast will settle with time. When I pitch, I pour off most the beer layer and just pitch the yeast into the beer. Or i make a starter with it.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Not sure what you mean by the top 5mm. I swirl the yeast plus a little beer in the FV and pour some of that into a jar. Leave it a minute or two and then pour the liquid into another jar. The second jar contains liquid and yeast. The yeast will settle with time. When I pitch I pour off most the beer layer and just pitch the yeast into the beer.

Apologies for the poor explanation; what I meant is that once I’d decanted the previous brew, I swirled around what was left of the beer to pick up some of the sediment and the old krausen then poured it off into a sterilised tumbler. But it didn’t separate out much: after 20 mins there was only 5mm of clear beer at the top of the glass, and about 5cm of creamy sediment. I suspect I didn‘t add enough beer!

Anyhow all seems to have gone fine: I cleaned out the FV then pitched about half of the tumbler into the new brew: it had a bit of krausen the following morning :-)

 

[clib]

Apologies for the poor explanation; what I meant is that once I’d decanted the previous brew, I swirled around what was left of the beer to pick up some of the sediment and the old krausen then poured it off into a sterilised tumbler. But it didn’t separate out much: after 20 mins there was only 5mm of clear beer at the top of the glass, and about 5cm of creamy sediment. I suspect I didn‘t add enough beer!

Anyhow all seems to have gone fine: I cleaned out the FV then pitched about half of the tumbler into the new brew: it had a bit of krausen the following morning :-)

You don't want it to clear. You just want the heaviest stuff to settle (cos it's just sediment you don't want) which doesnt take long. Then take off the cloudy liquid, which contains yeast. Then leave the liquid to settle and you get a layer of yeast without the ****.