| Re: Question: Reusing Yeast - Help Needed
I'm no expert, but it seems from my observations and my own use of option 3
that you have three options:
1) Just scoop some of the flocculants from the bottom of the carboy, pop
them in a sterile bottle, cap the bottle and stick it in the refrigerator
for two or three weeks. Then, use a small (say, one cup) starter to get
things going again, move up to a pint, move up to a quart and pitch your
next batch. Riskiest Option, but it might work!
2) Prepare an eight ounce starter in a twelve ounce bottle, pitch with a bit
of the flocculants from the bottom of your primary. Put a vapor lock on it.
Every week, move to a larger bottle with an infussion of starter until
you're ready to use it. Less risky, but more labor intensive.
3) Least risky, most labor intensive: Get some agar and small (test tubes,
baby food jars, vials, or something) that can take heat. Mix 1 tablespoon
of dry agar, one table spoon of DME, one sixteenth teaspoon of yeast
nutrient and one cup of water. Heat and dissolve. If using vials, tip the
vial to maximize surface area.
Pop a thin layer of the agar/starter mix into the bottom of each
culturing receptacle. Place tinfoil over the top and place in a pressure
cooker at 15 lbs. pressure for 15 minutes or a canning pot for 15 minutes.
(The pressure cooker will kill more things, as the temperature gets up to
250F.)
After the receptacles cool, remove the tinfoil and place the sterile
tops on each in a relatively sterile environment (like, you wiped your
workspace down with bleach before you stated this step). Next, take a loop
of wire, sterilize it in a flame, cool it in sterile water and scoop a bit
of the flocculant and place it on the agar in one receptacle, quickly
replacing the lid.
Repeat all steps, including the flame sterilizing for each receptacle
you innoculate. Don't get carried away. These are viable for about 4 to 6
months, but nothing last forever and I do about one batch a month and change
yeasts often enough that about 3 of these per yeast type is all I can
justify-- ok, I usually do 6 and give the extras to friends.
After innoculation, let off the pressure a couple of times a day or as
required for a couple of weeks. After that they should be ok. Store out of
light at room temp and use option two above to reactivate. (I dump a little
starter in my tube, wait a day and dump my tube of starter into a 12 ounce
starter, then 16 ounce, then 32 ounce, then pitch. Takes some planning.
This is the most labor intense option, but also the most robust. First
of all, the environment is the longest lasting and requires the least
baby-sitting in the long haul. Second, you have multiple starts from only
the second generation of yeast, so less risk of mutation over generations.
Third, you have multiple starts. If one goes off (ie. is any color other
than pure white.) you pitch it and use the next candidate. I also like the
idea that I made that batch of beer from yeast I cultured, hops I grew,
grain I malted---- ok, I don't malt my own grain; just day-dreaming
again---- and a recipe I chose. It's just sooooo kooooool!
Sorry, I got wordy, as usual.
Charley
"MTR" <mtrbase-gasco@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns971F967A8A0Dhossyahoocom@199.45.49.11...[color=blue]
> I just brewed an IPA with Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast. It has been in
> the primary for one week. I plan to rack to the secondary tonight or
> tomorrow. I do not plan on brewing my next batch for 3-4 weeks. Is it
> possible to harvest and store the yeast from the primary until then? If
> so, how should this be done?
>
> Any direction is greatly appreciated![/color]
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