National Homebrew Club Ireland

Brewing Discussions => Yeast Board => Topic started by: Bubbles on November 12, 2013, 02:30:52 PM

Title: Saving yeast - flocculant strains
Post by: Bubbles on November 12, 2013, 02:30:52 PM
Lads, what's the procedure for saving yeast when using highly flocculant strains?

I understand you probably stir up the yeast cake into the leftover beer, but what happens after I transfer to flask/demijohn? I'm expecting the yeast I'm currently using (WLP007) to just flocc out immediately along with the trub. This stuff is more like a rubber plug than any yeast cake I've seen before...

Thoughts?
Title: Re: Saving yeast - flocculant strains
Post by: Bubbles on November 13, 2013, 03:19:01 PM
Anyone??
Title: Re: Saving yeast - flocculant strains
Post by: Eoin on November 13, 2013, 03:32:00 PM
I've wondered about this before viz a viz yeast washing. I don't tend to wash if keeping for short periods myself. I just put it in a jar and pitch the lot. I also wonder if successively washing flocculant strains if you're not naturally selecting the non-flocculant yeast.

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Title: Re: Saving yeast - flocculant strains
Post by: Bubbles on November 13, 2013, 03:57:37 PM
Quote from: Eoin on November 13, 2013, 03:32:00 PM
I've wondered about this before viz a viz yeast washing. I don't tend to wash if keeping for short periods myself. I just put it in a jar and pitch the lot. I also wonder if successively washing flocculant strains if you're not naturally selecting the non-flocculant yeast.

I've never washed yeast either tbh. I just make sure that I pitch a portion of the yeast cake (not all of it) and that it has been in my fridge no longer than a week or so. It takes a bit of planning to roll yeast from one batch of beer into another, but it's worked for me so far.

I told a couple of homebrewers this recently and they nearly fell over: "you don't wash your YEAST????"  :) So I figured I'd give a try and see what's involved.

But with this WLP007, I'm expecting it will just sink like a stone, along with any trub from the yeast cake.