I have just progressed into making starters and also aqired jars for decanting slurry yeast.
After one has washed the yeast and poured it into the jars for storage.
How do I work out pitch rates for starters using the recycled stuff? God know how much I have (or dont have).
Instead of washing, I overbuild my starters by 100M (same as in a vial) using this calculator: http://www.brewunited.com/yeast_calculator.php Normally, it just means I need to keep 500ml from a starter to use it again.
If I'm reusing, I use one scoop (~200ml) slurry for a beer upto 1.060, 2 for a bigger beer. Really rough guide, but it gets you in the ballpark without much hassle.
200ml is not that much really . So I really only need 1 jam jar.. Not the loads you see on youtube.
It just the last lager I did , I needed 2 dried packs of w- 34/70 which came to a tenner. A bit much for dried yeast for one batch.
So Im keeping the leftovers for my next planned brew as it fermented quite well.
+1 on overbuilding. I was going to wash but Brewdorg set me straight. Overbuilding is less work than washing, win win
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I actually do both, depending on what I'm brewing. If I'm using the same yeast over multiple batches, I'll keep the slurry and reuse if it's going to be within 2 weeks, as it means I don't need to make another starter. I pour the whole slurry into a 5L flask, let it settle for 20mins to get rid of the bigger particles, then pour 500ml into a jar, which I'll use for repitching. About half the 500ml then makes it into the next batch.
I can do that with the yeast I had on the stir plate yesterday now.
I made a mistake and left the USE STIR PLATE unchecked on beer smith. It was my first time doing it.
I thought I had 188 Billion, which is what I need. When I check the box it turns into 340 Billion.
So I can store half in a jar. I think.
Hey there . Need a small bit of help.
What exactly am I supposed to be saving in this flask?
It all looks like crap.. Apparently there is some lager yeast in there
I can only see 3 layers, water/beer above, Baileys cream in between and trub at the bottom.
(http://s25.postimg.org/d4cuhinf3/P1020400.jpg)
(http://s25.postimg.org/houfiphqn/P1020401.jpg)
Middle bit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPYUFJ4bPD4
Thanks. Decanted down to 1 liter . And now there seems to be another layer appeared.
YEt another thing to learn about in brewing beer. Tis a great hobby altogether.
(http://s25.postimg.org/7gkbvun7z/P1020402.jpg)
Yep you can go again and again, it's the baileys you are after :)
One tip I found useful, (especially with smaller quantities of yeast), is to use a thinner container to allow the yeast to settle out. That way the layer of yeast you're after is easier to decant off any trub or break material that might have been carried over from the FV.
As for the how much viable yeast you actually have - in practice there is no real way of knowing. I don't pitch my saved yeast right away, but store 35 ml of compacted yeast (the 'baileys' only), in vials for creating later starters. This is the same volume as in a White labs vial (cell count range 70-100 billion cells), so in my imagination there's the same number of cells in my vials :P My logic here being, if White Labs have such a wide tolerance range, then I'm probably somewhere close.
Hope that helps, good luck with your next batch!