BrewCon 2015 - Brewing Elements - Yeast

[Partridge9]

We have an expert Yeast speaker at brewcon 2015

Chris White, Founder, President and CEO -  White Labs California

We are going to get some questions together  to put to him.

Any questions on Yeast ??

[irish_goat]

I'd like to hear his thoughts on yeast nutrient. Whitelabs sell a product which they say is intended to help beers that aren't 100% malt or for high gravity beers but does he think is there much need for a regular batch of session strength beer?

http://www.whitelabs.com/other-products/wln1000-white-labs-yeast-nutrient

[DEMPSEY]

What about his views on yeast blending. I recently was told that alot of brewers who use Windsor yeast also pitch Nottingham 48 hours later to help with the finishing gravity. I'm asking that one so as to make myself sound knowledgeable 

[Dr Jacoby]

I hate pitching all the liquid from a starter into wort (especially if it's into pale wort). But I also don't like the idea that by decanting away most of the liquid I might be wasting lots of healthy yeast still in suspension. One option to help address this concern is to crash cool the starter the night before brew day to help the yeast settle out. Does this method pose any risks in terms of shocking the yeast? If so, is there an alternative method available? Is this even something to be worried about (i.e. maybe the yeast sludge in a starter is more than enough to pitch on its own without the liquid portion?)

[pob]

Which is preferred & why, when cell count is the same - pitch multiple vials or building a starter?

When (if ever), will the Copenhagen lab start supplying homebrewer product to Europe? Will the full range be available? Will shipping costs be reduced?

[Partridge9]

second that peter,

its a PITA to crash cool the yeast, dump the liquid,  and then heat the stuff up again,

Weighting it all up - I usually throw in the whole starter.. be interesting to hear what he reckons.

[Will_D]

1: Beer yeasts for cider fermentaion/ I was V. happy with my lager yeast (WLP-830) on GB cider

2: Why are my two fav. WLP yeasts efing anagrams: 830 viz.a.viz 380

[Dr Jacoby]

If you add a small amount of yeast nutrient to a starter (to ensure adequate zinc levels) do you also need to add some to the boil or is this overkill? (Assume, if necessary, that you want to re-pitch the yeast from this batch to another in the future).

[Dr Jacoby]

What's Chris' view on the Mr Malty calculator in terms of the rate at which yeast vials are said to lose viability?   

[beerfly]

related to peter No1's Q.

whats the best way to estimate cell count? is it ok to guess or should you messure the yeast slurry.
is it safe to assume that a 1L starter of 1.040 wort when done contains x billions cells give or take a few billion.

And also to related to Peter No2's Q
Any time frame on when the homebrew purepitch packages will be available.

[Hingo]

WL have a great range of liquid yeast with a lot of focus specific yeasts for specific beers for specific results (Not just generic ale/lager etc.. top or bottom fermenting types)

With there being a bit of a logistics issue for shipping liquid yeasts to offshore suppliers (EG Ireland), balancing supply and demand while making sure there's a fresh supply.. Have you ever considered an equivalent dry yeast product to match your catalogue of Homebrew yeast strains?

while liquid would still be the preferred, a specific dry yeast EG WLP530 Abbey Ale yeast would do in absence of liquid yeast being out of stock..

[imark]

How about his thoughts on building up starters from blends (eg. WLP 655). What he sees as the difficulties for a homebrewer with doing this, the best method and the impact on the final product.

[Will_D]

Another Question re. Cider Yeasts:

"Can we have a low attenuating strain that stops working at about 4% ABV?" That would allows us to make naturally swee, carbonated ciders!

Also:

Is it true that your yeast vials are really Pet Bottle pre-Forms?

[Rossa]

I hate pitching all the liquid from a starter into wort (especially if it's into pale wort). But I also don't like the idea that by decanting away most of the liquid I might be wasting lots of healthy yeast still in suspension. One option to help address this concern is to crash cool the starter the night before brew day to help the yeast settle out. Does this method pose any risks in terms of shocking the yeast? If so, is there an alternative method available? Is this even something to be worried about (i.e. maybe the yeast sludge in a starter is more than enough to pitch on its own without the liquid portion?)

I heard him talk in this one. Very interesting.

[dcalnan]

I have one since I'm currently in this situation. I found a yeast that expired back in June, what would be the proper steps for bringing this back to life, or would the ease of buying a new one outweigh the time invested in bringing it back to life and would there be any difference in the resulting beers.